Feedback Please

[Renzo]

FedFirst Commercial capital (http://www.fedfirstcapital.com)
:RC: I would appreciate some feedback on this site. My client is thrilled with it but he's not an expert. If there is a way to make it better then I want to do it. Thanks for all your help.

Renzo
:woohoo:

[GWDGuy]

Very nice.. I am not a big fan of Flash intros but you did not over do it and it ran really fast for me..

I took a quick glance and did not see anything bad at all. The colors were easy on my poor old weary eyes..

:up:

Good Job

Robert

[MandyJay]

Hi,
I agree with Robert on the Flash intro - I am not too big a fan either - but at least it led you straight into the site, didnt have to click a link to get there. Yes, I like the look of the site, worked for me. Only other thing I did not like was the date and time on the bottom thingy, dang never can remember what that is called, I would have preferred it on the page. I like seeing the links I am going to when I mouse over, also found it rather distracting as it kept flickering each time a link was hovered over, not giving enough time to read what the link was. Apart from that, yup, worked for me.

[FreshJava]

Unlike Robert and MJ, I love Flash intro's, But; I think that you need to transition from the intro to the main page a bit smoother.
One second you are looking at this nice intro and then it's like someone hit the stop button on the VCR to show you a Brochure.
Second you might want to add a cookie so that once a visitor has visited your site, they skip the flash page altogether, then add a button to view the movie again if they wish. Last I am with MJ on the click on any link area, I don't want to wait till the wheel turns around again before I can can click on the link, perhaps a scroll pane would work better. Over all the site looks great. It looks very professional, loads fast and is easy to navigate.

[dirtprod]

IMHO the flash isn't too bad and doesn't last very long.

Have you tried making the background of the page, (not the content) white? It would make your building graphic appear to be just the building. Or colorize the white on the graphic to match a new background color. Perhaps a lighter shade of the beige used for the frame. Like this:
http://www.brainerd.net/~dirtprod/images/house_small.jpg

They are right about the speed of the turn-over rate for the "click on any link" menu box. Maybe have it scrolling. Just as you finish reading it, it changes. If you would have decided to click it, you'd have to wait until it comes around again.

The mouse over effect is okay, but I wouldn't change fonts for it. (The "view history" links) Try making the normal text one size larger and not bold. Then for the mouse over make the font one size smaller and bold. It should keep the graphics above it from jumping back and forth. Also the text link to "theFinancials.com" and "Full Report" disappear completely on the mouse over.

Nice site!

[spollin]

the intro uses clipart which makes it look tacky. the animation was a bit jerky. does the text really need to be animated? in fact, does the site need a flash into at all?

the menu is fixed so when i change the size of my browser window it moves in and out of the design and over the beige/green background border.

too may items on the menu! i don't know where to click, i'm lost and have to read all the menu items to work out whats what, taking up more of my time than it should. the menu items need grouping better.

the logo top right is poor quality, it looks all fuzzy. the jpeg needs to be saved at a better quality. better still, use an image that has more impact than a black&white bit of clipart.

i got lost cos there is inconsistency between the formatting of the headings on your pages - it needs to be clear where i am so i don't get lost and don't get frustrated.

[spollin]

also, cheesy music and no skip button on the flash intro.


i aint trying to be funny, but i think everyone on this forum needs to be a bit more realistic with their critiques.

for example - the site being critiqed here is in competetion with sites like this:http://www.remax.com/ - ok, so its got a cheesy flash intro (but it remembers if you've visited the site before so you don't have to watch the intro again, and its got a skip button) but the main site is a hell of a lot more professional looking.

before designing any website you should research how other sites of similar content are designed as just one part of the inspiration process.

[MandyJay]

well, the whole point of site critique is that people have different views and opinions - the eye of the beholder - and all that. I still stick by all I said, I dont think it is a matter of being more realistic - show me a perfect website?? There isnt one, there will always be someone who will find something wrong with it. Here we give our *pesonal* opinion, which will differ from other people, and it will be up to the poster to read, digest, then act if necessary - cheesy music to you, maybe a delight to others, I am sure your responses will be read and digested, as will everyone elses, but I still stick by what I originally posted, and have been realistic in my comments - as I see the site.

[spollin]

but you cannot deny that the example i linked above is a lot more professional, pleasing on the eye, easier to navigate, etc. - and its by those high standard that others should be compared.

