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Critique of website design
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| Toby A Inkster 2007-03-08, 10:16 pm |
| Hi all,
Could you take a look at this example page from my new CMS and let me know
what you think?
http://test.tobyinkster.co.uk/article/foo/
Note: most of the links are broken, so don't bother following them.
What I'm mostly interested in is the usability of the navigation. Is it
obvious what everything on the page is there for? Is there any navigation
device you feel is missing?
Although I'm mainly after your thoughts on navigation and usability, I'd
also be interested on any other thoughts you might have. Is the visual
design OK? How do you think it is for accessibility? Any other thoughts?
--
Toby A Inkster BSc (Hons) ARCS
Contact Me ~ http://tobyinkster.co.uk/contact
Geek of ~ HTML/SQL/Perl/PHP/Python*/Apache/Linux
* = I'm getting there!
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| Neredbojias 2007-03-09, 3:38 am |
| On Fri, 09 Mar 2007 00:45:26 GMT Toby A Inkster scribed:
> Hi all,
>
> Could you take a look at this example page from my new CMS and let me
> know what you think?
>
> http://test.tobyinkster.co.uk/article/foo/
>
> Note: most of the links are broken, so don't bother following them.
>
> What I'm mostly interested in is the usability of the navigation. Is
> it obvious what everything on the page is there for? Is there any
> navigation device you feel is missing?
>
> Although I'm mainly after your thoughts on navigation and usability,
> I'd also be interested on any other thoughts you might have. Is the
> visual design OK? How do you think it is for accessibility? Any other
> thoughts?
I get an obscuring white background on the double-arrow of the links with
IE 6 but not FF or Opera.
--
Neredbojias
He who laughs last sounds like an idiot.
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| Jonathan N. Little 2007-03-09, 3:38 am |
| Neredbojias wrote:
> On Fri, 09 Mar 2007 00:45:26 GMT Toby A Inkster scribed:
> I get an obscuring white background on the double-arrow of the links with
> IE 6 but not FF or Opera.
>
Most likely IE6 limitation with transparency in PNGs, needs to be a
simple palette PNG and with s simple transparent color, like a GIF for
it to work in IE, or you have to use that dang IE Filter doodad...
--
Take care,
Jonathan
-------------------
LITTLE WORKS STUDIO
http://www.LittleWorksStudio.com
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| Jonathan N. Little wrote:
> Neredbojias wrote:
>
>
>
Same here.
Minor points.
Artical detail table could stand to be vertical-align: top, and the
links in it weren't obvious.
Nav folds under content on a narrow screen.
Could use a little margin under the blogroll text and before the links.
Nothing to be concerned about, if you dont mind black and lime green!
I'm working on it!
Jeff
[color=darkred]
> Most likely IE6 limitation with transparency in PNGs, needs to be a
> simple palette PNG and with s simple transparent color, like a GIF for
> it to work in IE, or you have to use that dang IE Filter doodad...
>
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| Andy Dingley 2007-03-09, 6:22 am |
| On 9 Mar, 00:45, Toby A Inkster <usenet200...@tobyinkster.co.uk>
wrote:
> Although I'm mainly after your thoughts on navigation and usability, I'd
> also be interested on any other thoughts you might have.
<div id="clearer">
<!-- This is a very nasty hack. -->
</div>
Interesting. Instead of your <div> I'm using <hr> for much the same
purpose, but with CSS to make it invisible. I used to use <br> but
decided it was something of an abuse of an "inline" element, event
though it was DTD-valid (everything was inside at least one <div> ). I
use <hr class="fleuron" > if I want them visible.
An example: <http://codesmiths.com/shed/things/boxes/ark/>
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| Richard Formby 2007-03-09, 6:17 pm |
| Toby A Inkster wrote:
> Hi all,
G'day.
> http://test.tobyinkster.co.uk/article/foo/
The "page: 1,2,3..." line. What does this do?
....
Ah. Figured it out. It restricts your content to certain "sections" of the
"page". All became clear when I must have accidently selected Full and
noticed your .htaccess? redirect, "/full", in the address bar. I was not
aware (visually) that there were "sections", or "pages", until then. I
thought I was going to different URL pages in the, is it blog, element.
In the above line the colour contrast between the "current", er, page,
compared to the links to the others is so low that I didn't see it until I
figured out the aforementioned. Very pale cream as against very very pale
cream? Same applies elsewhere.
Also, the text-decoration: underline; you apply on :hover is, for the 1, 2
and 3 options is almost completely obscured by... the mouse cursor :-)
Finally, why use up only the very middle one third of my canvas for the
content? Wears out my mouse wheel :-)
Really finally, I personally don't like white (or cream) on dark. Hurts my
old eyes. Your choice though :-)
--
Richard.
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| Chaddy2222 2007-03-09, 6:17 pm |
|
Richard Formby wrote:
> Toby A Inkster wrote:
>
>
> G'day.
>
>
> The "page: 1,2,3..." line. What does this do?
>
> ...
>
> Ah. Figured it out. It restricts your content to certain "sections" of the
> "page". All became clear when I must have accidently selected Full and
> noticed your .htaccess? redirect, "/full", in the address bar. I was not
> aware (visually) that there were "sections", or "pages", until then. I
> thought I was going to different URL pages in the, is it blog, element.
>
> In the above line the colour contrast between the "current", er, page,
> compared to the links to the others is so low that I didn't see it until I
> figured out the aforementioned. Very pale cream as against very very pale
> cream? Same applies elsewhere.
