Web-site opinion

[Shaggy]

Dear all,

Have set-up our new site recently, and would like some feedback and your thoughts. http://www.blueprintdental.co.uk

We are just developing a wider porduct portfolio so it may seen a little sparse at the moment, and the e-commerce facility is just waiting for Barclays to get their end together.

Cheers,

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[SillyJokes]

A triumph of design over usability.

[Shaggy]

Do I take that as a compliment???

[Toon]

Do I take that as a compliment???

I don't think it was. Sounds like it was a statement saying you opted for nice pictures and want to wow people with your flash instead of thinking how easy it would be for visitors to navigate and use your site.

To be honest, I never got passed the first page (after the intro) because it just doesn't work in Firefox. I learnt by this mistake aswell but when designing a site you need to make sure it works in all popular browsers not just Internet Explorer. When viewing in Firefox you have to scroll a mile to the right and a mile down or else you're faced with a blank screen.

[MikeH]

I have to agree with Toon. The site looks great once you get in. However, I was waiting for the long winded intro to end and see the enter site button.

Mike.

[SillyJokes]

OK I'll explain myself.

You've spent a lot on that site and it feels professional, however the only people who will ever see it are those you personally direct there or traffic that you buy.

This is because it is not seach engine friendly.

I would then go on to question who would buy from it. Are you expecting people to buy directly from this website?

The product images are very small and extremely hard to navigate. There is very little actual product information. I assume you will be making your sales face to face with this site simply as a support aid.

I would strongly suggest you get a small inexpensive usability test done and see how people get on with using the site and whether they can actually perform the tasks you are expecting from the site.

[tommy]

just one thing, have you tested in firefox?

Only reason I ask is becasue you have to scroll to the right to see the flash intro and when you enter the site the page is even bigger and you have to scroll even further to the right. Very annoying for users to keep scrolling just to see your site.

works fine in IE though

[browncow]

I love Flash. It gives one a way to explain services in an entertaining and (if necessary) interactive way. For product demonstrations and training systems it works like a dream.

However its rubbish for web sites.

Splash pages slow a user down from getting into a site and getting at the information (which is why they came, if they wanted entertainment they would probably switch on the TV). For one or two it will be mild entertainment when they first visit the site but after that any repeat visitors will be cursing it.

The site looks very pretty but I found it to be very unfriendly to the user.

Sorry to say all this because I'm sure you paid good money for the site but I don't personally think it was money well spent. Some will love it but most people will find it just a little too frustrating to want to return.

It may be boring but there is nothing like good old html for a web site.

Hope I'm proved wrong.

Chris

[coxadmin]

Just to comment on the question about testing in other browsers, in Opera on the http://www.blueprintdental.co.uk/index.php page you get a lot of links at the bottom of the page that aren't visible in Firefox and Interent Explorer but if you place your mouse in that location they are there.

[visagephoto]

I'm using Firefox & I can see the links at the bottom of this page.

[RockLinks]

Flash is not good for a website. A few people have told me that they have actaully visited a flash website before and clicked off it straight away. I of course i asked them why and they said because they thought the products or services the website was offering was going to be expensive. I can see where there coming from!

[Shaggy]

I have taken into account all your comments, and although somewhat annoyed at some of the comments, I have taken them on board.

What must be appreciate (and I am in now trying to justify the site design) is that the majority of end users will be dentists, and the majority of dentists, and that would be around 90% will be using IE to view the site, so problems seen in Firefox and Opera are a minimal issue.

Hell, I use Firefox, and have started to use Opera, so I understand the frustrations.

The Flash is only really on the intro, and there is very, very litte flash otherwise, it is more of a graphical and wow factor site, which is also at this stage under re-development due to other products we have taken on which require more advertising.

I have to say, there is the SKIP button if you don't like Flash!!

[autolycus]

I have to say, there is the SKIP button if you don't like Flash!!

It's not immediately obvious though - on my IE running at 1024x768 I have to scroll down to find it.

Just a suggestion, but maybe put it nearer the top and ensure it is the first thing to appear as the page loads?

Dave.

[Ozzy]

Hi Shaggy,
I know the feeling when you love your design work and then others don't share your views. That said, when you ask for opinions you have to be prepared for the good and bad :)

I think the website looks very nice, but do agree with the usability points mentioned above. You know your target audience better than us, so if you are happy to accept the negatives the positives are great.

[SillyJokes]

Shaggy, you know your market and what you are trying to achieve with this website so what you say may be true.

You say 90% dentists use IE.

