[thelist] 24caratdesign.com critique (was: Swish... > Critiques)

sfmalo sfmalo at msn.com
Sun Jul 15 19:46:50 CDT 2001


On 7/14/01 9:51pm, Jeff wrote:
> overall design and what i like about it:

    Thank you for the 6 good points.

> overall design and problems i've got with it:
>
> 1)  coming from a jewelry background, i've gotta
>     ask if you intended to use the spelling of
>     [c|k]arat that refers to weight as opposed
>     to the one that refers to purity of gold.
>     i'm guessing  you intended purity of gold since
>     you use the number 24 in conjunction with it.

      Actually, when I decided on the domain name and checked out names,
24caratdesign was the only name combination available! I wanted 24K...
>
> 2)  the logo doesn't rely standout from the rest of
>     the site.  the font choice is too comical/chicken-
>     scratchy.  the contrast against the dark red bar
>     at the top is too low.  parts of the logo almost
>     disappear into it along with the byline underneath
>     it.

    I was after understatement; perhaps it became a whisper? I wonder if it
could have anything to do with my monitor which is 25dpi? I can read
everything fine from here at 1024x768. Mmmmmm. I happen to like the font;
obviously. that's why I chose it.

> 3)  the title doesn't include the name of the site.
>     if i bookmark your faq page the text associated with
>     that bookmark will be "FAQs".  that doesn't tell me
>     much when i'm going through my bookmarks looking
>     for a faq bookmark from the 24 carat design site.

    Point well taken. Thanks.
>
> 4)  i'm not hot on the yellow "glow/shadow" on the
>     navigation.
>
> 5)  the javascript for the rollovers could be tightened up.

    Don't understand "tightened up". In the remote file or in the <a
href>'s?
>
> 6)  i'm not sure i see the point of the click image swap
>     on the navigation.  i don't even see it happen before
>     the page changes.

    The click image swap displays the black and gold pointers surrounding
the page link you're viewing. Just another visual to let someone know where
they are.
>
> 7)  the bottom of each page is inconsistent across the site.
>     some pages have a banner, others have a applet news
>     scroller, still others have contact information.

    Not exactly true. Out of the 8 pages, 6 have identical info at the
bottom of each page (email info and text nav links). You're right about the
7th which has the applet news ticker in between (which I can reposition) and
the 8th, the Home page where I should bring down the email info to sit just
above the text nav links. Thanks. Appreciate.
>
> 8)  don't dig the border on the table for the terms on the
>     "glossary/definitions" page.  same with the pricing page.

    What's wrong with it?

> 9)  member of the html writers guild?  not something i'd
>     advertise.

    Why not? Something wrong about belonging to the Guild?

> 10) certified web designer?  certified flash animator?
>     certified by who?  if you're going to claim certification
>     then you should provide documentation somewhere about
>     who the certification is from and who to contact to verify
>     it.

    Before I revised my site, I had a Certification page with pix of each
certification big enough to read. But, on the advice of some I removed it.
What do you think of making those certifications popup windows displaying
either a PDF file or the blown-up version of each??? The info on each is
self-explanatory as to date of certification, where certified, etc.

> 11) you've got a domain name, but you're using your msn mail
>     account for contact throughout the site.  i'd at least
>     set up an alias from your domain.

    Yes, I know I should. Have resisted doing so. I know, a quirk.
>
> 12) value meal site development doesn't meet business needs.
>     small clients may not realize this, but larger clients
>     will.  if you wanna go after the big boys, lost the pricing
>     page altogether.  develop an overall hourly you're willing
>     to work for (something that meets your bottom-line and is
>     marketable in your area) and learn how to estimate development
>     time on a site by site basis.

    Don't understand "value meal site development doesn't meet business
needs."
The Pricing page is staying put. I have a partner in another business
venture and we plan to have links to that page for a reason. Custom plans
are based on an overall hourly and, by now, I have learned to guestimate how
long it takes me to create a "basic" page, create logos, etc.
>
> 13) on the homepage -- i despise status bar scrollers.  not only
>     are they exceedingly annoying, but it obscures the destination
>     of the links on the page -- a classic usability and
>     accessibility no-no.

    Oh, my. Well, I'll take care of that.
>
> 14) what's going to happen when a browser that doesn't support
>     external javascript files hits your page and the user mouses
>     over your navigation?  wham-o, big fat javascript error and then
>     another one when they mouse out of the navigation to click the
>     ok button on the error.  give this a read:
>
>     http://evolt.org/article/thelist/17/9054/

    Didn't realize there's a problem.  I'll read the article. Maybe I left
something out. This is PPK's script.
>
> if you want to throw out my observations, that's ok.  at least do yourself
a
> favor and read them with an open mind.  i didn't say anything out of
malice.
> you asked for input and i made note of what i saw -- simple as that.

    And, that's how I've taken it. Really appreciate your attitude and the
time you took to critique the site.

> good luck,
>
> .jeff

You too.

Sharon
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sharon F. Malone
"web design and Internet writing services"
http://www.24caratdesign.com






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