A New Version of the Concept has been posted. View New Version
5 Reviews0 Votes0 Favorites441 Views
Concept Reviews
-
Hi Michelle,
I must say I like the changes you made to the concept. It's a big improvement. It looks vibrant and fresh :)
There are few things still which need to be addressed and before I go there (tagline, purpose, usability issues) I would like to raise a more fundamental issue.
USP
What is your Unique Selling Point? What will convince internet shoppers to use your site? There are so many other price comparison engines and I don't see what is so uniquely special about yours?
Maybe it's just me who don't get it but it looks like to me like a typical Me Too project just like another photo sharing site or another bloging engine. Problem with MeToo projects is that you need a huge marketing budget to make it successful.
Without huge marketing budget it's almost impossible to get traction in this very saturated market. It's a red see full of hungry sharks and coloured by blood of fierce competition.
Other issues
IMHO tagline Get the great stuff is not a very good one. Too generic. A better one should explain the concept and promise some value to the users.
Explanation of the concept purpose should be more prominent. Not on the right but on the left above the search area.
There is no need for 2 search boxes on the homepage. It's confusing for the users.
Search input boxes should have at least 27 seven characters to allow for full visibility of an average search phrase.
Search buttons should look more like a buttons.
The amount of categories on the homepage is overwhelming. IMHO users will not spend time on trying to locate the section of their interest.
I would strongly encourage you to rethinking the whole concept and defining a USP because people will not use it only because you spend a lot of time and money to put it online for them.
Hope this helps.
Cheers!
Michael
(user experience designer & strategist)
-
-
Michelle Waldorf commented:
Hmmm... no edit button for comments? I don't know how that "BTW" statement became bold.
-
-
-
Since Michael already covered majority of the concerns I had, I'll talk about a couple of technical aspects that I think should be addressed.
Your page has 690 HTML errors. Sometimes it's impossible to eliminate them all and have 100% valid code, but most of the time majority can be cleaned up.
The icons of different entities at the top (ebay, etc.) have checkboxes next to them but I really had to guess to make that out. I also tried clicking on the logo and checkbox wouldn't set. Use labels for those checkboxes and wrap the log images in the labels.
White on orange is not the easiest combination to read.
Hide options tab should be active - not just the upward pointing arrow. I should be able to click on the whole tab.
The H1 tags you use on search / categories should combine the query with the category. SEO wise it would be much more useful to have H1's and titles such as "Sherlock holmes books" as opposed to just "sherlock holmes".
The search UI / filter up top is still a bit cluttered. The glows around everything feel a bit overkill.
As a UI designer myself I would also challenge the choice of colors for the whole site, but them again I'm very partial to clean, unobstructed designs with focus on legibility and readability.
-
Michelle Waldorf commented:
Hi Aurimas,
Thanks for your detailed points, especially the merchant checkbox usability issue. I will fix these.
As for the color, I'll get some user feedback about the intense color of the site. The design definitely has to evolve.
One thought is to expand the product image section so that less orange background shows through.
Also, I agree with your "White on Orange" comment. I like what Google images does with their search results section. You don't see any text under the image until you hover over it. That might work on my site. http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&q=orange&biw=1217&bih=569
Many thanks!
Michelle
-
Aurimas Adomavicius commented:
You're welcome - good points; Yeah, I love what google did to their image search just recently. Such a great improvement.
-
Michelle Waldorf commented:
Aurimas - Do you have a suggestion as to how to fix this? "White on orange is not the easiest combination to read." Assuming I keep the orange background, is there a better color for the text? Anything you could suggest is appreciated!
Thanks
-
Aurimas Adomavicius commented:
If I were you - I would change the orange background (the rounded corners block that is behind your pictures and text) into a white or really light background with dark text. Not sure if that would work - but you would get to keep the orange frame around the the site, yet make the "functional" elements much easier on the eyes.
-
-
Michelle Waldorf commented:
>>Your page has 690 HTML errors.
This document was successfully checked as XHTML 1.0 Strict! :-)
-
-
Am assuming that the home page at your actual site isn't built out yet as when I click on it, there is no introduction or explanation as to what the site is about and I didn't understand immediately just from your logo.
I did type in something random into the search area and hey presto! A lot of search results filled the window...