That leaves a whole 10% of web savvy dentists who would be the most likely to visit your website feeling like you are ignoring their needs and can't be bothered with them.

Please don't imagine that they will just accept that your site was not built for them and soldier on. No, they will click away from your site to one they can view.

That's if they even have the patience for a flash intro, skip button or no.

Even in IE I would say you website has usability issues and does not have enough relevent content about the products. Plus of course you aren't going to get the casual visitor, every single one will have to be bought, because your site will find it hard to rank in the free search engine listings.

Now when I looked through your furniture I thought some of it would look cool in an ultra contemporary kitchen or bathroom so it would pay to make your site easy to find for all.

[browncow]

I agree with above. 10% is quite a lot of people to cut out especially as you run the chance that the big spenders might happen to be in that 10%. Also if you can't get to a site it can have a very negative effect on a business and do you harm. It's not just that they can't see it but that this will make them think negatively about your business.

I take the point about the site being in flash and html although from what I could see the navigation is flash which has its own usability issues (apart from links on bottom of page).

I also understand about going for the wow factor but in my experience (and I am not a dentist so must bow to your greater experience here) wow lasts a few seconds and then its down to getting at the information you want.

For my part (this might seem painful so I apologise in advance). I would drop the splash page (they are on most lists of the Internets most hated things anyway). Then I would change the flash navigation into straight html and lose the little animated rollovers on the buttons. I found they were starting to get annoying and I wasn't really trying to find anything in particular on the site. This leaves the impressive graphics but will make the site more user (search engine etc) friendly.

I've had to work with many people who are focused on marketing and forget the point (not suggesting you have please bear with me) that what you really want from a web site is repeat visitors. Web sites can advertise in a glossy brochure kind of way but what people want (in general) who use the Internet is quick access to information. Anything that distracts from the content or the speed you can get at it will be detrimental to your web site.

[Shaggy]

I'm on the case, I have taken into account all your ideas and suggestions, and have put these very questions to our marketing boffs as well as the site designers.

Hey my only excuse is I'm new to this game, and yes we have thought about the kitchen scenario, and again we are already selling into that market, but it is a market which is very competative compared to the dental market, we dont want to dilute the philosophy.

Trust me, that 10% are the technical boffs which THINK they know it all and portyray they know it all because they are Dentists. Hey, I have PhD but that doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about!!

I do appreciate what you are saying, and again I will look at changing certain items. BUT, the animated rollovers, that cuts deep, real DEEP!!! I love those things!!!!

Please keep the suggestions coming, but keep them mild, PLEASE.....

[Ozzy]

RoFL :) Ok, keep the rollovers but make them roll-over images rather than flash :)

[SillyJokes]

Lordy, have I ever been here before?

When a person asks for an opinion on their site there are four main groups of people they ask.

One is friends and family and they'll always say, "It's lovely, aren't you clever?"

Another is the web designer and they will say, "Lots of technical blurb about brand awareness and a sense of quality etc, and also aren't I clever for coming up with such a swanky looking site?"

The third group is people like us who don't know you and have no vested interest in impressing you but do know a bit about selling on the web. We are actually saying a lot of stuff that the fourth group will say but you won't listen to us or take our observations seriously.

The fourth group is a company that specialises in website usablity. When your website fails to deliver on the designers promises you pay them upwards of £1,500 to go over your site and make all the observations we have come up with and because this has been paid for it will get actioned.

And this will happen again and again and again with every single serious website that is put up for critique.

[Shaggy]

:? Yeah O.K. .............

[Top Hat]

Hi Shaggy

What do you want the site to achieve?

Is it support for existing customers, portraying a professional image for potential customers OR finding brand new customers

[CG Effect]

I was expecting A typical modern pro web designer website after reading the second post. But I like the presentation of the site and navigation was easy.

List of a typical pro designed modern webisite I hate.

Intro takes for ever to load.
The menu is a puzzel.
I need a 40" screen to view it.

[Shaggy]

I'm not sure about the 40" screen!??!??!

[CG Effect]

Did'nt mean yours needed a 40" screen just that some sites take up a very small amout of space on the screen.

[objected]

As someone else has said - the Flash menu is not a good idea. I like Flash (a lot) but not in Menu's. Use CSS menus if you can.

The Flash intro is okay simply because you can choose not to see it next time so not too bad.

Flash Menu :eek: It would take a bit of explaining all the issues with it (any Flash menu) and there are issues.

The comments are nothing to do with the look of the site just the implementation.

Sorry

M