[GWDGuy]

Originally posted by spollin

i aint trying to be funny, but i think everyone on this forum needs to be a bit more realistic with their critiques.
--------
before designing any website you should research how other sites of similar content are designed as just one part of the inspiration process. [/B]

To start I see nothing wrong with the site. I agree, same as I posted before, I am not a huge fan of Flash intro's unless it adds to the site. I think the Remax Flash was no better the pictures kept jumping between the frames.

You said that he should compare to other sites before building?? These are to different types of busineses? I can show you a thousand businesses doing the exact same thing but have a thousand different styles.. What you are saying is every website that has to do with a bank should look like every other bank?

I would really like to see some of your work please?

thank you

:flame:

[FreshJava]

but you cannot deny that the example i linked above is a lot more professional, pleasing on the eye, easier to navigate, etc.
No, in fact I think his color scheme is much more pleasing and I had no problem with the navigation. I will agree on adding a cookie to the site so that you don't have to watch the flash movie every time you visit the site, and as far as the skip intro button on this particular site there would hardly be enough time to press the button before it was through. The navigation was great with the exception that on a couple of the flyouts, you are unable to read all of the text. I think it looks extremly proffessional. I was not overly impressed with Remax's site, it's nice and is easy to navigate as well as gets thier message accross, but; as far as beeing more proffessional looking I'm not seeing what you are referring to .

As MJ said earlier critiques are based on personal opinion and that my take on it.

[spollin]

Originally posted by GWDGuy

I would really like to see some of your work please?




check this - http://www.talkfrontpage.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=783

[RocketMan]

Originally posted by spollin

Originally posted by GWDGuy

I would really like to see some of your work please?




check this - http://www.talkfrontpage.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=783

Ahh, music sites.....some of my favorite.

I think, spollin, since you are designing music sites that you should probably take a look at some professionally designed music sites that can be used as a standard. Here are 5 pulled from the Billboard hot 200.

http://www.nelly.net/index2.html

http://www.dmband.com/

http://www.tobykeith.com/index.htm

http://www.eminem.com/frameset.asp?PageName=eminem

http://www.pinkspage.com/


And really...the REMAX site is dated....if we're getting down to raising the bar for professional sites. That curved bar look was hot about 1999. But seeing as how the two business you compared were different, I can only guess that you must have figured..."bank site...real estate site...hmmm, well you need to use a bank if you're going to buy real estate" so using that logic, here are a couple more to raise the bar.

If you're going to get a loan, you'll probably 'run' to the bank...better get some shoes..... http://www.nike.com/nikerunning/index.jhtml

And if you run to the bank, you'll need more than 10K.... http://www.k10k.net/

There...that should help REMAX have a standard to design to, that at least gets them into some modern navigation systems....

Doin my part to help the world....

>>> RM>>>

[spollin]

don't like nelly, and his image isnt one i wanna project with the stuff i'm involved with. so i didnt further than the first page of the site.

dave matthews band aint really my thing, but a good site, very quick, good navigation.

toby keith isnt projecting an image that i'd want. i thought the site was just a blog, untill i discovered the menu at the top that is not very easy to spot.

the eminem site is the mutts nuts, but its all flash. it is not fair to compare a flash site to an html site due to the extreme differences in the technology.

the pink page was too messy, with text not lining up with borders properly. nothing stood out on the page and i didnt know where to click first.

RE your nike and k10k comments, no need to take the ****

ok, so the site i used as an example wasnt the best in the world, but the same design principles could be applied. it was a lot better than the site up for review, which first glance looks circa IE 3 and doesnt look up to todays standards (which the remax one does)

so, another problem with the site is that its content is not clear enough, which led to me confusing it with remax's content.

[Renzo]

Thank you all for your comments. There were many positive comments with encouraging feedback. "AND THEN THERE WAS SPOLLIN!!!!" Really spollin, I do thank you for your honest opinion but as everyone else has pointed out to you these are two completely buysiness types. You got confused because you don't understand commercial lending. Personally I found the Remax site kinda run o the mill and boring. Are you a remax agent or something? As they say, different strokes for different folks. With that said, I have read all your comments as well as all others. I met with my client last week and will be doing some updates based on what I have learned by this critique. Also, I think GWguy, and Mandyj are two of the most respected members of this forum and their opinions weigh heavily with me.
After I make some adjustments I will repost the site. Once agin I would like the forums opinion, even you spollin but understand this, It will never be a Remax type site.

Thanks to all,
Larry:roll: