Please critique me

[dreamsofwillow]

Hi :HI:

Ive designed this page for my sister's work according to the specifications they wanted.

http://www.elitepromo.co.za

Its a company that imports pens and gifts and stuff....then sell them to businesses. They didnt want to put a shopping cart in because its wholesalers or some reason. Its basically just a catalogue.

Thanx
Dreams :furball:

[MandyJay]

Hi,

I like the site, but have the following comments .... just my opinion, others may differ ..... so you can totally ignore what I say .... each person has their own personal preferences .. blah blah ... tee hee ....

Okay the first thing that really throws me, is click on any of the links and you are transported to a totally different website .. or so it appears. your home page ... you have used tables, yet you have also used absolute positioning, by using text boxes. The two do not mix.

I am not sure why FrontPage has the drawing toolbar, as it is really a desktop publishing feature, not a website feature. Text boxes use absolute positioning, so they totallly ignore tables and cells ......

The main text is right up against the left background graphic, no margin with white space, so it makes the page look cramped, even though it is not. The left background image used ... blend in with the links too much and the bottom links are hard for me to read ....

The Catalog logo (top right) I think has been optimized a bit too much as it appears blurred ......

Then I click on one of the links and .... wow .. what a difference ....

You need to make your home page blend in with the other pages. As for the other pages, they are neat and clean looking. You have used a theme, but for some reason a couple of the pages have not taken on the background image?? Gifts for example.

The main thing I notice (forgetting the home page) is the lack of continuity. People like to keep the same look - navigation ... they get to know a site and can then easily find things.

Your navigation is a bit confusing. for example on the gifts page, you have many links there, but click on one and the new page has no links at all, I have to hit the back button to get back to the menu .... yet if you have the links on all the pages, then I dont have to ..... a viewer needs to click on as few links as possible to get to what they want, and to be able to easily get back to any part of the website. On the gifts page you have a link on the left to Pens, you also have a link at the top to Pens, that page then has sublinks .... again, click on one, and no navigation

I view at 1024 resolution and your pages have a lot of white space especially to the right of the page. Your main table - center it on the page, then that white space will be evened out.

Check your background images .. not all the pages have taken on the theme background image.

Take the Stationery page .... there are images there .. but no description of what the product is .... now maybe it is just me, but stationery to me is paper, paper clips and that stuff, what I see on the page is Sewing/Vanity kits and cable extensions .....?? Perhaps a brief description under the thumbnail would save any confusion and easily explain to people what the product is.

The home page is headed that it imports and wholesale to the business gift trade .... but I dont see any more mention, bear in mind that anyone can reach any page through a search engine ... they wont know they cannot buy a product and could spend a while trying to find that non-existent "buy now" button ..... perhaps at the bottom of each page, just a small brief description of what the company does?? just a thought.

Okay, overall I like the look, it is clean and neat ..... the pages are not so full you cant find anything. But the navigation is confusing .... as was the Stationery title .. maybe that is just me..... :D:

Okay, I dont like doing these site critiques as I see I have a lot of negative comments ..... sorry about that.

Really that all boils down to keeping the continuity of the look and navigation .....

But I do like the site - it really just needs tidying up a bit, that is all ..... Ive just used a lot of words to tel you that ......

<<edit>> I just looked at the contact link ..... people will click on that because they DO want to contact you, but they are taken to a page, that okay has phone number and stuff, but then another link to a page with an online form ..... if you can it would be much better to have the form and the other information all on the same page, and only one click to get to it ... the main Contact link??? just a thought .....


MJ
:HI:

[dreamsofwillow]

Hi

The background images is also a puzzle for me....ive inserted them into every page at the beginning...then for some reason the boss said he only wants it on this page and that page...so its not really up to me to put it on every page.

The centering of the pages i wanted to change...but not really sure how...so im working on that.

When you click on a product, it gives a description of the product..blah blah blah.....the layout of the pages is done to specifications of the boss....so he wants a sewing kit at stationery...then it should be there.....tried reasoning with him....but no luck :?:

Im also not sure why you need to use the back button coz at the top banner under e.g. Clocks is a navigation bar with the links: Home, Gifts, Pens, Contact, Search....maybe its not showing up on all browsers?

Also with the contact page....one word BOSS...LOL....enough said...hehehe...he wants two pages confused:

But thank you for your critique :D: :

[MandyJay]

Okay,
Centering the table, right click inside the table, select Table Properties then horizontal alignment = center.

Okay so most of all I said was dictated by your boss .. I will say no more. Maybe if you make any changes you can say which ones you have done, and which ones not to comment on as you have been told to do, then we need only concentrate on ones you are flexible on, if you see what I mean. However, having said that and having already commented on some unchageable stuff, I still stand by my comments, the navigation can be improved - I still cannot recognise what some products are, and as a business company looking at goods with a view to buy, I would want to know what I am looking at, not forced to click on yet another link - the product - to then find out - its a waste of the customers time and efforts when all that is needed is a few words underneath. If they are then interested they can click to see a larger picture...... suggest to your "boss" he should not have to make his prospective clieints "work" to buy his products.

As for clickin on the back link .. okay back link or link at top of page, doesnt really matter, I should not have to click on either, the menu should be there on the page .... I dont really want to have to go back a page to find it ... again .. make life as easy as possible for propspecitve customers ... there are probably plenty of othe wholesalers they can go to where the site is easier to navigate and to know what the pictures are of ......

just my 0.02 cents worth

If you are creating a website for someone ... that someone doesnt always know what is best .... believe me, I have had my fair share of clients where I have stuck to my guns and not done something without having a major effort to get through to my client - when I have managed to get through to them, that the "viewers" needs are of great value if he wishes to sell his products .... and by making the viewer do this or that, all he is doing is making things more difficult and they could go elsewhere ..... they have changed their minds about the design.....

Your boss mayu want something, but I am sure if it is pointed out to him as from the prospective customers viewpoint .. he may just change his mind .... a confusing website can lose customers and I did find the website not the simplist to navigate, yet it could be easily.

Okay ... back to work for me .....

see ya
MJ
:dance: