|
B.
Page loading time — We checked the time it takes to download
your home page and found it acceptable on a variety of internet
connections. There's a problem, however, with the speed at which
the "Express Order" page loads.
|
| Modem
Speed |
Loading
Time for Home Page |
| 28.8k |
13.2
seconds |
| 56k |
7.9
seconds |
| ISDN
(128k) |
4.3
seconds |
| T1
(1.44 MB) |
2.1
seconds |
|
|
| Problem
1: The "Express Order" page loads more slowly (17.4
seconds) than many users with a 56K dial-up modem are willing to wait. |
Recommendation
1: Compress the jpeg images or replace them with gif images
to reduce load time. Speed matters more than looks here. Why risk
losing sales after bringing customers all the way to the order page? |
| C.
Browser compatibility — The site displays with no discernible
problems on by far the most widely used browser, Internet Explorer
(we checked version 5.5). However, on Netscape (we checked version
6.2), there are two major display problems (see screen shots on pages
6 and 7). |
| Problem
2: On every page of the site, the upper left-hand corner of the
main frame (in which the text appears) displays on top of the company
logo. |
Recommendation
2: Since your site was designed using FrontPage, it can be configured
to create HTML that is more compatible with multiple browsers. Ask
your designers to check the manual for their version of the software
to see how to activate this option (it's turned off by default). |
| Problem
3: When users click the "Astronomy" navigation button,
a page with programming code displays. |
Recommendation
3: As above, the site's designer should implement a Netscape browser
fix that won't disrupt the successful display on Internet Explorer.
|
| D.
Navigation, functionality and links
— There are six problems with the options available to get
around the site. |
|
Problem
4: The home page is the most important page of your site. By
choosing to use vertical navigation buttons ("Home", etc.)
within a frame*, no space was available to add a tag line to the
upper left hand corner company logo. Well-worded tags lines are
one of the best ways of immediately telling visitors where they
are.
*Frames
are independently controllable sections of a web site. On your site,
it allows users to scroll down to read the pages while the logo
and navigation buttons stay in place.
|
Recommendation
4: We propose omitting the vertical frame (but not the vertical
navigation buttons) and adding a company tag line next to the upper-left-hand-corner
logo on every page of the site. To help you visualize what we mean,
we created a home page mockup on page 8 of
this report. We also recommend adding the company's 1-800
number in the upper right hand corner of the page. In implementing
these changes, make sure your site's visitors won't need to scroll
back and forth (in addition to up and down) to read content. It's
irritating and you can prevent it. At present, an 800x600 screen
resolution forces users to scroll horizontally on many of your site's
pages.
|
| Problem
5: Two
horizontal and two vertical navigation bars on the home page confuse
the user and prevent intuitive navigation. The fact that none of these
navigation bars are carried through consistently on the rest of the
site pages further disorients the user. And although Mechanics, Astronomy
and Electronics are the three major categories of product offerings,
the design does not reflect this clearly. |
Recommendation
5:
On
every page of the site use a single vertical navigation bar with the
following buttons: "Home", "Mechanics", "Astronomy",
"Electronics", "Contact", and "About Us".
Also include these navigation options as text-based links at the bottom
of every page, along with links for "Legal" and "Privacy".
These "footer" links should look something like this: Home
| Mechanics | Astronomy
| Electronics | Contact
| About Us | Legal
| Privacy
(see recommendation 19 below about creating a new link for "About
Us"). |
| Problem
6: In
addition to the multiple navigation bars, the user is overwhelmed
by too many links in the home page's text. |
Recommendation
6:
The
home page should include a directory of the site's most important
sections, not every single product. Provide a route for visitors to
get to the content they want without having to read irrelevant information:
link the three main categories ("Mechanics", "Astronomy"
and "Electronics" to individual pages that display their
corresponding product offerings. Highlight just a handful of new and/or
popular products on the home page. |
Problem
7: Users are allowed to click on the main navigation buttons ("Home",
etc.) when already viewing the corresponding pages, i.e., the pages
reload when the links are clicked.
|
Recommendation
7: Deactivate these buttons and any other links that appear on
pages that those links load. Reloading pages that users are alreading
viewing is a waste of their time and a possible source of confusion
about where they are on the site. |
| Problem
8: The
search function appears at the bottom of your pages, out of sight
on pages that require scrolling. Search is also missing from some
of the site's pages. |
Recommendation
8:
Give users what they're already familiar with on the internet by placing
your search function in the upper left hand corner of the page, below
the logo. Since users may be interested in performing a search at
any stage of their site visit, make sure to include the search box
and button on every page of the site. |
| Problem
9: Elementary
school products are described separately, but no reference is made
to the fact that the remaining products are apparently geared to middle
and/or high schools. |
Recommendation
9:
Indicate
relevant grade level(s) for every product. When time and resources
permit, add a search function by grade level for each of the main
catalog categories ("Mechanics", "Astronomy" and
"Electronics"). |
| E.
Overall look and feel —
There are five cases where we take issue with the site's look and
feel. |
| Problem
10: Bold typeface is overused throughout the site. The 14-pt.
Times New Roman font you chose makes all the text look bold, even
when it's not. |
Recommendation
10: Use a smaller font and reserve bold typeface for information
that's really important.
|
| Problem
11: The
company logo appears 5 times on the home page, and counting the text,
the name of the company appears 11 times. That's overkill. |
Recommendation
11:
Display
the company logo prominently, but only once per page (upper left hand
corner is where most users expect to see it). Use normal typeface
wherever the company name appears within the text. |
| Problem
12: Gray
font on a beige background provides inadequate contrast, making it
hard for users to read the screen. |
Recommendation
12: Darken
the font and/or lighten the background. For maximal usability, black
typeface on a white background works best. |
| Problem
13: The
flashing image on the home page is a distraction and it's inconsistent
with the otherwise "studious" tone of the site. |
Recommendation
13:
Change
the flashing graphic to a static image that is informative, faster
loading and visually quieter. |
|
Problem
14: The look of the "Advanced Astronomy Projects"
page is inconsistent with the rest of the site. Moreover, it's readily
apparent that these products are manufactured and sold by a different
company (Blah Blah Industries) from whose site the page has obviously
been taken. In our opinion, the above severely diminishes the value
of your site.
|
Recommendation
14: Unless this product currently provides significant income
via internet transactions, we recommend deleting this page (and
all links to it) until a new page can be devised that integrates
seamlessly with the rest of your site. If this is not achievable,
you can consider displaying a link such as "Visit our partner,
Blah Blah Industries, for advanced astronomy
projects" but this has to be weighed against the price your
site will pay for advertising someone else's product, i.e., users
expect you to promote your own products!
|
| F.
Graphic layout —
We have two suggestions to improve the site's visual layout. |
|
Problem
15: The split layout on the product pages makes the text difficult
to read. There's also a glaring typo.
|
Recommendation
15: First of all, fix the typo in "Designes
to offer your students...", i.e., to read "Designed…".
Second, have the text run across the entire page instead of across
the width of each photo. Then decide if the list of benefits reads
better without repeating your company's name so many times.
|
Problem
16:
On the current "Mechanics"
page, the descriptions beneath the photos are not aligned properly
or consistently.
|
Recommendation
16: Wherever text captions a photo on your site, make sure it
aligns properly underneath it. |
|
G.
Content and branding — There are seven ways to improve
your site's branding and presentation of content.
|
| Problem
17: Buried on an interior page of your site is a testimonial from
the well-known science writer, Isaac Asimov. This seems to us inadequate
use of a tremendous sales tool for your entire site. |
Recommendation
17: Move the Asimov testimonial to your home page and place it
next to a small photo of him using one of your products, if that photo's
available. We think this would do a lot to establish your company's
credibility in the eyes of visitors as soon as they arrive to your
home page. See mockup on page 8 of this report. |
| Problem
18: There is no tag line and the company name doesn't give visitors
a clue about the site's purpose. |
Recommendation
18:
Add a brief, descriptive tag line to help visitors immediately understand
what the site offers. An example might be "Innovative science
projects for grades K-12". |
| Problem
19: Other
than stating on the home page that the company has been manufacturing
school products since 1940, there's no information about the organization
behind the site. |
Recommendation
19:
A firm in business for over half a century but with modest
name recognition deserves an "About Us" link, and potential
customers of educational products will expect one. The page can include
a brief description of the company's history, its industry expertise
and brief bios of key employees. |
| Problem
20: We don't understand why the "Organizations" page
exists. |
Recommendation
20: Users don't expect your site to be a search engine for education-related
organizations. Rather than confuse and
distract them by providing information that's unrelated to their reasons
for visiting your site, delete the "Organizations" page
(and the corresponding navigation button). |
Problem
21:
We don't understand why the "Links" page exists.
