I would appreciate any comments - Another page to critique...

They have: 5 posts

Joined: Jul 1999

http://www.pathwayservices.com

This is my first page to design and I would like to know what people think of it. Its hard to tell how others see it because of different browsers, connection speeds, etc. I would appreciate any advice.

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Thanks Smiling

They have: 2,390 posts

Joined: Nov 1998

Hi,
- I would bin the pop up
- js problem left frame in IE5
- no real logo
- text too big

Fix those probs and the site will be a lot better Smiling
good luck!
JP
TWF Admin

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The Next Step in Website Development - http://www.what-next.com

Megan's picture

She has: 11,421 posts

Joined: Jun 1999

I just want to say that I think the animation is a little too much - it's very distracting and makes it hard to concentrate on the actual content... especially since they're in frames and are therefore always visible. I would get rid of those, or at least slow them down.

Also, the left side frame seems kind of squished - the text is cut off at the side (I'm using NN).

I agree about the pop-up, and in this case I don't know that frames are the best option... I definitely think the top one with the animation should go. Another problem with this is that the patterned background doesn't match up with the main frame.

Brooke's picture

She has: 681 posts

Joined: Feb 1999

I got some kind of java script error when I looked at your page.

I agree that the animations are very distracting.

There also seems to be too many different kinds of font, different size, bold/not bold etc.

I personally don't like the drop down boxes used as navigation in your case. Since you don't have too many secondary places to go - just list them out.

I like the background that's on the left - that's appropriate for your business.

Brooke

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Providing quality websites for
businesses and individuals!

They have: 64 posts

Joined: Jul 1999

There are two immediately obvious major problems, which really prevent me from reviewing anything.

The first is the popup. First, popups are incredibly annoying in the first place, but they are occasionally tolerable. Your popup has no real purpose though - once the user access your site and sees things starting to appear on their screen, they will realize that the site is loading.

Second is the time spent while your site is loading. Your home page is simply way too large. Different people will give you different numbers for the maximum size of a good web page, but they will mostly be in the 30 KB - 85 KB range. 75 KB is, in my opinion, a good maximum, taking about 20 seconds to load for the average user. A quick check showed that your home page is 160KB without the animated van image or any rollovers - I would estimate that the total, then, is around 265 KB.

They have: 5 posts

Joined: Jul 1999

Thanks! I appreciate the feedback. I am going to go ahead and look into all the advice mentioned to make the web site more effective. And Brooke, I appreciate the positive note you ended with (sort of made the bashing more bearable) Thanks all! If you want to see the updated page i will post later.

by the way... what kind of javascript errors were they? could you navigate at all? could you see the graphics?

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Thanks Smiling

Brooke's picture

She has: 681 posts

Joined: Feb 1999

I seemed to see everything okay. It just said java script error on line...and asked if I wanted to continue using scripts.

That's all!

Brooke

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Providing quality websites for
businesses and individuals!

They have: 26 posts

Joined: Jul 1999

Hey Smiling

I think i got to your site too late to see the javascript errors Wink

Its a good site, but you have to decide on which background ur gonna use. The left on would look ok.

The animation on the nav page must go, its rather distracting.
Maybe you could place a small logo in that space? dunno, anything to stop that car from driving me nuts lol* Smiling
loading time is good.
won't mention the popup window Wink
too much empty space on the right of the home page...something missing there?
quite a few of your pages didn't utilise enough of the HUGE space you allocated to the main frame.

your business is really interesting though. Smiling

later

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Bandit Creations Web design
bandit.nasha.com

They have: 359 posts

Joined: Mar 1999

The nav bar needs some improvement. Like the rollover effect except the home one. In my opinion, think it would look better if you did it the same as the others.

Just a though, but what would they looked like if they were given the effect of etched into the background, you know "etched in stone"?

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Dan
http://cds-computers.com

Dan
Recycle Video Games Network

Stupidity killed the cat, curiosity was framed!

They have: 5 posts

Joined: Jul 1999

thanks for the advice... i have to admit the van is starting to bug me too. I got rid of the pop-up, much to everyone's relief. I thought about the etched in stone idea, but it really is an asphalt road so it ruins the point. I will be making some improvements on the page tomorrow afternoon....
Thanks!

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mariPSI Smiling
http://www.pathwayservices.com

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