Site ready for critique

[Patience]

Re: Site ready for critique

Hi James,

As a newcomer, can't really comment on the technical aspects.

But as a consumer and an admirer of fine art....WOW. Your a true sculptor. Your work is incredible. How much time does it take to make one? Are they cast in metal? They're just fabulous!

I would like to see pics on your first products page. Wasn't quite sure where to click to find the products. But when I found it, I said, "Holy Smokes!"

Best of luck to you!

[proactivator]

Re: Site ready for critique

Hi Beth,
Hi Beth, you're going to bully me until I get this right! Seriously, I appreciate all you say and I will work on it. The titles on the images are wrong, I realise that. It is how the files are saved in my resources (at the time I had not appreciated that such naming would ever be on view in the site. Easy to sort out.

Patience, thank you for your kind encouragement. I know the product is good (that sounds as if I am on an ego trip but that really is not the case) and most of my product for Military is for that market because it is one that I know really well and you never, ever, get a bad debt. However with this site I shall now branch out and do things that have an appeal across wider markets. How long do they take to make? 100-200 hrs to sculpt an original. Most of my production is in cold cast bronze resin (looks like foundry cast bronze but at a fraction of the price. Can have items made in silver and real bronze for trophies and special commissions and the like.

Regards and thanks to you both.
James.

[karel]

Re: Site ready for critique

James well done on your site and I wish you well with it, a very interesting topic.

I have popped in a little late as a lot has been said, but one thing I would change is this page

http://www.jamesbartondesign.com/products.html

I to found it hard really to find your work and where to buy from, I then eventually spotted it on the above page, below the paypal banner. I would swap these around or take out the paypal info and place on each page with all the pics of your statues on. It sort of tells you about paypal before you have even seen a product. I then missed the first time where I could buy the actual items.

So I would let them know where they need to go to purchase and then on each seperate product page tell them about paypal or at least tell them where the products are and underneath tell them about paypal....I hope that makes sense, anyway remember that's just my opinion, its your site. I just always think the product should come before an explanation of paypal.

Good Luck

Paul

[proactivator]

Re: Site ready for critique

Hi Karel,
Very pertinent point. What is becoming clear from the input I have received is that what I thought is logical progression to my products is not neccessarily so. The paypal issue is very valid and I shall sort it out (heavens knows when: just not enough hours in the day). Do you really think it should be on each product page or just the thumbnails pages?
Thanks and regards,
James.

[proactivator]

Re: Site ready for critique

Hi,
By subjecting my site to be criticised has provided me with some valuable insight and opinions, so thank you one and all.

One change I made was to put the light box on the home page so that visitors might access some product images straight away. Some very salient facts came out when experimenting with this. The first concern was that it increased the size of the page massively (50kb to 350kb) and that is with well optimised images (file sizes about 30kb each). I went to work on the six images and optimised down to 40%. This straight away cut 100 kb and this is where I am at present. So,approx 200kb out of a total 250 kb size of the page is taken by the light box. This is a hungry beast even if images are pared to the bone.

My conclusion is that although it is an impressive toy it has no place on my home page. Also, anyone using it should not load it with too many images. Used wisely it does have impact.

For the time being the light box is on my home page, but when I have thought around what to do instead, it will have to go. Mine is a commercial site and just because it is pretty is no justification to keep it. It is a cuckoo in the nest.

Anyone out there with a dial up or otherwise slow connection. How fast/slow is my site to load on their PC?

[Bethers]

Re: Site ready for critique

James, you NEED the pictures on the home page if you want your website to sell for you. And you need them further up on the page. Yes, that means there will be a bit of a loading time issue - but your website is about those statues - and you do realize the more than 80% of your traffic is going to click off because the home page doesn't have anything that interests them? You need to capture that interest.

Yep, for some on the old fashioned dial-up, that might hurt you - and I know my stores load slower - but I have a higher than average conversion rate - even with the slower loading times. You have to look at what your website needs to do for you. If you don't have those pictures, and don't have them higher up on the page, you will, most likely, be hurting your sales in the long run.

