Wes Rolley on wed 25 aug 04
I generally do not critique WWW sites publicly but I want to make an=20
exception this time because it may illustrate some key points about site=20
design that are often overlooked. I am not as impressed with this site as=
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some seem to be. While some may think that I am being too critical remember=
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that the goal should be to have a WWW site that is at least as good as the=
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pots that are being shown. While much of the site is quite good, I want to=
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comment on several things that keep it from being supurb.
First, the FLASH intro is superfluous. The site is all about pots, and=20
specifically pots with great crystalline glazes. The floating text is a=20
simple trick in FLASH and detracts from the main focus of the site, which=20
should be the pots. Instead of seeing great pots our attention is=20
detracted by the movement. When it is all done, we are left with empty=20
space which, along with the vertical menu on the top right, may force=20
un-necessary scrolling on the first page that anyone sees. I said "may"=20
force scrolling because that is what happens with screens set to 1024 x 768=
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pixels, not uncommon with laptops.
Second, the slideshow works only fairly well. There are two problems.=20
First, there is no navigation possible unless you take the "AutoPlay"=20
path. If you click on the next or previous functions you end up on a=20
screen with no navigation possible. The screen also allows no browser=20
navigation as it is created with no menu bars. So, again, the user is=20
dead. The only possible action is to close the window and re-initiate the=20
slide show. When setting up a slide show, the best example to use comes=20
from the services like ofoto.com (Kodak) or fotki.com where their business=
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success comes from getting the navigation right. On every screen, they=20
allow the user to navigate for next or previous and, if in autoplay mode,=20
allow you to stop or pause the autoplay. Also, while the slideshow window=20
can be resized, the initial size should be able to show the taller images=20
without the user having to resize it.
Finally, I would never put a "hit counter" on a site, let alone on the home=
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page of the site. It uses up screen real estate but does not tell me, as=20
site owner, anything that I can't find out using the reporting capability=20
that every good ISP provides as standard. If I expect to have repeat=20
visits from customers, seeing a low count in the counter or one that does=20
not change much from visit to visit can be a turn off, especially for the=20
casual visitor (not CLAYART friend).
The most important change to improve the site is to fix the navigation=20
within the slide show.
Wes
"I find I have a great lot to learn =96 or unlearn. I seem to know far too=
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much and this knowledge obscures the really significant facts, but I am=20
getting on." -- Charles Rennie Mackintosh
Wesley C. Rolley
17211 Quail Court
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
(408)778-3024
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