>
> Also, the text-decoration: underline; you apply on :hover is, for the 1, 2
> and 3 options is almost completely obscured by... the mouse cursor :-)
>
>
> Finally, why use up only the very middle one third of my canvas for the
> content? Wears out my mouse wheel :-)
>
> Really finally, I personally don't like white (or cream) on dark. Hurts my
> old eyes. Your choice though :-)
>
Hmmm, maybe Toby could use some kind of style sicher for the CSS so
that people can choose to have diffferent colours for the site,
without having to fiddle with browser settings.
--
Regards Chad. http://freewebdesign.cjb.cc
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| Richard Formby 2007-03-09, 6:17 pm |
| Chaddy2222 wrote
>
> Richard Formby wrote:
[color=darkred]
[color=darkred]
[color=darkred]
> Hmmm, maybe Toby could use some kind of style sicher for the CSS so
> that people can choose to have diffferent colours for the site,
> without having to fiddle with browser settings.
Yes perhaps so. But, IMHO such things are bandaid over bandage. Fixing the
wrong thing.
Why not get it right, and accessible, the first time.
How do we know that any of Toby's new switched colours will be better than
the first ones? Until we see them that is...
--
Richard.
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| Chaddy2222 2007-03-09, 6:17 pm |
|
Richard Formby wrote:
> Chaddy2222 wrote
>
>
>
>
> Yes perhaps so. But, IMHO such things are bandaid over bandage. Fixing the
> wrong thing.
>
> Why not get it right, and accessible, the first time.
>
> How do we know that any of Toby's new switched colours will be better than
> the first ones? Until we see them that is...
>
Interesting question. But yes I see what you mean regarrding the issue
about getting it right the first time. But I think what I was refering
too more so was to have a swicher (where the user can chage the style
right from the website. Yeah I know, the usual issues relating to
pointlesness aply, but if he really want those original colours, for
branding or whatever.
--
Regards Chad. http://freewebdesign.cjb.cc
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| Bernhard Sturm 2007-03-09, 6:17 pm |
|
>
> What I'm mostly interested in is the usability of the navigation. Is it
> obvious what everything on the page is there for? Is there any navigation
> device you feel is missing?
not missing but you take an unusual approach by positioning the search
box at the top left corner. From an accessible point of view one would
expect the search field top right.
>
> Although I'm mainly after your thoughts on navigation and usability, I'd
> also be interested on any other thoughts you might have. Is the visual
> design OK? How do you think it is for accessibility? Any other thoughts?
I have problems reading the typeface you have chosen. Swiss721BT ist
installed on my system, but it renders terribly on low font sizes. If
you ask about accessibility you should consider the fact that some fonts
are not suitable for small font sizes.
I would stick with the usual suspect (Verdana) as they were specially
designed for this purpose...
HTH
bernhard
--
www.daszeichen.ch
remove nixspam to reply
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| Charles Sweeney 2007-03-24, 7:20 pm |
| Toby A Inkster wrote
> http://test.tobyinkster.co.uk/article/foo/
My eye was initially drawn to the name "tobyinkster.co.uk" then the
navigation below it.
My eye was then drawn (albeit pre-warned to look for navigation) to the
left-hand column which at a glance I presumed was navigation. Turns out it
has a mixture of navigation/links and article info. I would try to
minimise such mixing here.
I would make the name/logo link to home.
Readability isn't too bad, but white letters glow a bit much for me.
--
Charles Sweeney
http://CharlesSweeney.com
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| Toby A Inkster 2007-03-25, 4:17 am |
| Charles Sweeney wrote:
> Charles Sweeney
Yay! Charles is back!
--
Toby A Inkster BSc (Hons) ARCS
Contact Me ~ http://tobyinkster.co.uk/contact
Geek of ~ HTML/SQL/Perl/PHP/Python*/Apache/Linux
* = I'm getting there!
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| Baho Utot 2007-03-25, 7:18 pm |
| Toby A Inkster wrote:
> Charles Sweeney wrote:
>
>
> Yay! Charles is back!
>
Bah!
--
Dancin in the ruins tonight
Tayo'y Mga Pinoy
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| Toby A Inkster 2007-03-25, 7:19 pm |
| Baho Utot wrote:
> Bah!
Bah-o is back too!
--
Toby A Inkster BSc (Hons) ARCS
Contact Me ~ http://tobyinkster.co.uk/contact
Geek of ~ HTML/SQL/Perl/PHP/Python*/Apache/Linux
* = I'm getting there!
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| Charles Sweeney 2007-03-25, 7:19 pm |
| Toby A Inkster wrote
> Yay! Charles is back!
If I knew it merited two exclamation marks, I would have been back sooner!
Been very busy in the "real world". Not paid work but working on an old
car during the daylight hours! I was away skiing for two weeks, then spent
eight weeks solid working on this car, a lot of welding. It's nearly done
now, so more liesure time here!
--
Charles Sweeney
http://CharlesSweeney.com
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| Charles Sweeney 2007-03-25, 7:19 pm |
| Toby A Inkster wrote
> Baho Utot wrote:
>
>
> Bah-o is back too!
All we need is Mr Tasso now!
--
Charles Sweeney
http://CharlesSweeney.com
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| Toby A Inkster 2007-03-25, 7:19 pm |
| Charles Sweeney wrote:
> Been very busy in the "real world". Not paid work but working on an old
> car during the daylight hours! I was away skiing for two weeks, then spent
> eight weeks solid working on this car, a lot of welding.
I was up in Glasgow the other day, and took this picture of you:
http://www.brockport.edu/ehs/Images...r%20vehicle.jpg
--
Toby A Inkster BSc (Hons) ARCS
Contact Me ~ http://tobyinkster.co.uk/contact
Geek of ~ HTML/SQL/Perl/PHP/Python*/Apache/Linux
* = I'm getting there!
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