ZoomConcept Reviews
Minor Problem on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 This footer could be stronger - see inspirational example patterns (http://patterntap.com/tap/collection/footers) Serious Problem on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 Menu doesn't work. Try Fat menus (see sample: http://vandelaydesign.com/blog/galleries/mega-menus/) -
Kayvanm commented:we will use mega menus for sure...
Critical Problem on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 Not effective photo - need to integrate CTA (call to action) into the banner content 2 Not distinct enough to draw a visitor attention -
Kayvanm commented:
wil work on... thank you
New Idea on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 Would be more compelling and lead to more conversions if these were 30 second video clips -
Kayvanm commented:
that's a good idea, but not in the budget unfortunately...
Summary:
Hi Kayvanm,
This an improvement over the current treatments used by the college. I encourage you to approach this a little different -- particularly if your goal is trigger behaviors associated with the visitors "Requesting More Info". in the redesigned example - the design is too finished, and you have not worked out the issues that uncover whether their is a visual hierarchy established -- enabling your target visitors to see the CTA (call to action) at a glance in the first 3-5 seconds.
One way of ensuring that you nail the visual aspect is to strip out all color (http://www.spurapp.com/#30611/grayscale) This enables you to gain a clear understanding of what visitors should see 1st, 2nd, etc. etc. See this as a key part of the design process:
- Start with low-fidelity wireframes (sketchy treatment make it easier to see the visual structure). Notice how effective Balsamiq Mockup wireframes are to communicate early wireframes. Although I believe in Balsamiq as a tool, there are several that give you the same outcome. What I wanted you to take away from this review is -- wireframing in a sketch mode forces you to work through issues that color and a finished template often hides.
- Usability Test with a sample from your target audience. It couldn't be easier to do now -- and the results will provide you with critical information that informs the design process (hence the concept: user centered design). Here is an example of a simple usability test and test report. This approach enables you to quantify for your client "why" the design will work. Notice in the report how "real people" respond to the design. This is a critical differentiator -- and will lead to increase conversion rates for Marian College from this channel. If you don't know how to perform these tests -- have your client hire someone. If you want to learn a bit about how to run a test, read this article & and follow these steps.
Opportunities:
- Attack the primary ad banner. Infuse the CTA into the banner (consider a more dynamic banner area http://www.templateaccess.com/demos/cleanaccordion/)
- Strive for a "minimal" and clean design. Your approach in the sample provided is too saturated with the color blue. Although you are more than likely constrained by brand guidelines - you may find that using blue as a accent color is more effective, and doesn't overwhelm the CTA. This is the value of usability testing. You will be able to quantify "how people will use the site". Often times the marketing people from colleges want web designers to approach the channel like a printed brochure. It's your job to shift their mindset with demonstrating a new point of view.
Good luck!
MichaelR
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Kayvanm commented:
Great post Michael! I really like your idea about usability testing and doing it early...If I were to ask 2-3 questions to the sample audience, what DO YOU THINK THOSE QUESTIONS SHOULD BE?
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Michael Rawlins commented:1) What do you see first on this page? (what jumps out at you) 2) Where would click to learn more about the programs offered? 3) What's missing from this page - which would help you decide upon attending?
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Kayvanm commented:
Hey Michael, I just posted the 2nd Version (click to the right of the image thumbnail up top) AFTER I received your comments. Please check it out and let me know what you think :)
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Michael Rawlins commented:
Awesome! Would you mind if I conducted an A/B test to determine whether test participants agree?
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Kayvanm commented:
That would be great - I'll look forward to it!
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Michael Rawlins commented:
Follow this link to view the report as it builds: http://rawlins.verifyapp.com/linked_tests/1593ae48f22b470031f377f4f9511b3fc4e2a15e
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Michael Rawlins commented:
You are beginning to get some compelling results - with some early indications that you may have some additional tweaks to execute on the redesign. Make certain you review the filters (age and sex) to understand how different demographics respond to the treatment.
Report: http://rawlins.verifyapp.com/linked_tests/1593ae48f22b470031f377f4f9511b3fc4e2a15e
Also - access the tabs for raw data, to read the verbatim comments and time on task metrics.
This test will most likely get 20-25 respondents by this time next week (closes on 12/16 pm).
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Minor Problem on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 If the main goal is to have people use this call to action buttons, they need to be more visible. I would use a different color than the page in order to draw attention to them. -
Kayvanm commented:
ill see what we can do about this!
