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vipersniperPost at 2010-6-17 07:59 | Show This Author's Posts Only
abstract:

Mainly looking for critique on design and usability


Mainly looking for critique on design and usability.

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M61Post at 2010-6-17 07:59 | Show This Author's Posts Only
Hi there vipersniper, had a look and these are the things I would like to share...
1) I like the colors, simple yet strong, it gives it a kind of easing simplicity, maybe the blue could be a bit darker or a bit more into the green spectrum, my thoughts would be something like
R:  11
G: 156
B: 168
#0b9ca8
2) there is an inconsequentially in your logo, the reflection  shows more than there is visible txt (concerns the word design, not visible but reflected)... if it's an expression of art, sorry I missed that     
3) there is lot's of empty space in your layout, maybe you could change the size of the cells (try to use CSS), it will tidy up the page, now I feel like it's kind of cluttered...
also you win space in your section "solutions" using small on point pop up windows or roll menus, makes it more orderly and easy accessible, now I have to scroll all down the page.
4) This should have been my first point of attention, I'm missing a kind of dynamic  and personality in the page, I don't see what your product is, I need to read about it,
we people don't like to read, it's about the eye to the mind (fantasy) communication so, a picture does more than a thousand words. So why not some nice small flash photo effects, some thumbs sliding with a message about your product. You could use the space you're using now for the icons. The Icons (a menu) could be replaced by a jump menu or a roll down menu.
5) Ah sorry there is a 5th thing,
maybe my connection is slow but as I have an average connection that shouldn't be a problem... what I'm saying is that your flashmovie (totally cool design) is to big, maybe it's the mp3 file (music file) you used...
maybe you can make it into a streaming file or use a midi file (me I don't like midi files)
Don't think I don't like your design because that is not true, I like the concept very much and I guess I wouldn't be spending all this time right now if I wouldn't belief that your site would come out even better with some changes.
So what I'm saying is that this site has real potential and you as designer also. Hope you can appreciate my input.
greetz and respect

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tameonePost at 2010-6-17 07:59 | Show This Author's Posts Only
Hi viper,
The color scheme is good.  Navigation is simple and easy to follow.  I always appreciate that in a website.
Here are some things I think could be improved:
First, proofread your text for misspellings and improper grammar.  For example, "Get a web design that suites your needs." should read "Get a web design that suits your needs."  (Notice the "e" in suites.  You mean "suits".)  You may think I'm nitpicking, but I have clients that want precision down to whether or not the period following a link at the end of a sentence is highlighted.  It does make a difference to some.
Second, I wonder about the name "SanctifyMe" and the cross icon for the About link.  If you have some religious affiliation you should state it.  Personally, this was a real turn off for me.  You might all be good, honest Christians and upstanding members of your community, but I don't know that because you didn't tell me.  Maybe you live in the desert and worship dung beetles.  Who knows?
When I clicked on Support Ticket, all of the image links/styles were broken, which made me wonder if I sent a message, would you get it?
Last, but not least, you might consider replacing the list of disadvantages on the Solutions page with something more positive.  People want to know they're making the right choice.  If I were looking for a redesign, a statement like "You are paying for what someone else messed up on" would make me feel like a total loser.  They already know they messed up by hiring a bad design firm or even designing the site themselves.  That's why they're looking at you.  Let them feel good!  
I hope some of my suggestions are helpful.  Good luck!

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4#
vipersniperPost at 2010-6-17 07:59 | Show This Author's Posts Only