Don't believe that everything said about load times and size of page is written in stone. Everything has some flexibility. If having the multiple pictures isn't working for you - consider having one single picture - in a larger size - up higher on the page - that truly reflects the work and is very eye-catching - will make people want to see more.

[Danny Canada]

Re: Site ready for critique

James

Although your comments do have some merit you are approaching the design of your site from the wrong side. The case or arguement for designing around a 56k modem or lower could be made maybe 7-10 years ago but not now. Designing your site to meet the standards of modem users is not the way to go and here's why:

1) There are two types of Internet users; First, those seeking information (text data) such as news sports where their search is independent and not related so much to images; second, those dependent on images such as shopping, and yes, I hate to say it but adult sites and others like it.

2) The total bit rate is 34 kbps for the 56k modem and 225 kbps for cable, DSL, and T1 and it is highly unlikely a person would ever get higher than 44 kbps off of a 56k modem even if it had V.90 capabilities. In saying that, having the option of DSL through lines now is cheaper per month than a dial-up modem and in alot of cases ISP's charge by the hour now with restrictions on how long you can stay on it. Times are a changin and fast!! And like they say, ISP's will be a lot like the 50's garage mecahnics if they don't adapt to the times...They'll be gone!

When was the last time IBM, Hewlett Packard, Dell or any other computer company offered a dial-up modem in their computer?

Rule of thumb: NEVER ever design for a modem

3) The Lightbox feature is a GREAT item and has to be approached by each idividual users needs and to tell people it is something to avoid is wrong! In looking at your site with the images, it loaded in about 3 seconds for me and was not cached at all. That's nothing to complain about and if you remove them to appease the modem users then you're on the wrong track.

4) as you already know, I have 21 pictures in a Lightbox frame. Out of the 50+ clients or potential clients that viewed my page, not one mentioned anything about the images loading slow and in fact the lightbox was probably the biggest selling feature for them because most asked how I did it. Three of my clients asked about using it for their own sites and wanted to know how I did it!

My approach is that MY clients visiting www.exportbc.com are after products and is dependent on them seeing images. Most likely they have already figured out that in order to view products on peoples web sites, a 56k modem isn't going to cut it for them. And it will be THEM making the change and not me! Build for the future not for the past!

Again, each person's needs may be different from you and me and they need to build accordingly.


Danny

[proactivator]

Re: Site ready for critique

Hi Beth,
I hear absolutely everything you say, I agree with what you say and I will address it. I think you will realise from my last post that my home page will be changed to bring the product to the fore (ie images of the statuettes). I want to do it in such a way that maintains the integrity of the site. If I cannot do that then I may have a redesign on my hands. The more I see the light box, the less I like it on my home page; It says look at me I am so clever. The desiger of lightbox is clever, but I have a feeling that hardly anyone will ackowledge that to their viewers. Bluevoda gives creditto the desiger. I think you may know That I value your opinions greatly because you are obviously very experienced and you cut to the chase (that may be too English: you get to the point). A bit off thread, I notice that when talking about links somewhere you said something that made me think that there may be an ettiquete or formality about linking that I know nothing about. Can you point me to a thread or anything else that may give me info on this?
Regards,
James.

[proactivator]

Re: Site ready for critique

Hi Danny,
If I said that I told people that to avoid the lightbox then I am clearly wrong. It is just wrong for me. Your site is well designed and I like it.
Regards,
James.

[nzbr]

Re: Site ready for critique

Hi James,
Your site looks really clean! One small detail: I don't know what "pri" means, and when I saw the link on the left that says: "pri prices" , the first thing that came to mind was that you made a mistake when writing prices, got it?
Maybe if you put: PRI prices. As I said, it's just a small little thing....
Cheers,

[proactivator]

Re: Site ready for critique

Hi ZNBR,
Thanks: clean is what I'm after. PRI prices, quite frankly, is for those in the know. I debated long and hard whether or not to include it. PRI shops are run by military units and their profits go to regimental funds. They are the core of my business. Perhaps I should not include the term but it is specific because I do not want ordinary retail customers: just do not need the hassle of chasing bad debts and overdue accounts. My site is the process of some major changes due to feedback from here, my customers and friends, so thanks for your input.
Regards, James.