|
Recommendation
21: If it's true that people are visiting your site for reasons
that have nothing in particular to do with the links you provide on
this page, the "Links" page (and the corresponding navigation
button) should be deleted.
|
|
Problem
22:
The "News" page only displays a single testimonial, not
news (press releases, product announcements and the like).
|
Recommendation
22: Delete the "News" page (and the corresponding navigation
button). You can transfer a much shorter version of the testimonial
to the "Electronics" page if you also considerably shorten
the testimonial that's already on that text-heavy page. |
|
Problem
23 :
The note at the bottom of your home page, "Best viewed at 800x600
or better in ANY browser" is superfluous and distracting.
|
Recommendation
23: Users aren't going to change their screen resolutions just
to view your site. Though well-intentioned, this message is impractical
and should be deleted. In any case, in order to view many of your
site's pages without horizontal scrolling, users actually require
a 1024x768 resolution. Since many users do prefer 800x600, you should
reconsider wide-page layouts like the ones on your product pages.
|
| H.
Information design and labeling —
There are three concerns regarding the purchase process and the communication
expectations of potential buyers. |
|
Problem
24: It's
unclear how to contact the company regarding customer service issues,
making it less likely that users will purchase a product in the
first place.
|
Recommendation
24:
On
the "Contact" page, add a prominent e-mail link for Customer
Service, and ensure that all inquiries are answered promptly! |
| Problem
25: Although
instructions are provided beneath the "Order" link, the
actual faxable pdf order form lacks simple, clear instructions on
how to complete and submit it. |
Recommendation
25:
First,
rename the "Order" link "Order by Fax". Second,
move the instructions for completing the form onto the pdf form itself.
Third, give users a warning to expect a pdf rather than an html file. |
|
Problem
26: "Express
Order" links to an explanatory jump page, instead of directly
to the online order form. It's also not immediately clear to users
how "Express Order" differs from "Order".
|
Recommendation
26:
First,
rename the "Express Order" link "Order Now". Second,
save users a step by deleting the jump page and moving the explanation
and instructions to the actual form. |
| I.
Text, grammar and spelling — In five instances the text gives
users a negative impression of the site. |
| Problem
27: Throughout the site there's an arbitrary use of capital letters.
This sloppiness damages your site's credibility significantly. |
Recommendation
27: Check all site pages for erroneous capitalization. Reserve
capital letters for the beginning of a sentence or a proper name!
|
| Problem
28: There
are two typos on the order page ("form" instead of "from"
and "qauntity" instead of "quantity"). |
Recommendation
28:
Fix
both typos immediately. They make the site look sloppy and imply quality
assurance negligence that some users may reasonably infer carries
over to the products for sale. |
|
Problem
29: The home page instruction, "Please explore our site
to learn more about our company" is superfluous.
|
Recommendation
29: It's self-evident on any web site that users are invited to
explore it. Delete unessential copy such as the home page's "Please
explore...". |
|
Problem
30:
The home page states: "With three convenient New York City offices…we
consistently meet all the needs of primary and secondary schools throughout
the United States." It seems a stretch to say that metro NY locations
can meet the needs of clients in Houston, for example, who may have
different requirements. |
Recommendation
30: Confirm that you really mean
what this says and if so, explain how to site visitors who may be
dubious of your claim. |
| Problem
31: The
description under "Return Authorization Policy" is worded
awkwardly ("All goods authorized for return must have a return
authorization marked outside of the box with a marker"). |
Recommendation
31:
Substitute
clearer copy, such as "All goods approved for return require
a return authorization number that is clearly marked on the outside
of your shipping carton. Please contact a
customer service representative to obtain a return authorization
number." |
| J.
Final remarks: |
| a.
If your products' 5-year warranty is better than those of competitors
(as your brochure states), why not post the warranty on the site?
In any case, potential purchasers of your products want to know what
the warranty covers, so make that info easily accessible to them.
|
| b.
We note that your pages' code doesn't include the "meta"
information (descriptions and keywords) that major search engines
look for when ranking sites. When time and resources permit, this
information should be worked up and added to the source code--eventually
on every page, but most important and at the outset, on the home page. |
|
