ZoomConcept Reviews
Summary:
I like the idea of having the same CTA each time with changing images but I wonder if maybe you could actually have a combination of both a changing image with banner copy on which changes each time but then with the two CTA buttons 'Get a Quote' and 'More services' which don't change. Basically your end banner with Welcome on board is by far the strongest in terms of impact. In your others the typography is not working hard enough for you to create impact and focus for the page. The type is just too small. Also the grey box on top doesn't look quite connected with the image. I love sites where the typography properly connects with the image and this isn't really happening in any of these images.
Sorry this review is a bit short. I'm on press deadline today and just had a quick peek at CF in my lunch hour but have to dash or I'd do a quick mock up to illustrate what I mean better. Hope this helps a bit though.
PS. Have had a chance to upload v quickly a couple of rough ideas to better illustrate what I mean. I'm limited because I'm working at the Sun right now on buzz magazine so I have only bodoni2 and gotham to work with.
Basically your banners are your area to totally brand the company, sell it and create your identity. The plane alone feels cold, corporate and lacking personality. This image I've used may not be right but it has a stronger identity. It feels glamorous, expensive, exclusive, aspirational. I think all the images need a consistent treatment in terms of colour, tone etc to help create a strong identity for you. I appreciate that you may not have chosen your imagery yet and are just working with what they were running with already. You may also be limited in that they won't change the imagery. If this is the case, you can still add drama and keep the colour tones consistent with retouching.
My typography has been thrown together really quickly but this is what I mean in terms of working it more - not single lines of copy but fully worked type interlinking, differing sizes and fitting within the space around the image. I extended the background of the image quickly to put it on. The image is from Corbis. Haven't put your calls to action on but these would fit underneath.
Good luck with it all. Look forward to seeing further developments of it.
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Emma Simpson commented:Have just had a chance to upload a couple of quick rough banners and have added a bit more to my review. Hope I'm making sense.
CF does shrink things so I guess when you've aligned everything to the pixel, the shrinking means it's no longer pixel perfect hence the fuzzy stuff :(
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Michael Gunner commented:
Thanks a lot for your input Emma!
There are a couple of things though. First of all I can't "adjust" pictures, even the tone, because I have to use them "as they are". We can't do anything that falsifies or adjusts the perception of our service, altering the pictures tone would mean changing the look of the interiors of the aircraft etc. We already have problems with clients that complain the images of aircraft they've seen differ from what they got.
Unfortunately, additionally, I've tried to go down the corbis route before but my Bosses are not interested in paying for images so I'm very, very limited in that respect :(
I like the image you use though, just a shame I could never use it. I like your idea, though personally I find the image too gloomy for the context of the website design as a whole (the website is dark, so I feel vibrant images work better for contrast).
I have since lightened the background box to make it fit in better, you can see how things look over at http://www.jetbookingdirect.com/
Have also increased the header text size to make it more grabbing, really dislike the third image but finding a third one is very tricky.
Thanks! :)
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Emma Simpson commented:
Hey again,
Such a shame you can't pay for images. The ones you have to work with apart from the very first one (good call on opening with that) are just not interesting or strong enough for banner images.
The opening one, I'd move the plane a little to the left away from your grey box area as it has more room to the left and looks a bit tight on the right.
The second: it's an interior shot of a plane and not a very interesting one. It needs a person in here somewhere or just something more interesting. Maybe go for a stronger typographic approach with smaller drop in shots? I can understand if there are problems with users complaining if a detail is not correct but if this is the case then commission a photographer surely for a shoot??? This is a company for private jets so I really don't understand why they are not paying for imagery when the stuff they have is just not doing the job. Puts you in a really impossible position to pull off a web site design which does them justice without decent images.
The third shot with the plane on the runway - where the grey box crops over the plane is not working at all. I feel your pain in being lumbered with this one. For me you need to see more of the plane - the shapes it's making aren't good. Maybe pull further back on the plane and extend the image.
The treatment of the grey box out panel is looking better. It's clean and balances nicely. For me it's too quiet still in terms of the whole page. There is a line of white copy underneath the banner which fights slightly with your main CTA area. Maybe look at bringing this line of copy in with a different treatment - of course you may not have tackled this area yet.
Agree on my corbis images being too dark - also that female model looks too unfriendly to me - I wasn't suggesting it was the right image at all - just used it to illustrate the kind of type treatment I meant in my first review as I didn't think I described it very well.
I think since the images you're working with aren't that strong and the grey box crops out so much it would be better to work the type into the image more and then put the CTA buttons on below.
