Critique my First Site please

whoa, table width="1000"

You may want to try to accomodate the approximately 50% of your users who will view the site at 800x600. If you want a hard set table, try 750 or so. Or, you can use percentages

Maybe it's too early but the colour scheme doesn't work for me. The hot pink is just too hot and looks harsh against the gray.

Your home link on the home page (irrelevant anyway) is broken.

The animation started to get on my nerves. What do people without Flash installed see?

I'll take another peek after more coffee.

Yeah, I'm getting a horizontal scrollbar at 1024 - that's a problem! Fixed width tables should be set at 760 or so pixels maximum.

Colour scheme is definitely a problem - I'm seeing that as more of a garish bright red.

THe topic of this site isn't exactly clear to me. You don't say that this is a defensive drivers handbook. What does L to P mean???

Try to get some better testimonials on here - like maybe people who've used lessons from the book to avoid serious accidents or something like that. The government officials remarks are good, but they're short and, well, government-ish.

Author's Credentials - First of all, who is the author? A name and photo would be nice. Secondly, those bullets are spaced way too far apart.

Flash banner - it says "purchase L to P now" - shouldn't that link to a page that allows you to buy the book?

Purchase form - is this part of your site or is it from someplace else? If it's part of your site then make it look like it is. The credit card images are really poor quality - find some new ones. This page is very poorly laid out - too much spacing between elements, use of block caps makes things difficult to read.

The animations are getting a little annoying, and I'm used to seeing a logo on the left side rather than the right. I'm also seeing a small white rectangle box in the upper right corner (in NS 6.1 - this doesn't appear in IE).

Anyway, after all that criticism I do have to say that I like what you've done with the basic layout - the shape of the red part it quite interesting. And it is a huge improvement over the old version!

WHOA!! Red textured background and huge yellow text I would not use. This combination definitely makes it look very "beginnerish". Now that the shock is over I shall go continue with my opinions.

I see that there is only have one page to this site except for the links page. I am not a fan of anchor linking a whole site.(guess that is what you would call that??)But...there is really not enough content to make a separate page for each link. If you made your text smaller and worked a little bit on arranging the layout of the site most everything could be read with minimal scrolling. I would use a table with two or three columns and a whit e background.

The image of the book is way to large. I would reduce that. You could add some excerpts from the book. That would give people and idea of its content.

The awards that you have at the top should be moved down toward the bottom of the page.

Don't center all that text.

You are using horizontal rules to separate each topic. Use layout to do this.

There is too much use of the header, bold and italic tags. If you will notice the italic makes your text look jagged and the bold gives the site an "in your face" appearance. It looks to me that you have used bold and italics to get attention. Again use your layout instead.

This page has potential and the subject is a good one. I would elaborate on the subject a little more.

Good luck!
DM

Quote: Originally posted by disaster-master
WHOA!! Red textured background and huge yellow text I would not use. This combination definitely makes it look very "beginnerish". Now that the shock is over I shall go continue with my opinions.

ummm.. methinks you followed the wrong link d-m

Well, I just critiqued the wrong site. Guess I got up too early this AM. Sorry!!

Ok. Here goes with the correct site.

Yes it is a definite improvement as compared to the red textured background with bold text site. There is a lot of horizontal scrolling happening here. Colors can be improved. The red color and gray look too washed out. It needs contrast. I would use a more calm color (blue) vs. the red. The text that you have used for the logo and links at the top don't work for me. Try something a little more masculine and defined.

The bold text at the top of the body doesn't seem necessary. Bold brings out the jaggies in the text too much.

Sorry for critiquing the wrong site.
Good luck!
DM

:ezbill:
me thinks your are absolutely correct taff.

Ok im gonna be honest
I Own this Book (im a L plater and im going for me P's in a few days)
I Dont like it
There isnt enought content the Colours are Harsh and i dont like how you have just taken the image of the book of the site and just made it smaller becouse the bevel that is on the bigger Picture is on the Smaller one
You should really Buy the book and then like someone else said take Snipits from it maybe ask the person who made the book for more information.. something to Fill the site up YOu could Look around and find Stats on things dont make it Glume just make the site informative!