2 This is small. It could gain in being much bigger -
Kayvanm commented:
tru indeed
Positive Feature on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 Testimonials are very good at creating trust. I would put more of them on this page. -
Kayvanm commented:
we'd rather put one testimonial that people ACTUALLY read & click to read more, than a barrage of testimonials...
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Sebastien Gignoux commented:This needs to be tested, but there is a couple of reason I would have started with more testimonials: - People wouldn't have to click at all in order to see more testimonials - The call to action to see more testimonials is not very visible (I didn't notice it before you pointed that out). It looked like the title of the box, not like a link - There is some empirical evidence that quantity might work better than quality in certain cases for testimonials. The only anecdotal evidence I could google is here: http://www.conversionvoodoo.com/blog/2010/08/how-customer-review-formatting-impacts-conversion-rate/ . So since it looks you have both quantity and quality for testimonials, all the better for you.
Maybe you could use a rotating banner: it would have the benefits of multiple testimonials without using more space. It doesn't have to be a barrage too.
This is probably worth A/B testing to see if it change the conversion rate. The final judgement is always actual user behavior.
Summary:
Hi. I don't like the overall color scheme: too saturated and dark. Make sure the Call to Action are easily visible.
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Michael Rawlins commented:
Keep going on this review - you're on the right track! I agree with your point of view (it's helpful to let the designer know "why" the saturated color doesn't work)
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Sebastien Gignoux commented:
Hi Michael,
Your question about explaining why saturated doesn't work here made me think. Here is my take on explaining it better:
Saturated colors attract attention more than unsaturated colors
Having the all background in a saturated blue tend to attract too much attraction to the background.
You can leverage the fact that saturated color attract attention more, to show clearly the call to actions
Another thing is that the all page is blue, having a contrasting color could help too.
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Sebastien Gignoux commented:
This links explains it well : http://uxmovement.com/color/how-color-saturation-affects-user-efficiency/
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Kayvanm commented:
What great info - "Saturated colors are exciting and dynamic. They attract a lot of attention and slow users down in their task. Saturated colors work well for buttons, links, alerts and system messages because in these situations you want to grab the user’s attention. Use saturated colors sparingly, and only when you want users to pay attention to something specific. Not using saturated colors correctly is probably the most common mistake designers make with colors."
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Kayvanm commented:
Hey Sebastian ...I just posted the 2nd Version (click to the right of the image thumbnail up top) AFTER I received your comments. Please check it out and let me know what you think :)
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Sebastien Gignoux commented:
Hi Kayvanm. Congratulation, that's a real improvement. I like much more this design and it looks more professional too.
I can see only three small things: - the color of the call to action: you could make it more visible by using a color that is not found elsewhere on the page. It would make it stand out more. - the use of stock image : they look good, but I always feel that are lacking some "soul". Using some real picture from this place could help. - The rays radiating from the main image : they really drive the eyes in the image. Maybe you want to drive the eyes toward the call to action.
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Minor Problem on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 I like the ribbon treatments, but once again, the gradients and the colors are too much. -
Kayvanm commented:
will try something else...
2 this main navigation is ok, however you have all caps, then all lower case. I think because of the nature of the site, you might want to lose the all lower case. -
Kayvanm commented:
i see where you're coming from...however the lowercase just happens to be MORE LEGIBLE for the site visitor.
3 use a slightly opaque overlay behind the text, I think that'll help modernize the page as well as making the text to stand out more. -
Kayvanm commented:
interesting....opaque kind of box, or like an outline of the text?
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Rebecca Perry commented:an opaque box
4 I don't care for this font choice, but don't have a recommendation. typography is one of my weaknesses :-( Positive Feature on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 great image, very positive 2 great images as well Summary:
Hi Kayvanm - I think you did great on the layout of the page, and the images are perfect as well. I agree with the other review that the colors are too heavy and saturated. Not sure if it's the gradients making them appear that way.
I do like the contrast of the white logo against the blue, it's just that it seems too heavy, know what I mean?
Please see my notes....
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Minor Problem on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 This area seems to be selling the school. I would like to know more about the school before I fill out any applications or begin chatting. I think it would be best to focus on the school accomplishments and affiliations. Save this section for the contact pages. -
Kayvanm commented:
true i see where you're coming from...