Good luck :)
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Michael Gunner commented:
I don't think the interior shots need to be particularly interesting, just demonstrate the sheer luxury available. I think all they need to do is say, this is what you can get by flying privately. All the ones I've ever found with people in are either to casual, or too staged and cheesy!!
Unfortunately, if we're not going to pay for stock images, I can't see them paying for a photographer. Plus you have the issues that we'd need to go to Farnborough Airport near London and borrow a private Jet for the day, one with a very nice interior. The expense would be extortionate...
And whilst I agree, the images would be better, would they actually give us significantly more business? I'm not convinced, and because there are only 4 employees in our company, we just don't have the time. I'm already web designer, web developer, general IT guy all at once! If you can build a website, you can fix peoples issues with Outlook, right?! So I think whilst I think the images aren't perfect, I may just have to stick to changing the third.
I'm not honestly going to go back to having the CTA underneath the slider either, the CTA needs to be as high as possible, if it's beneath the slider than on older computers it's also beneath the fold. I've always debated the relevance of the fold, but the CTA is one element of a website such as this which I think needs to be the dominant focus. Beneath the slider, the CTA just wasn't working, already since it's been placed on top the bounce rate is down 6% and the conversions are up 9%.
Thanks for your suggestions though, I really appreciate your input, and I will definitely look at the headline and the third image :)
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Emma Simpson commented:
You misunderstood about the CTA's. I meant put them under the type. Not under the slider.
The big box cuts up the image too much so the image is harder to read. The third is a particularly harsh crop with the big box on top.
I thought they'd have jets easily on hand to shoot in. Didn't realise they'd have to hire them themselves.
Sounds a really tough job you have. I don't generally even have to do my own image searches as we have a team of 4 just for picture research and for organising shoots. Then we have another 4 of us to design everything. I'm still flat out as tight deadlines but it's a different world. Am off to a smaller web company for a few months though next.
Good luck with it.
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Summary:
Gunner
I like #2 the best but still feel that it's missing something, and I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I think it's the button on 2 doesn't really work that well for me, it feels dis-jointed from the rest of the design, I think the call to action definitely needs to look sleek and powerful, so I think the button treatment you have here isn't really working, that being said will you be wanting a full CSS3 button, or will it be partly image?
If CSS3, I would leave the inner glow to the hover effect, and make it a nice cool gradient see below image...
If it's going to be an image then, you could make the button a little more stylised adding some noise to give it a textured feel...
Overall, the design is sharp, and 2 is the best layout, it's just the CTA button that needs something...
Hope this helps.
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Michael Gunner commented:
Hey, thanks for the input
I've uploaded a revised version, which uses very lightweight transparent pngs for a gradient but otherwise is all css, there is also a secondary cta, which apparently is vital for increasing conversion rates...
thoughts?
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Aaran Casey commented:Yeah I like that, however the background image isn't transparent anymore, and I would probably make it maybe 15% smaller it's over powering the image
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Positive Feature Good Concept
I think you are on the right track with #2 here. Your page design is awesome as is the concept of keeping CTA's static and predictable. You really have the user focused on them, so you are 90% there. I just completed a test where the button was changed from "Get a Quote" to "Get a No Obligation Quote Now". The designer did an awesome job on the button to make it readable with all trxt and bringing out "No Obligation". Not sure if this would work for you with your niche demographic, but considering human nature and the aversion to contact, it might just give you a lift. Hope that helps. It had a 10% increase in clicks, and 83% lift in turning clicks into quotes (95% confidence on test).Summary:
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Michael Gunner commented:
Hey, thank you for the review :)
I would put the No Obligation bit, however the nature of our business means whilst we want to increase conversions, we don't want to increase the number of people who are just "fishing" for quotes, so at the same time as getting more quotes the button also needs to act as a screener. Which is v. difficult!
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Keith Hagen commented:Thought as much. Have you tried the "No Fields Required" text above the form submit button. Typically this increases the # of form submission AND increases the quality of the information submitted.
Your demographic may appreciate only providing the information THEY deem adequate, and if the information being asked makes sense, they will see the value in providing it (I assume they are not dumb here!)
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Minor Problem Is it Flash?
If you make this website in Flash, remember that it will take longer to load and some people may have Flash blocked entirely... like me ;)Positive Feature I like the first image, with semi-transparent box
The first design looks most complete to me, with nice shadows and matching colours.Summary:
The airplane in the background and the semi-transparent box with shadows are all very nice. Looks good!
Cheers for the review, I do agree regarding the headline. However for some reason, CF shrinks my images even when viewed full, slightly, and destroys any quality so the typography looks awful. The headline of the latest design is actually 26px whilst the text below is 14px.
I'll definitely try to incorporate a headline...