Anyways like i was saying about the layout i dont like it
the L and P boxes are Jaggy Which isnt good

And i HATE that Flash banner.. its bothersum and its anoying!

Anyways i dont mean to be Harsh but i just dont like it at all!

Thanks for the replies... dam I was feeling so proud of my first site.. but that's what I asked you all to do CRITIQUE IT.

I'm going to redesign it so its based on 800 by 600.

Interesting what some of you say about the red in the site displaying as Hot pink etc... I'll try some different colour schemes.

Taff with the Flash banner I have it set up so that users without Flash get an animated GIF & I do agree that it would get annoying after a while so I might make it so it loops once or twice.

I'll have a rethink re the content, but at this stage its all I have to play with, but some snippets from the book would be good.

Thanks for the replies thus far

Harks

Hello from Melbourne,
I am a beginner but well we all have to start somewhere even in checking sites out so here goes.

Animation header - why not just once to get attention to point

Scrolling obviously in hand.

"....Need ...... Globally" this book could not appeal to o/s buyers could it? Rules are differnet over there.

Red 'Book' begs to be a link to somewhere

Stats could be in list form, with info from other states to make it appeal to all Aust.

Link to Caltex site, as they are the sponsors a courtesy!

Agree with Megan a big improvement on the first, the red made me go 'ever so funny'
PetaK..

Please, please, please spellcheck. The books on my bookshelf all spell Forword as foreword.

Good to see the links page. Do the Defensive Driving classes still exist? - would be a good link. As well as the more advanced practical driving classes (not the driving schools) - you know, the ones where you drive around road cones doing figure eights and safety stops and that stuff.

I like the way you have done the page layout. Both animated thingies become too much though. The colours and layout clash with the colours and layout of the cover of the book.

Way better than the original.

Good luck.

OK, this looks like a job for all the aussies in the crowd! First up to shake off any questions. Your L's are your learning permits to drive, your P's are probationary driver license (cant have too much grog, cant drive fast etc - in other words no fun)

I would have to agree with all of what is being said. The color scheme is a bit offputting, so too the flash. But you have had enough criticism off this site so here for some pointers.

1. condense the site, I see no reason for this site to be way off into the distance, if you had as much content and navigation as a caltex site, then MAYBE (just) you could get away with it.

2. Give Caltex a bit more credit, link to their site etc.
by the way the caltex oz site isn't too crash hot either

3. Rethink your colors, make the site look engaging, dont forget the importance of the message.

good luck

Yeah, set width to 800 since 800*600 is used byb over 50% of all people.

Your mouse overs or purchase button dont work in Netscape 4.7

I think i've jumped in to late here as most has been mentioned already (or changed), for your first site thou its pretty good, but maybe rethink the color scheme and loose the scroll bars. maybe add a "top" link at the bottom of the page, or loose some of the white spacing around the text.

I've lost friends and family to road accidents, most causes were driver error, whether it be the person i've known or someone hitting them, i think the red is a big mistake as a color for the site, you mention "killed" in big capital letters, then have a red border color, red + killed = blood ?

i know shock advertising can work but in this case your talking prevention before, not after.

maybe even mention Australia in the title or somewhere, I'm not far from you - in NZ, but seems our system is slightly different to yours and I know its way different to the Americans.

good luck

In a large resolution the image that is a border on the left sites in the middle (In vertical Fashion. You could try putting everything into one table, splitting that table into 2 rows, then splitting the bottom row into two colums. Then aligning the two lower cells towards the top. Maybe even just use a tile in the left cell.

This is how it looks on my monitor

http://www.kilclinefuneralhome.com/wf_posts/ltopex.jpg

E-mail me for an example of the tabling I have described above.

K