I can see what you're attempting to do in making a cost comparison site more visual and so hopefully easier to use quickly. However, the problem is that the thumbnails are being blown up beyond what they're meant to be and so the whole site ends up being cheapened by very low quality low res search results filling up almost the entire browser window.
I'm not sure if there is a solution to this given that you have no control over the original thumbnail images. You could keep them at their original size and put more space around them but then the impact of having a page full of images is lost. I think you may need to rethink totally the way the search results are displayed in the browser window in order for this to work well.
Michael and Aurimus have covered a lot of my other thoughts on the concept although I've made a few extra notes on your image on thoughts as to various aspects of the design which I hope are useful:
Notes Added to Images View
-
1Two search boxes on this page. Only one is necessary or it's confusing
On this page I'd lose the search in the top right corner and just keep the main search here
-
2Search looks lovely but the button is a long way away from the search field
The Search area really needs pulling together more in it's design. I'd lose the 'I'm searching for' tag as you already have the field filled in with Search for brands, product or category. Then the Show Options is huge beneath it and takes away focus from the actual Search part plus the way it is sitting beneath, I'm not sure if it is part of the search facility or something to do with navigation. Finally the Search button I didn't realize was a button to start off with as it looks just like a heading and is so far away from the actual search field. It looks nice although the type on it is a little soft - I'd look at improving the anti-aliasing on the type if possible so it matches the crispness of other type on the page.
-
3I like the sub-heads which are working really well
-
4This Show Options doesn't look like it fits with the rest of the page
With such lovely sub-heads and search flag thing at the top, the Search Options has been given very little thought in comparison and just doesn't fit visually with the rest of the design. The type is too large and the font looks out of place
-
5Drop shadow on this copy a bit large
The drop shadow isn't helping readability but is hindering it slightly. It needs to just help the copy pop out a bit but not so much that the drop shadow is making the copy too busy against the background.
-
6Watch horizontal alignments of type
The two introductory paragraphs in the top two boxes are slightly misaligned. The Search box paragraph is a little higher than the logo box paragraph.
-
7Watch the margins
This is way too tight on this side. May need to edit the copy so it still fits on two lines but doesn't end up butting up right to the far right here. The margins should be consistent throughout
-
Notes Added to Images View
-
1Logo area needs simplifying
The Shop eBay, Amazon etc could work as the tagline instead of get to the great stuff. It's too busy up here with too much stuff fighting for attention and it's all very tight. If the logo has to stay the same with that tagline then maybe move it away from the Shop eBay, Amazon above it so it all has more room to breathe
-
2Style the Sherlock Holmes a bit better
The type for Sherlock Holmes looks baseline shifted below the 'Most popular selections for' - it needs to align along the baseline of the type and also it comes up very close so maybe move it away slightly plus I'm not sure about the italics here but that's a personal choice.
-
3Footer needs styling
The footer looks like it hasn't been styled up yet. Definitely make more of the footer area
-
-
Michelle Waldorf commented:
Emma,
Thank you for the detailed comments and suggestions on how to fix the issues. The notes added to the images helps a lot.
The description of your search experience gave me 2 key issues to address:
"thumbnails are being blown up beyond what they're meant to be and so the whole site ends up being cheapened" There is an image size control on the upper right. I was afraid that people would miss it, now it's confirmed. I can change the default image size to ~135 px which will make it look nicer.
"attempting to do in making a cost comparison site more visual" The search results are sorted by popularity, not cost. I've not communicated that feature at all.
Thanks again!
Michelle
-
I don't want to repeat a lot of what you've already read, but I think your three main value propositions aren't coming across. See the notes.
Don't be discouraged by competition - I think you've got a niche, you've got the passion for it, and you've got the makings of a great design. Go for it!
Notes Added to Images View
-
1Get rid of all of this
no need for search box - redundant with the one below; no need for a button that says "search" and not sure what the heck "show options" does, but get it out of your main headline area.
-
2Shop eBay, amazon, zappos and more, with a single click!
replace "get to the good stuff" with the "single click" statement
-
3not clearly tied to the next box to the right
The line is "find what you want in one easy search" but since these two headlines are formatted differently, I had to work to put them together. One is in a dialog bubble, and the other is an arch. I would make these really pop, and that's tough to do since the whole site is popping. (I like the orange BTW, I think it's a differentiator). But make this headline sing - Find EXACTLY what you're looking for; shop ALL these great sites with one click; SAVE time, SAVE money, get the BEST DEALS... So, put the value prop on top, and then put the search button below it, inside one lighter orange box.
