Wot, no updates?
Hello - I’ve moved house, and have no internet connection. Rest assured, all will return to normal once BT have pulled their collective finger out of their arse.
We are SO British.
“Stormy weather forms funnel cloud!”
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lancashire/7492301.stm)
I think this News article sums up Britain wonderfully. A funnel CLOUD (singular) was spotted in the sky: instantly warrants BBC News report. Quote:
Nigel Bolton, a weather forecaster with the Met Office added: “We have about 30 to 40 touchdown tornadoes a year in the UK and if this funnel cloud had touched down it could have badly damaged a tree or a shed roof.
Oh no: not a tree! What about that shed roof?! Watch out now.
Don’t have nightmares.
Google to index Flash content
So, a recent update by Google announced that they’re to start indexing Flash content. This is good right?
Well, at first glance yes - since generally speaking, it’s better to index content than not. But there are other more worrying ramifications.
That’s a good word, that: “ramification“. RAM-ification. Sounds like a vetinary term.
The problems I foresee are thus:
- This Flash content will show up in the SERPs, but Flash sites are usually built in one giant file - making deep-linking impossible. So a user will search for a phrase, see a match, click it - and then be dumped at the entry point of the Flash site - nowhere near the information they wanted to find. Great user journey there.
- It could encourage more online design agencies to build more Flash sites. Expensive Flash sites…
- …which will have content that is still inaccessible to screenreaders and similar.
I just hope this doesn’t signal the start of a deluge of agencies recommending to their clients that Flash content is suddenly fine to use. The only way it’ll work is if Google works out a way to deep link into this content - or site developers build start building Flash sites differently to allow it.
Don’t get me wrong: when used properly, well-executed Flash content is invaluable…just don’t build an ENTIRE site in it.
(White)Space: The final frontier - Routeone.co.uk
This week, I’ve decided to take a look at the website of one of the most well-known skatewear retailers: Route One. I’ve long been a fan of skatewear in it’s various incarnations, so a recent visit to this site left me in a bit of shock. Don’t misunderstand me: it’s not a BAD site by any means, but it’s definitely in need of some heavy-handed reworking of the navigational priorities and the graphic elements.
Fascinating, I’m sure you’ll agree. I clearly need to get out more!
A critique of www.routeone.co.uk
So, from a high-level, it’s fair to say that graphically it’s quite nice…but it’s somewhat lacking in decent site templates to make the most of the colour scheme, products and logos that are currently stacked all over the place. The navigation could also do with reworking a bit. Read on…
Layout, design and customer service
Just a quick site review, since I’m off out in a moment! Yes, I do actually see daylight occasionally.
So, after my recent raft of shoe e-Tailer site reviews, I thought “Why break the habit?”. After unsuccessfully trying to find some specific trainers in the Schuh site, and subsequently finding further frustration on the Raw Shoe site, I found success on the Team Hell UK site.
I may as well call this The Unashamed Shoe Fetish Critique Centre, quite frankly.
A critique of www.teamhelluk.com
After a relatively choppy and truly tumultuous journey trying to find somewhere that sold what I wanted, I stumbled across what was an all-round good e-tail experience. Read on! Read more
Still need convicing of the benefits of usability?
Just a brief post to say that, should you still need convincing of the need to do usability on your website (or any other visual media, for that matter), then here it is: our very own WordPress blogmeisters are carrying out usability studies on their WP interface.
They’re doing it. So should you if you’re serious about design!
Ads in computer games
Stepping away from my online shoe retailer fixation for a moment, I thought I’d talk briefly about ads in computer games. Whilst reading The Register, I came across an appropriately scathing piece about videogame ads…an opportunity to share my love of computer games and cool eye-tracking technology! It does also have relevancy with regard to design and placement. Excited? You should be. Read on! Read more
Site content & design: Rawshoe.co.uk
Hello again! I hope you enjoyed my last (rather frustrated) attempt to be constructively critical of Schuh.com’s website.
Strangely enough, I’m about to embark on yet another critique of a shoe retailer’s online presence. I should point out that I’m not solely fixated on shoes or anything - it’s just that I was utterly desperate to find some replacement old-style Dekline ‘Villain’ trainers…which I eventually found on Raw’s website. And their site is, unfortunately for them, the subject of today’s post.
A critique of www.rawshoe.co.uk
I must say that, to all intents and purposes, nothing good seems to have happened to Raw’s website. This is a pity, since the high street brand is quite strong: Known for being on the pulse with regard to fashion, having generically good-looking shop assistants, and playing music in-store that has swearwords in. Because they’re a cool company. And because that’s what their clientele expect - who’re also cool.
Well, this website does not support that image. It’s the equivalent of the uncool kid in class who smells a bit stale and collects pencils.
Navigation hierarchy and priorities: Schuhstore.co.uk
Be warned: this post has tried to be funny in certain areas. Remove your sense of humour now.
A critique of www.schuhstore.co.uk
I will preface everything I’m about to say with the fact that this site has managed to win the Drapers “Footwear eTailer of the year ‘08″ award. Not only is that Draper’s award site a bit drab, I can only wonder what the judging criteria were for that award, since the Schuh site’s definitely not supporting their brand in a positive way. Whilst it’s clearly functional and ‘works’, it’s looking in desperate need of a redesign. Read on!
Good vibrations
Just a quick post to draw your attention to a rather interesting site…
Tired of the same old start page in your web browser? Introducing Netvibes - an AJAX/Javascript-driven portal page on which you control the content. It’s like the personalised Google page on steroids.
A simple sign-up process, support for external RSS feeds, direct widget insertion for sites like Flickr, eBay and more…it’s really rather good: highly recommended. It’s even got support for your own email accounts, allowing you to preview all your POP3, Hotmail, Yahoo and AOL email accounts. This site rocks.
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The Boston E-Party is a blog written by George Rosier about web design, usability and anything else that takes his fancy
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Recently Written
- Wot, no updates?
- We are SO British.
- Google to index Flash content
- (White)Space: The final frontier - Routeone.co.uk
- Layout, design and customer service
- Still need convicing of the benefits of usability?
- Ads in computer games
- Site content & design: Rawshoe.co.uk
- Navigation hierarchy and priorities: Schuhstore.co.uk
- Good vibrations
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