KSU - Bandera Re-re-re-re-design
I am the webmaster for the Computer Science Department at KSU. I have been working with a graphic artist for create a website for Bandera, which is a research project dealing with Java Object Models. We have created many web solutions for the project, but keep getting shoot down in each of our designs. I'm hoping that maybe I can get a fresh pair of eyes to check out some of our solutions and get some constructive critism since we get VERY little feedback here at work.
Bandera Solution #2
this is our most successful design in terms of a positve response from our project leader. However the overall response was still .... blah.
Bandera Solution #4
this is one that I had high hopes for and got shoot down big time. The quote was "too Tronie" (that weird Disney Tech movie in the 80's)
Bandera Solution #7
this is more the style that both I and the graphic arist prefer. clean, neat, easy to navigate. again got a very bland response.
Bandera Solution #5
this was just one i tossed out there based on the old site. strangly enough the boss did like it, he said it just needed a bit of work.
The feedback most important to me is help interupting what solution I could design that would allow me to finally get this project behind me. Key aspects of this site are; display of large amounts of text, vertical menu on the left with expanding java script embedded (shown in Bandera Solution #5), and clean simple design. I'm sure that I'm missing something in that list, but that is what we have got so far. Thanks so much for any feedback.
Megan posted this at 13:43 — 10th August 2005.
She has: 11,421 posts
Joined: Jun 1999
Hi, r3a1 - sorry I wasn't able to review your site sooner. You had your links in HTML which doesn't work here (the forums use vB code instead) so that's probably why nobody else has either
Clickable links make it so much easier.
Computer science people are weird about design, aren't they? I work at a university as well and sometimes they'll bring up the strangest problems.
#2 is too dull looking. Too much grey.
#4 looks good but I'm not sure that it's suitable for this type of a project. Not conservative enough.
#7 looks good. This is my favourite. Conservative but still interesting. I would try lightening the colours a bit. Sites with lots of text need white backgrounds for readability. Combine the lightness of #5 with this layout. It also needs some delineation between the design area and the background (the navbar blends right in). I think they might like this if it was lighter.
#5 is obviously a very rough mock-up. The logo is poor quality and the navbar font is not working. There's a big hunk of white space in betwen the logo and the welcome text - what could go there?? Normally white space can be useful but in this case it's just awkward.
That navigaiton script has got problems. It only works properly in Mozilla. In Opera the backgrounds don't adjust vertically properly (very strange behaviour) and in IE it's appearing up over top of the logo.
Did you try asking them to be more specific about what they like/dislike here? Clients can be so annoying that way!
Megan
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Busy posted this at 21:11 — 10th August 2005.
He has: 6,151 posts
Joined: May 2001
I think #2 is the better one, but with a few mods. the grey background needs to go, the blue on mouseover needs to be a different colour (something that blends better) and the logo maybe top left instead of right so as the top isn't so deep.
The hardest part with picking from four layouts is all the content (and links) are different.
IMO your biggest problem is you're trying to get to 'techo', try going for simple
timjpriebe posted this at 18:36 — 12th August 2005.
He has: 2,667 posts
Joined: Dec 2004
I think #4 will best fit the needs that you described. There's plenty of room for content, the menu on the left can expand, and I think it's very clean while not being boring.
You might even widen the boxes in the middle that hold the actual content. Just a bit, certainly not to the edges.
Tim
http://www.tandswebdesign.com
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