Originally Posted by M61
Hi there vipersniper, had a look and these are the things I would like to share...
1) I like the colors, simple yet strong, it gives it a kind of easing simplicity, maybe the blue could be a bit darker or a bit more into the green spectrum, my thoughts would be something like
R:  11
G: 156
B: 168
#
2) there is an inconsequentially in your logo, the reflection  shows more than there is visible txt (concerns the word design, not visible but reflected)... if it's an expression of art, sorry I missed that     
3) there is lot's of empty space in your layout, maybe you could change the size of the cells (try to use CSS), it will tidy up the page, now I feel like it's kind of cluttered...
also you win space in your section "solutions" using small on point pop up windows or roll menus, makes it more orderly and easy accessible, now I have to scroll all down the page.
4) This should have been my first point of attention, I'm missing a kind of dynamic  and personality in the page, I don't see what your product is, I need to read about it,
we people don't like to read, it's about the eye to the mind (fantasy) communication so, a picture does more than a thousand words. So why not some nice small flash photo effects, some thumbs sliding with a message about your product. You could use the space you're using now for the icons. The Icons (a menu) could be replaced by a jump menu or a roll down menu.
5) Ah sorry there is a 5th thing,
maybe my connection is slow but as I have an average connection that shouldn't be a problem... what I'm saying is that your flashmovie (totally cool design) is to big, maybe it's the mp3 file (music file) you used...
maybe you can make it into a streaming file or use a midi file (me I don't like midi files)
Don't think I don't like your design because that is not true, I like the concept very much and I guess I wouldn't be spending all this time right now if I wouldn't belief that your site would come out even better with some changes.
So what I'm saying is that this site has real potential and you as designer also. Hope you can appreciate my input.
greetz and respect
Per your comments:
1) Thanks. I will try out that hue of blue
2) The whole reflection thing was just something I was throwing out there and seeing what people thought of it. The reflection of "ME" happens to also be "WE" which starts WEb designs. Just something I was fooling around with.
3) You said that you thought there was a lot of empty space, but then you finished the sentence with saying that it's cluttered...which is it? I am going for empty space. I do not want 100 things to look at on a page.
4) I respectfully disagree with your idea of removing the navigation icons. I believe that the icons make it very easy to navigate around the site. Also, I feel that once you go to the site, you can see that I design web pages, which is my product.
5) I know my flash movie is very large. I haven't gotten around to fixing that. I was looking for design critiques first.

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5#
vipersniperPost at 2010-6-17 07:59 | Show This Author's Posts Only
abstract:

Mainly looking for critique on design and usability



Originally Posted by tameone
First, proofread your text for misspellings and improper grammar.  For example, "Get a web design that suites your needs." should read "Get a web design that suits your needs."  (Notice the "e" in suites.  You mean "suits".)  You may think I'm nitpicking, but I have clients that want precision down to whether or not the period following a link at the end of a sentence is highlighted.  It does make a difference to some.
Thank you! didn't catch that.
Originally Posted by tameone
Second, I wonder about the name "SanctifyMe" and the cross icon for the About link.  If you have some religious affiliation you should state it.  Personally, this was a real turn off for me.  You might all be good, honest Christians and upstanding members of your community, but I don't know that because you didn't tell me.  Maybe you live in the desert and worship dung beetles.  Who knows?
Haha, thank you for pointing that out. FYI, I do not live in the desert and worship dung beetles. I am a Christian however, and chose this name for the following reason:
Sanctify means "Set apart" and I wanted to build web sites that were "set apart" from the rest. So, in a sense, a client could say "Sanctify Me" and it would mean, set me (my business) apart from the rest. However, as you said, I did not put that on the site, so people don't know. I will incorporate that into the content.
Originally Posted by tameone
When I clicked on Support Ticket, all of the image links/styles were broken, which made me wonder if I sent a message, would you get it?
I am still developing these areas.
Originally Posted by tameone
Last, but not least, you might consider replacing the list of disadvantages on the Solutions page with something more positive.  People want to know they're making the right choice.  If I were looking for a redesign, a statement like "You are paying for what someone else messed up on" would make me feel like a total loser.  They already know they messed up by hiring a bad design firm or even designing the site themselves.  That's why they're looking at you.  Let them feel good!  
I have reasons for listing the disadvatages as well. I want to push people to opt for the Small Business Solution. So, i wanted to list disadvantages of the other solutions, so they would not pick them. However, I think I will take out the part of saying that they "are paying for what someone else messed up on".
Thank you for your comments, I really appreciate them

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6#
gthingPost at 2010-6-17 07:59 | Show This Author's Posts Only
Pretty good design.  I like the dark, and the icons, but it could probably be tightened up a little bit.
Also, my first thought coming to the page was that it was a blog - probably not what you were going for and kinda cheapens the experience.
I also like big text a lot, but agree that something just seems spread out about the design - there's a bit too much space in some areas.  Maybe if you tightened up the top a bit, brought the banner and nav bar closer together that might help.
Also, I wasn't clear on the religious theme.  Are you designing for Christian websites or are you looking for a broader audience and just trying to advertise that you're Christian?
I like the lighter gray in some of the sidebars and content boxes.  It's a good way to mix things up and keep them interesting.
I like the solutions page, but again it could be tightened up a bit somehow.
One last thing, I'm not a big fan of the web2.0 reflected logo.  I mean, reflections are okay, but for some reason yours looks like a mix of the reflection concept and wordart.
I like the concept of the logo, where the reflected part keeps going to say web design, but I think it could be executed a little better.  Maybe some sort of highlight on the webdesign part or a different color.
Overall a good concept, I like the blues and greys.  Good work - keep it up.



Mainly looking for critique on design and usability

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