Girl on the Hill Revamp - Your input please.

Girlonthehill · #1 02-22-2007, 11:18 AM

Hey, guys!

I have, finally, revamped my main site. I have endeavoured to simplify the site, hopefully making it easier to navigate and increasing the page loading speeds. I would, as always, appreciate your feedback and any constructive crtitisism.

Thanks in advance for your help and time.

http://www.girlonthehill.co.uk/new_home.html

Collectors-info · #2 02-22-2007, 12:34 PM

Hi Amanda, Nice looking site & simple to use.
http://www.girlonthehill.co.uk/new_home.html Loads nice & quick . Looks good.

http://www.girlonthehill.co.uk/samples.html Bit slow on the loading due to the 20 X 50 kb images as your samples. Fine with B/band but quite slow with dial up. Maybe would be better with 5-10 kb thumbnails & pop ups to the large image.

http://www.girlonthehill.co.uk/ordering.html has movement with the background image on page transitions, all the other pages change perfectly.

Would be a pain to change now, but I noticed a lot of your images have not really got any description. IE: http://www.girlonthehill.co.uk/P1070...20x%20600).jpg
May be better as http://www.girlonthehill.co.uk/birthday-card-13th.jpg
It may be just me! But I search a good 50% of the time by images in Google as I am sure others do as well. Especially with something like a card for someone. I don’t think Google visitors would put in P1070001%20(427%20x%20600) as a search. Only a thought?

Colours are a little girly for me. But guys are useless for remembering cards anyway, so I shouldn’t worry. Lol.

asirimarco · #3 02-22-2007, 03:15 PM

Colors of site and cards are beatufiul - loaded fine for me on broadband - the cards came up a couple at a time but quickly
use of alt tage on cards mihgt be good idea you give us a better idea before enlarging
love the site

Dori · #4 02-22-2007, 06:08 PM

Wow Amanda.... this is looking great. Beautiful colors but I am very fond of purple. I agree with comments made above.
You have done a lot of work and it is a wonderful redesign from your old site. I am impressed!

SChajin · #5 02-22-2007, 07:02 PM

Hi Amanda,

It looks GREAT!

Bethers · #6 02-22-2007, 07:03 PM

Hi Amanda.

I love purple also. But, and it may be my computer - the flower image in your header isn't really recognizable to me - looks like either it's been enlarged or smooshed or something - I would think a clearer image or one of your own images that would really pop would be better there.

I also would like to see your navigation buttons a bit smaller - and the thumbnails a bit larger. Right now I have to squint to look at the pictures which would sell your cards - but the navigation buttons are big and stand out more than the pictures do.

Your home page title starts with the word Home - I'd remove that entirely - as it's certainly not your most important keyword!

I also suggest that you change the pictures of the cards to open in a pop-up window - so people can actually open more than one at a time - instead of now, where they open in the same window. (Yes, this is a case where pop-ups are good.)

You've done a wonderful job - the colors work very well - and that top image could be my computer - but I'd have others look at it.

Girlonthehill · #7 02-22-2007, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Collectors-info

Hi Amanda, Nice looking site & simple to use.
http://www.girlonthehill.co.uk/new_home.html Loads nice & quick . Looks good.

http://www.girlonthehill.co.uk/samples.html Bit slow on the loading due to the 20 X 50 kb images as your samples. Fine with B/band but quite slow with dial up. Maybe would be better with 5-10 kb thumbnails & pop ups to the large image.

http://www.girlonthehill.co.uk/ordering.html has movement with the background image on page transitions, all the other pages change perfectly.

Would be a pain to change now, but I noticed a lot of your images have not really got any description. IE: http://www.girlonthehill.co.uk/P1070...20x%20600).jpg
May be better as http://www.girlonthehill.co.uk/birthday-card-13th.jpg
It may be just me! But I search a good 50% of the time by images in Google as I am sure others do as well. Especially with something like a card for someone. I don’t think Google visitors would put in P1070001%20(427%20x%20600) as a search. Only a thought?

Colours are a little girly for me. But guys are useless for remembering cards anyway, so I shouldn’t worry. Lol.

Thanks for taking the time to check it over and comment, Chris, I appreciate it. I have made some changes to the samples page and hope it will improve the load time. I have re-positioned the template slightly to ease the transition problem you spotted and I have renamed my images.

Thanks again.

Girlonthehill · #8 02-22-2007, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asirimarco

Colors of site and cards are beatufiul - loaded fine for me on broadband - the cards came up a couple at a time but quickly
use of alt tage on cards mihgt be good idea you give us a better idea before enlarging
love the site

Thank you very much for your time and feedback. I have done as you suggested and each image has a little text beneath it now.

Girlonthehill · #9 02-22-2007, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dori

Wow Amanda.... this is looking great. Beautiful colors but I am very fond of purple. I agree with comments made above.
You have done a lot of work and it is a wonderful redesign from your old site. I am impressed!

Thank you, Dori, for taking the time to check it over.

Girlonthehill · #10 02-22-2007, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SChajin

Hi Amanda,

It looks GREAT!

Aww, thank you Sharon. Big hug.

Girlonthehill · #11 02-22-2007, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bethers

Hi Amanda.

I love purple also. But, and it may be my computer - the flower image in your header isn't really recognizable to me - looks like either it's been enlarged or smooshed or something - I would think a clearer image or one of your own images that would really pop would be better there.

I also would like to see your navigation buttons a bit smaller - and the thumbnails a bit larger. Right now I have to squint to look at the pictures which would sell your cards - but the navigation buttons are big and stand out more than the pictures do.

Your home page title starts with the word Home - I'd remove that entirely - as it's certainly not your most important keyword!

I also suggest that you change the pictures of the cards to open in a pop-up window - so people can actually open more than one at a time - instead of now, where they open in the same window. (Yes, this is a case where pop-ups are good.)

You've done a wonderful job - the colors work very well - and that top image could be my computer - but I'd have others look at it.

Thank you, also, for taking the time to check through and give me some feedback.

The flower image is one of mine and I'll see what others think (I will re-do the template if I need to) but it was my intention that it look sharp and as 3D as it possibly could. I will also bear in mind your comments on the navigation buttons too, they are quite large. Again, that was purposeful but I can change them if people don't like them (I hate navigation buttons that are too small and squashed together so I may have been rebelling a little, lol). I've enlarged the images slightly so will await other feedback to see if others have a similar reaction. I've done as you suggested with the new window - thank you again, Beth.

SChajin · #12 02-22-2007, 08:15 PM

Hi Amanda, The flower does look a little smooshed.

Bethers · #13 02-22-2007, 08:17 PM

You're welcome - and I love your work - always have - so I'm hoping it's my computer that's squashing that image - but that's also the first thing anyone sees - so I didn't want to not say anything.

I know what you mean about the size of navigation buttons!

Girlonthehill · #14 02-22-2007, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bethers

You're welcome - and I love your work - always have - so I'm hoping it's my computer that's squashing that image - but that's also the first thing anyone sees - so I didn't want to not say anything.

I know what you mean about the size of navigation buttons!

Beth & Sharon - I have removed the filter I'd used on the image - does that look better? It's just the original image with a drop shadow now.

Thank you, again.

http://www.girlonthehill.co.uk/new_home.html

Bethers · #15 02-22-2007, 09:43 PM

Amanda,
That works a LOT better on my computer - I can recognize it now :)