site critique

#1

I'm been asked to write another site, but before I do I'd appreciate
your thoughts on the last one I wrote at http://www.fotch.org.uk/

Thanks. I'm thinking in particular of design tips. I'm aware that on
small screens it can look a little odd. I set the table width according
to the largest picture that I've got, but on very small screens the
picture, and hence table, go off the screen. Should I fix this and if
so by a complete redesign? Seems a bit of an overreaction.

thanks,
--
Paul

#2

On Wed, 26 Jan 2005 11:16:10 +0200, Paul Dean
<paul_nospamplease (AT) deancentral (DOT) net> wrote:

Quote:

I'm been asked to write another site, but before I do I'd appreciate your
thoughts on the last one I wrote at http://www.fotch.org.uk/

Thanks. I'm thinking in particular of design tips. I'm aware that on small
screens it can look a little odd. I set the table width

As said probably over several hundred times in this newsgroup, if not a
thousand: don't use tables for layout. Especially a simple design as yours needs
nothing but proper markup and some css for the two column design. Google for it.
If you insist on using this table, be aware that it looks very odd in my browser
(Opera 7.54) with a vewport of approx.780 px wide. The table seems to extend to
the right, but if I go there, there is no content. Fixed width design (like
yours) with a width over 780px is hardly ever a good idea.

Quote:

according to the largest picture that I've got,

Couldn't you find the resize canvas button in you image editing software?

--
,-- --<--@ -- PretLetters: 'woest wyf', met vele interesses: ----------.

Quote:

#3

Barbara de Zoete wrote:

Quote:

On Wed, 26 Jan 2005 11:16:10 +0200, Paul Dean
paul_nospamplease (AT) deancentral (DOT) net> wrote:

I'm been asked to write another site, but before I do I'd appreciate
your thoughts on the last one I wrote at http://www.fotch.org.uk/

Thanks. I'm thinking in particular of design tips. I'm aware that on
small screens it can look a little odd. I set the table width

As said probably over several hundred times in this newsgroup, if not a
thousand: don't use tables for layout. Especially a simple design as
yours needs nothing but proper markup and some css for the two column
design. Google for it.

Thanks.

Quote:

If you insist on using this table, be aware that it looks very odd in my
browser (Opera 7.54) with a vewport of approx.780 px wide. The table
seems to extend to the right, but if I go there, there is no content.
Fixed width design (like yours) with a width over 780px is hardly ever
a good idea.

Well it's only 800px. The Register uses a similar width for its banner
headline so I thought it would be ok.

Quote:

according to the largest picture that I've got,

Couldn't you find the resize canvas button in you image editing software?

No need for sarcasm. If you look at the image on the front page, it's a
portrait of 30+ people; if I resize it so a 640x480 screen won't need a
scrollbar it would be ridiculous.

--
Paul

#4

Paul Dean wrote:

Quote:

I'm been asked to write another site, but before I do I'd appreciate
your thoughts on the last one I wrote at http://www.fotch.org.uk/

Thanks. I'm thinking in particular of design tips. I'm aware that on
small screens it can look a little odd. I set the table width according
to the largest picture that I've got, but on very small screens the
picture, and hence table, go off the screen. Should I fix this and if
so by a complete redesign? Seems a bit of an overreaction.

Please clear up validation issues before posting:
URI : http://www.fotch.org.uk/css/fotch.css
Line: 11 Context : body
Invalid number : positionleft is not a position value : left
Line: 53 Context : .psg-input-small
Parse Error - -moz-border-radius: 5px;
Line: 58
Parse Error - : #FFFFFF; color: #7F7D73; } .psg-text
Line: 65
Property word-wrap doesn't exist : break-word
Line: 67
Parse error - Unrecognized : -moz-border-radius: 5px;
Line: 72
Parse Error - : #FFFFFF; color: #7F7D73; } .psg-table
Line: 77
Parse error - Unrecognized : -moz-border-radius: 5px;
Line: 78
Parse error - Unrecognized : }
Line: 87 Context : .psg-th
Parse Error - -moz-border-radius: 5px;
Line: 88 Context : .psg-th
Parse error - Unrecognized : }
Line: 125 Context : a.psg-link:hover
Parse Error - -moz-border-radius: 5px;
Line: 126 Context : a.psg-link:hover
Parse error - Unrecognized : }

Move the image above both the navigation and the main content on the right.
That way, it won't make the page so wide that you'll need to set the
content's width. No table needed for this layout. See
realworldstyle.com's 2 column layout, and adapt. Try the background the
same color as the T shirts in the image.