Positive Feature Graphic Design
The design of the site seems to be appropriate to the audiance and appears relatively easy to navigateNew Idea on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 This area is distracting and not very easy to read. I would move it to a different location -
Kayvanm commented:
i'll work on the banner area...ive been getting a lot comments that it's not prominent enough.
Summary:
There appears to be too much blue. The background of the image will people is lost in the color of the site.
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Kayvanm commented:
Hey Marilyne, I just posted the 2nd Version (click to the right of the image thumbnail up top) AFTER I received your comments. Please check it out and let me know what you think :)
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Summary:
Your main website might have dozens of navigation links, but your website may have too many duplicate call to actions.
You have live chat on your site in several places.
Minor Problem Consider these your super powered call to actions. These are your four silver bullets. Consider users' goals, business goals, where they meet, and prioritize accordingly... Revise the order from top to bottom. "Live Chat" and "Call Chat" refer to Chat why are these interspersed? Minor Problem on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 I would recommend using gradient for the buttons or background, but not both. -
Kayvanm commented:
GENIUS design comment. :)
2 Consider the order and priority of these elements. "News" doesn't seem to belong there. 3 I suggest you make this bigger, this is an important message. It starts with the word "Empowering" give power to it increasing the phrase font size. -
Kayvanm commented:
will do!
4 Where are the other reasons? consider re-phrasing. If you remove "A Few Reasons" the rest sounds like a power and direct statement. If you actually have more reasons keep it and show users where to find them. -
Kayvanm commented:
Good point, the client mentioned that as well.
Positive Feature on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 I like the subtle white lines effect. 2 I like this, the logo in white, good colors. New Idea on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 A little bit bigger and spaced for tablet/smartphone users. Other on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 The information architecture of your global navigation looks good. However, I think your labels are clear enough and the extra description is not necessary (apply some user research to find out.) For example, remove (or cover) the descriptions of the buttons and simply ask people to tell you what they think would find once they have clicked a given section. If you find out they know, consider removing this info and re-sizing, re-positioning the global navigation bar. Summary:
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Kayvanm commented:
Hey Juan, I just posted the 2nd Version (click to the right of the image thumbnail up top) AFTER I received your comments. Please check it out and let me know what you think :)
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Other on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 Nice use of iconography to help draw the eye 2 The ordering of these menu items don't really make sense. Something like: > apply > request info > live chat > call chat 3 It would be nice if these were Google maps to enable users to find the campus and surrounding areas. -
Kayvanm commented:
just place holders for now...
Summary:
Overall I like the layout, it is easy to follow and to navigate. However, the blue is a little overbearing and needs to be toned down a little to ensure that you are able to highlight the areas you want users to focus on.
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Stewart Griffiths commented:I have placed all my feedback under other, as it appears to be the only one whose icon is correct...
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Kayvanm commented:
Hey Stewart, I just posted the 2nd Version (click to the right of the image thumbnail up top) AFTER I received your comments. Please check it out and let me know what you think :)
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Positive Feature pictures
the pictures and colors here told me if was a medical school right away great job.New Idea Request Info
maybe state in another place about clicking request info more information today. Just an ideaNew Idea on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 Maybe say something around here referring visitors to request info. Summary:
Overall I think its a great design for a College Website for Nursing. I found it Very Informative.
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Kayvanm commented:
Hey Simone, I just posted the 2nd Version (click to the right of the image thumbnail up top) AFTER I received your comments. Please check it out and let me know what you think :)
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Minor Problem Just some small suggestions
1. You may want to use different colors of small titles, such as " $0 down to start & financial aid options" 2. Dunt know why you put a small navigation under the phone number. I guess it works better to keep request info and apply online there to call action. You can move FAQs and news somewhere else.Positive Feature Love the new design
The new design looks great, love it. It is simple and clear.Summary:
Generally, the second design looks great. It has a clear information structure.
Positive Feature 1
In the 2nd version, the second Testimonial block can be moved to a bit right to align to the top 3 boxes.Summary:
Kayvanm
There are lot of improvements you made for 2nd Version, really it looks great.
Positive Feature on MarianCollege-Homepage-113011.jpg 1 Good area to show phone number Summary:
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Rebecca Perry commented:
fabulous 1 second review
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Kayvanm commented:
Haha - I just posted the 2nd Version (click to the right of the image thumbnail up top) AFTER I received all of your comments. Please check it out and let me know what you think :)
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will do thanks