Opinions and advice.

[steery1]

Hi,
Almost finished my site customization and was hoping that a few smugmuggers could cast a critical eye over it for me, maybe spot a few flaws or niggles that I have missed. :dunno

Any views, opinions or critiques about colours, layout, ease of navigation, wording of guestbook, homepages etc will be very welcome. :D I think its always best to get as many views as possible before I "go public" :rofl

Tell me what you like and dont like. I'd appreciate any feedback at all.
And please, sign my guestbook while you are there. :D

You can find my site here - reflectionsbystephenperry (http://reflectionsby.smugmug.com/)


Thanks to smugger oxy8384 (http://www.digitalgrin.com/member.php?u=21277) for the invaluable customization help and advice

[steery1]

Anybody wanna run a critical eye over it for me? ........... reflectionsbystephenperry (http://reflectionsby.smugmug.com/)

[DavidTO]

1) Nice job!

2) I don't like the squished pics in the middle of your splash page. I like the overall design, but would not distort the pics to fit, but find pics that fit that space naturally, or look cool cropped like that.

3) your next page is too wordy. Reading is hard. Your navbar says most of what you need to say, i.e. where stuff is. I would bury most of the information so that it's in the appropriate place. In other words, you're telling me too much before I've been hooked by your photography. I don't have any motivation to work through all the words, since I don't know if it will be worth it. Let your images speak for you.

4) Your breadcrumbs are funky (Safari 2)
http://myskitch.com/davidrosenthal/reflections_-_photography_by_stephen_perry_-_powered_by_smugmug-20070923-104843.jpg

5) Limit the Categories that show up in your drop down. "Other" and "Photography" are pretty meaningless to the casual viewer, and the contents don't look like they're really intended for the casual viewer.

[steery1]

1) Nice job!

2) I don't like the squished pics in the middle of your splash page. I like the overall design, but would not distort the pics to fit, but find pics that fit that space naturally, or look cool cropped like that.

3) your next page is too wordy. Reading is hard. Your navbar says most of what you need to say, i.e. where stuff is. I would bury most of the information so that it's in the appropriate place. In other words, you're telling me too much before I've been hooked by your photography. I don't have any motivation to work through all the words, since I don't know if it will be worth it. Let your images speak for you.

4) Your breadcrumbs are funky (Safari 2)
http://myskitch.com/davidrosenthal/reflections_-_photography_by_stephen_perry_-_powered_by_smugmug-20070923-104843.jpg

5) Limit the Categories that show up in your drop down. "Other" and "Photography" are pretty meaningless to the casual viewer, and the contents don't look like they're really intended for the casual viewer.
Some good observations. Thanks for taking the time to look and reply. :clap
I didn't think my home page was overly wordy compared to some sites I've looked at but I take your point. I'll look at it again, see if I can lose some superflous drivel.

I had thought there were too many categories in the dropdown navbar but thats the anal retentive side of me - everything in its proper place and a proper place for everything. :rofl

Nice spot about Safari. I dont use it so hadn't noticed. Everything seems to be fine on FF, IE6 and IE7.

Thank you.

[oxy8384]

1)4) Your breadcrumbs are funky (Safari 2)
http://myskitch.com/davidrosenthal/reflections_-_photography_by_stephen_perry_-_powered_by_smugmug-20070923-104843.jpg
David,
Since I don't have access to Safari, could you please re-check the bredcrumb issue by clicking here (http://reflectionsby.smugmug.com/gallery/2815701#150489502). I believe I have fixed it and would really appreciate it if you could validate that for me.

Thanks so much,

Bill

[Rockporters]

As my site is a continual work in progress, at times more successfully then others, I hate to be critical of others, but since you asked... :rofl You have added some really creative touches to your site, and obviously put a lot of work into customization! Having done graphic design and web work professionally I can truly appreciate the time and effort you've put into customizing your site.

Your photos are amazing, which compels me to mention that your color choice doesn't allow them to shine. Perhaps it wouldn't be so overwhelming by itself, but paired with the hard to read orange text it is very distracting. Additionally the gradient is choppy, so the lines draw your eyes away from the photos. A shame since they are the reason you're trying to attract people TO your site!

Your homepage is the first thing your customers see, and the pictures appear distorted. You've got room to expand, make those pictures shine!

Basic suggestions:

Have a plan for your fonts and colors. Try to minimize the variety of colors used for text, as well as the number of different fonts and font sizes. You currently have 5 text colors, which is, imo, way too many. (the other colors are white, peach, orange, green, grey) Honestly the 'peach' color clashes anyhow, so I would suggest changing that to an EXISTING color.

Your business name appears in three different ways--all caps, all lower-case, and with the first letter capitalized. If you want people to recognize your 'logo' or name, the easiest way is through consistency.

On the first page after entry,I have to agree, there is too much text! It's overwhelming, and without knowing much about you or your work at that point, it's too much-too soon. Maybe do an about page or keep it in the help pages.

You've heard the saying 'less is more'? Don't overwhelm potential customers, lure them in, and let your photos sell themselves. They are beautiful, so let them be the focus and let the site act as a backdrop to make them POP. If you do that, you'll have an inviting site where customers are able to relax and spend some time. Great job!

[DavidTO]

David,
Since I don't have access to Safari, could you please re-check the bredcrumb issue by clicking here (http://reflectionsby.smugmug.com/gallery/2815701#150489502). I believe I have fixed it and would really appreciate it if you could validate that for me.

Thanks so much,

Bill


Sure, this is what I see:

http://myskitch.com/davidrosenthal/reflections_-_photography_by_stephen_perry_-_powered_by_smugmug-20070925-222958.jpg

[oxy8384]

Sure, this is what I see:

http://myskitch.com/davidrosenthal/reflections_-_photography_by_stephen_perry_-_powered_by_smugmug-20070925-222958.jpg
That's exactly what I hoped you would see!:thumb:clap

Bill

[steery1]

As my site is a continual work in progress, at times more successfully then others, I hate to be critical of others, but since you asked... :rofl You have added some really creative touches to your site, and obviously put a lot of work into customization! Having done graphic design and web work professionally I can truly appreciate the time and effort you've put into customizing your site.

Your photos are amazing, which compels me to mention that your color choice doesn't allow them to shine. Perhaps it wouldn't be so overwhelming by itself, but paired with the hard to read orange text it is very distracting. Additionally the gradient is choppy, so the lines draw your eyes away from the photos. A shame since they are the reason you're trying to attract people TO your site!

Your homepage is the first thing your customers see, and the pictures appear distorted. You've got room to expand, make those pictures shine!

Basic suggestions:

Have a plan for your fonts and colors. Try to minimize the variety of colors used for text, as well as the number of different fonts and font sizes. You currently have 5 text colors, which is, imo, way too many. (the other colors are white, peach, orange, green, grey) Honestly the 'peach' color clashes anyhow, so I would suggest changing that to an EXISTING color.

Your business name appears in three different ways--all caps, all lower-case, and with the first letter capitalized. If you want people to recognize your 'logo' or name, the easiest way is through consistency.

On the first page after entry,I have to agree, there is too much text! It's overwhelming, and without knowing much about you or your work at that point, it's too much-too soon. Maybe do an about page or keep it in the help pages.

You've heard the saying 'less is more'? Don't overwhelm potential customers, lure them in, and let your photos sell themselves. They are beautiful, so let them be the focus and let the site act as a backdrop to make them POP. If you do that, you'll have an inviting site where customers are able to relax and spend some time. Great job!


Thanks Rockporters. You've given me some food for thought. :D