#5

Paul Dean wrote:

Quote:

Barbara de Zoete wrote:
Paul Dean wrote:

http://www.fotch.org.uk/

I set the table width
according to the largest picture that I've got,

Couldn't you find the resize canvas button in you image editing software?

No need for sarcasm. If you look at the image on the front page, it's a
portrait of 30+ people; if I resize it so a 640x480 screen won't need a
scrollbar it would be ridiculous.

Why don't you make it a reasonably-sized thumbnail linking to a larger
version? An idea like that isn't exactly new, and for good reason.

--
Ben M.

#6

Ben Measures wrote:

Quote:

Paul Dean wrote:

Barbara de Zoete wrote:

Paul Dean wrote:

http://www.fotch.org.uk/

I set the table width
according to the largest picture that I've got,

Couldn't you find the resize canvas button in you image editing
software?

No need for sarcasm. If you look at the image on the front page, it's
a portrait of 30+ people; if I resize it so a 640x480 screen won't
need a scrollbar it would be ridiculous.

Why don't you make it a reasonably-sized thumbnail linking to a larger
version? An idea like that isn't exactly new, and for good reason.

Well, I think that would be appropriate if the photo was something the
user is likely to want to see in detail. Its purpose however is to
help the overall first impression - the happy team - without looking
as if their attention is being unduly pointed to the team. I think
that's an important distinction.

I can't really see the problem with that image - my browser takes up
half my screen and the table is entirely in the browser. People with a
browser of less than 750px wide will have to scroll, but who does? I
can only imagine purists who insist on having the browser in one eighth
of their screen.

Thanks for the idea, though, I will use it on one of the pages where we
have a big map.

--
Paul

#7

mbstevens wrote:

Quote:

Paul Dean wrote:

I'm been asked to write another site, but before I do I'd appreciate
your thoughts on the last one I wrote at http://www.fotch.org.uk/

Please clear up validation issues before posting:

Sorry, I'd validated html but forgot about css!

Quote:

Move the image above both the navigation and the main content on the right.
That way, it won't make the page so wide that you'll need to set the
content's width.

But the image is part of the content and as I've desribed in another
post it's size has to be a balance of factors.

Quote:

No table needed for this layout. See
realworldstyle.com's 2 column layout, and adapt.

I'll look into it; thanks.

Quote:

Try the background the
same color as the T shirts in the image.

I thought it was good that it was close enough - do you think it's
important to get it exactly the same? If so that's easy enough of course.

--
Paul

#8

In message <35p5f1F4o2uknU1 (AT) individual (DOT) net>, Paul Dean
<paul_nospamplease (AT) deancentral (DOT) net> writes

Quote:

I'm been asked to write another site, but before I do I'd appreciate
your thoughts on the last one I wrote at http://www.fotch.org.uk/

Thanks. I'm thinking in particular of design tips. I'm aware that on
small screens it can look a little odd. I set the table width
according to the largest picture that I've got, but on very small
screens the picture, and hence table, go off the screen. Should I fix
this and if so by a complete redesign? Seems a bit of an overreaction.

thanks,

Just a few random thoughts:

(a) Don't use 'pt' for the font-size, otherwise IE users who need to
won't be able to resize the text. Set the body text to '100%'.

(b) Check the HTML mark-up (e.g. that 'headers' are marked-up as such,
and not simply styled, etc.), and also ensure that the page makes sense
without a stylesheet:

e.g. http://www.gododdin.demon.co.uk/ng/FC02X.JPG (83k)

(c) Some of the images could do with some 'margin' to separate them from
the accompanying text.

(d) Go for a 'fluid' design.

regards.
--
Jake

#9

Paul Dean wrote:

Quote:

I thought it was good that it was close enough - do you think it's
important to get it exactly the same? If so that's easy enough of course.

#f95
....should be close.

#10

Paul Dean wrote:

Quote:

I can't really see the problem with that image - my browser takes up
half my screen and the table is entirely in the browser. People with a
browser of less than 750px wide will have to scroll, but who does?

It looks really weird on my browser when I have a narrow window. The image
spills out over the yellow, along with the text. The text becomes really,
really hard to read until the browser is resized. So, the problem is worse
than just scrolling.

Quote:

I
can only imagine purists who insist on having the browser in one eighth
of their screen.

Actually, some people use their screen for more than just browsing. I often
run my browser quite small because I have several other things open and I
don't want it to get in the way, but still be visible.
It has less to do with purist impulse as with the browser just not being the
most important part of the screen for some of us. You're also forgetting
how common hand-helds are becoming.