Feedback about website

http://www.always-coffee.com

Can I get your feedback about the finished website listed above.
Any comments or suggestions are appreciated.

Layth

Hello!

I've just checked the site, the intro is nice... But when I saw the mainpage,
I thought it was a little 'too mutch', everything was just very close to each
other so the site isn't that easy to browse trough.... You know what I'm
saying? Just try to make some more space for your text...

Keep it up!

laythss wrote:

http://www.always-coffee.com

Can I get your feedback about the finished website listed above.
Any comments or suggestions are appreciated.

Layth

Quick check:

1. Consider drop the splash page. What does it add to the user's experience?
2. No doctype definitions. Check here:
http://www.alistapart.com/stories/doctype/ and here:
http://www.hut.fi/u/hsivonen/doctype.html
3. Too wide: 813 pixels is at least 50 too many for a fixed sized table.
4. Get out of Layout mode and never, ever go back. Use standard (design)
view and code view.
5. The image at the bottom with the beans is upside down and makes it
impossible to read e.g. the phone number.
6. The page is too heavy. You have nearly 180Kb with all images, flash
and javascript. Compare that to target weight 45Kb. Since your page is
four times that, it'll take 35-40 seconds on a dial-up, and no user like
to wait that long. They'll go to your competitor instead.
7. Never use the word "banner" in an image or flash file since Norton
and other wares will stop it. So, the irony is that the word "banner"
*is* a "banner", i.e. it will ban the file.

--
Dan Vendel - *GOF*
"Eagles may soar, free and proud, but weasels never get sucked into jet
engines."
Contact: http://www.proformica.com/contact.shtml
Call or chat me via Skype ID: danvendel, but DON'T ask questions that
you can ask here! (get Skype at http://skype.com)

Hello,
I think the graphic design looks good. Overall, the page looks clean,
sharp and "modern". I would suggest considering a few things.
It took me a moment to understand what the site is selling.
I actually thought it was for a coffee shop at first glance. Just an
assumption because I saw the porcelain cups and glasses, but nothing stood
out as to what exactly it was about , until I started reading and saw the
machine link. I think the biggest reason for this is the coffee machine
image.
The coffee machine image looked like a banner (a 2D rectangular box),
albeit most don't appear in that area of a page, so I almost ignored it. The
fact that it's a flat rectangle shape almost the same size as the graphics
bar on the left, with another image of coffee beans (part of the machine
image) makes it look more like the decoration images on the left than the
subject. Because it's so similar, you also get the "too much" impression. I
think a more 3D image of it, getting away from a flush rectangle, would
make it immediately recognized as a coffee machine. It would have also made
it stand out in importance from the images on the left. Or, and maybe in
addition, perhaps using the image of the machines on the machine page
instead of one of the other graphics at the top.
The flashing red text in the flash animation on the right was distracting.
Maybe a slower run, without the blinking at the end. Or a transition fade
between statements. With any change whatever it may be, I would lose the
blinking at the end. It reminds me of a "You've Won!" flashing popup ad. My
eyes went there first, which may be why I dismissed the image of the coffee
machine as just another image group related to coffee. (Maybe I've just been
surfing the web too much and seeing too many banners!)
The image of the beans at the bottom does make the phone number very
hard to read and the out of focus beans look odd against the sharp beans in
the bottom left image. Maybe just a few less big beans, positioned below the
text..and fade the out of focus ones (more fade to the smallest) to give it
a more 3D look.That would also separate that image from the flat ones on the
left.
As I said at first, I think the site looks really good. Better than
average. Just a few small changes could pop it up a level.
Take care,
Tim

Thank you all for your comments. Dan: 1- I did not make the intro, and do not
have the .fla file for it --which when the movie ends it directs to index.asp
(splash page) which in turn directs to the main page. 2- doctype issue. I
Agree (MY BIGGEST MISTAKE) I did not pay attenstionwhen I built the pages, and
now I have problems when trying to declare it, because of the inline box issue
with images and tables for that matter. If I declare it now, i get a broken
line between the first and second (top left pictures) as well as getting a much
wider navigation row!! (still trying to work on it) but I do not know how much
effect not declaring it does (I know the theory) but when I have tested the
page, I never ran into trouble (I tested on over 100 browsers/computers). 3-
Too wide for what?? I am sorry but I did not understand why is it too wide.
Could you explain? 4- I don't remember using the layout mode. Where did you see
that? 5- The text does change color when rolled over ( I know It is not
recomended to use, but the majority wanted the bean pictures) they used to be
on the top of the page (as you noticed picture is upside down) and you could
hardly read anything. the problem of positioning text with respect of the bkg
picture is the place of the text seems to be rendered differently on different
browsers. 6- The page targets companies, and there cafeteria-catering
divisions who are in charge of coffee machines. All of the ones we have
researched have dsl. => we are not targerting the dialup modem user eventhough
they are welcome. 7-Thanks you, I have already changed the file names.

laythss wrote:

Thank you all for your comments. Dan: 1- I did not make the intro, and do not
have the .fla file for it --which when the movie ends it directs to index.asp
(splash page) which in turn directs to the main page.

I meant the flash page.

2- doctype issue. I

Agree (MY BIGGEST MISTAKE) I did not pay attenstionwhen I built the pages, and
now I have problems when trying to declare it, because of the inline box issue
with images and tables for that matter. If I declare it now, i get a broken
line between the first and second (top left pictures) as well as getting a much
wider navigation row!! (still trying to work on it) but I do not know how much
effect not declaring it does (I know the theory) but when I have tested the
page, I never ran into trouble (I tested on over 100 browsers/computers).

Tough sh!t. ;-) Start over if you think it's worth it. Skip it of not.

3-

Too wide for what?? I am sorry but I did not understand why is it too wide.
Could you explain?

A 800 x 600 pixel monitor with browser window expanded fully need you to
have about 750px wide site which gives room for e.g. scrollbar. Wider,
and the user will get a horizontal scroller.

4- I don't remember using the layout mode. Where did you see

that?

This snippet reveals the use of Layout mode: <!--DWLayoutTable-->

5- The text does change color when rolled over ( I know It is not

recomended to use, but the majority wanted the bean pictures) they used to be
on the top of the page (as you noticed picture is upside down) and you could
hardly read anything. the problem of positioning text with respect of the bkg
picture is the place of the text seems to be rendered differently on different
browsers.

Up to you. Anyone will see there's something "wrong" with the image,
though, and why I must hover a text to read it is far from obvious. Poor
usability, no?


6- The page targets companies, and there cafeteria-catering

divisions who are in charge of coffee machines. All of the ones we have
researched have dsl. => we are not targerting the dialup modem user eventhough
they are welcome.

OK, but all users tend to relate the concept "slow" to their own
standards. You should still optimize for faster download. Disclaimer: I
didn't check your site, but if a site has the same (heavy) images that
occurs on all pages, it might be OK if each is more than 45Kb since the
bulk of the rest of the pages will be brought from the users cache and
the actual doanload might be 20-30Kb. It sort of evens up....

7-Thanks you, I have already changed the file names.

Good. That's a trap.

--
Dan Vendel - *GOF*
"Eagles may soar, free and proud, but weasels never get sucked into jet
engines."
Contact: http://www.proformica.com/contact.shtml
Call or chat me via Skype ID: danvendel, but DON'T ask questions that
you can ask here! (get Skype at http://skype.com)

Well, since there were a lot of good responses, maybe you guys could say
something about the design of http://www.barcosdesign.be/weirdos site... Just
see the background-pic, the links aren't working at the moment so... Just
wondering what yoy guys thought! Thanks!