-
4Change this sub-head
Give me something better - more action-oriented and speaking to your value. You say your value is "Don’t waste time on junky stuff." but that's contradicted by "browse a little" which implies time-wasting. Narrow your search! See what's popular today! Check out what's hot! Best deals today!
-
5see comments in #4
but go ahead and use this space to further amplify your USP.
-
6careful you don't look like a photo site
I think you have other comments on this, but you need to make it very clear - at a glance - that this isn't a post-your-photos site.
-
Notes Added to Images View
-
1tagline needs work
But you know this already. "Get to the great stuff' doesn't do it.
-
-
Michelle Waldorf commented:
Hi Richard,
Thank you for your kind words!
I changed several of these points today and posted the revised page. Please take a look. Let me know if I am going in the right direction.
Thanks again!
-
Hi Michelle,
First, I love the design. It's very modern and the orange pops.
The marketing notes that Michael mentions are valid. There isn't much of an incentive to use the system short of having a specific niche (books, antiques, home reno wholesale supplies, etc.)
Have you though of using fivesecondtest or another similar eye/click tracking utility to see just where people look first? I found it very confusing at first glance, then after about 10 seconds, I understood how to navigate.
The Search button is a bit confusing - I thought it was a title before reading. Again, with some usability testing, the revisions should become apparent.
Lastly, many don't want to have to struggle to read text - the search box is hard to read and bits and pieces of the site are as well. I run a 24" monitor at 1920 x 1200.
I look forward to seeing the site completely live!
Adam
-
Michelle Waldorf commented:
Hi Adam,
Thanks for your encouragement on the color. Our fearless designer ( Hi James Carless! ) urged us to be different from all of the other shopping sites with white backgrounds. Color is a polarizing subject – you either like it or hate it. Either way, the orange is memorable.
I will definitely use fivesecondtest.com, usertesting.com, feedbackarmy.com, clicktale.com and maybe userfly.com. We’ll probably get years of action items from these.
Which search button is confusing? Or was it both?
Agreed on the text. Very hard to read and needs improvement.
Thank you!
Michelle
-
Adam commented:Hi Michelle,
How did the user tests go??
I found the top search button (in the banner) a bit confusing because it doesn't look like a search button on first glance. It's not impossible to train your target user, but frustration may be a roadblock to conversion.
Cheers, Adam
-
Michelle Waldorf commented:
Hi Adam,
Thanks for checking up on me! I fixed the search button and it looks a lot better. It's still in my Photoshop, not on the site.
fivesecondtest.com was down last week. It's back up so I'll give it a try.
Fortunately, Google sent 200+ users to the search results page. The measured click through rate is the same as our active shopping site. That's pretty good considering it's prototype condition.
Plug for Statcounter.com. I love statcounter because I can trace a user's actions and see the exit link URLs.
Michelle
-
Michelle Waldorf commented:
Whoa! Check out the results of the 5 second click test. http://theclicktest.com/test/share/3HEi-LgHwkzFp0Y4
I did not do a A/B comparison test yet.
After taking 15 five second tests myself, I realize that simple and clean works the best.
-
-
Hi Michael,
Tough review! ;-)
Unique selling point:
Good questions. Popwatchers has great things going for it that aren’t properly communicated by the homepage.
Shop popular products. Don’t waste time on junky stuff. Our search results are sorted by popularity. You benefit by seeing which products other shoppers have chosen to purchase.
Shop and compare products on the top marketplaces in one click. We stay focused on individual sellers on marketplaces like eBay, Amazon, Etsy and Bonanzle, rather than large commodity merchants. Zappos is included because they are so dang nice and they act like a small seller.
A visual shopping experience
We’re a small team with a big ambition of building a better shopping site. No big bucks funding, just friendly people with talent and the desire to help shoppers find what they want.
There’s a good tagline in here somewhere.
I will replace the 2nd search box on the home page with the value propositions to see what people respond to.
BTW – This is our 2nd bootstrapped shopping site so we’re familiar with the competitive landscape. I like this space. It’s fun, dynamic, lucrative, and I enjoy helping people find things.
Other issues: I agree with your points. I’ll make the changes to the design once all of the feedback is in.
Thanks again for your time and expertise!
Michelle
{ Chief PopWatcher & Shopper }