And yet another design critique

It doesn't matter if you do all the error checking in the world, or if you have the most beautiful graphics, if your site or application design isn't usable, it's not going to do well. Get input and advice on usability and user interface issues here.

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Luke
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And yet another design critique

Post by Luke »

Took me a whopping 4 hours... what do ya think? (I realize the contact us link, lost and found story, virtual tour, and pedigree links don't work)
http://www.sierratech.us/borzoi
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Nathaniel
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Post by Nathaniel »

It's good. I like the design on the non-home-pages especially.

Maybe cut off some of the top white space on the home page?
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pickle
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Post by pickle »

Pretty sharp. 2 recommendations though:
  1. Give the home page the same design as the sub pages. There's no reason not to.
  2. Make the mouseovers for the links more obvious. This is a personal preference though.
Real programmers don't comment their code. If it was hard to write, it should be hard to understand.
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Luke
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Post by Luke »

pickle wrote:Pretty sharp. 2 recommendations though:
  1. Give the home page the same design as the sub pages. There's no reason not to.
  2. Make the mouseovers for the links more obvious. This is a personal preference though.
The reason I didn't make the home page the same as the rest is because it has nothing but links. That little blurb about Paradise, CA filled 1/4 of the page.

I agree about the mouseovers though... a little too subtle. More gray or should I make them change color?
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pickle
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Post by pickle »

I'd suggest making the background color a light blue. You can't goof with the contrast of the link too much or it'll become invisible.

I'd still recommend making the front page the same layout. The user will experience the front page having one look, then every other page they go to having a different look. Even if it is mostly a picture and a little text, it'll look a lot more like its part of the site.
Real programmers don't comment their code. If it was hard to write, it should be hard to understand.
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Luke
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Post by Luke »

I'll ask the client what he thinks about it... and do that.
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Post by timvw »

<off-topic>
Who knows what is best? You the expert, or the client that hired you because he relies on your expertise? :)
</off-topic>

Anyway, i can appreciate both the sites you've created :)
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Christopher
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Post by Christopher »

I actually like the home page better than the sub pages (which I find too liney). I like the cleanness of the home page and the bigger photo. The sub pages look very ordinary and the small and very contrasty photos look amateurish. As the photos are often group shots it might be nicer to have smaller images that you can rollover to get a large version so you can actually see the people and dogs (or is that dogs and people).
(#10850)
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Luke
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Post by Luke »

arborint wrote:I actually like the home page better than the sub pages (which I find too liney). I like the cleanness of the home page and the bigger photo. The sub pages look very ordinary and the small and very contrasty photos look amateurish. As the photos are often group shots it might be nicer to have smaller images that you can rollover to get a large version so you can actually see the people and dogs (or is that dogs and people).
I am going to make the images pop up larger, but I have not got the ($$) approval for the extra time that would take.
timvw wrote:<off-topic>
Who knows what is best? You the expert, or the client that hired you because he relies on your expertise? Smile
</off-topic>
The customer knows what he likes. What he likes is all I really care about.
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