MeganJack.com - the HTML version

Megan's picture

She has: 11,421 posts

Joined: Jun 1999

This is just a template for right now basically, I'd like to get your thoughts on the design before I go any futher. I'm still working on the rest of the content etc. So the links don't work and the text is just a place holder for now.

This is the flash version: http://www.meganjack.com/fly_inbrowser.html
(I will be altering this so the content matches etc.)

This is the new HTML version which I'd like you all to critique for me:

http://www.meganjack.com/html_new.html

For those of you on dial-up, is the loading time too slow? I'm kind of afraid of that - the biggest problem is that screenshot on there and I got that as small as I could. I'd also specifically like some thoughts on the mouseovers for the home and e-mail buttons... I had a hard time figuring out what to do with those.

P.S. This layout worked in NS 4.0 on the first try!!!! Yup, I'm proud.

Busy's picture

He has: 6,151 posts

Joined: May 2001

At first glance it looks like its missing something, maybe its the text sizing? or non caps for the top links, not sure

The screen shot being gym-routines1.gif ? it loaded fine, the whole page loaded pretty fast on 56k, the image is cut off on the right side thou, but am sure you know about that.

The mouseover images look good, nicely postioned but the mouseovered ones looks to be 1 pix to the left, giving it a wonky appearance. YOu also have a slight sideways scroll bar on IE at 800x600

Your flash version is a good one (loads fast and doesnt make up wait to download the internet then flash and dance and carry on. and you know i'm not a flash fan. If the html version is another design I wouldnt change the flash one, looks good as it is, maybe just add body margins=0 to loose the slight vertical scroll

For all you non Netscape people out there

Quote: P.S. This layout worked in NS 4.0 on the first try!!!! Yup, I'm proud.

and I bet she is proud because she has tidy, aligned coding thats done properly.
Do it once, do it right.

Megan's picture

She has: 11,421 posts

Joined: Jun 1999

Thanks for letting me know about the horizontal scroll problem - that should be fixed now.

I'm just doing an HTML version as a supplement to the Flash, so users will have a choice.

detox's picture

They have: 571 posts

Joined: Feb 2001

Megan, well done

The only thing I would say is that the rollovers for home and email both jut out to the left about 1 pixel on rollover. That is on IE

TheGizmoid's picture

They have: 168 posts

Joined: Apr 2001

Megan, awesome job on the html page! It loaded in NS4.6 and IE4.0 in just under 20 seconds on my lowly 33.6. It really makes me happy to see someone construct an alternate version for low bandwidth, non-flash.

One thing I noticed was the gym-routines1.gif is cut off on the right like Busy already mentioned. There's a bit of wasted space above the "welcome" image.

And I'm getting the slightest horizontal scroll at 800x600.

disaster-master's picture

She has: 2,154 posts

Joined: May 2001

Load time was acceptable for me on my rinky dink dial up. Not bad at all. Busy commented on the caps for the top links...actually I like them as they are. (Must be a man thang!!) I would have probably chosen another color for the welcome at the top. It looks purple to me and doesn't really match.

Not sure if the gym routine image is just a filler but some of the text just under it seems to be cut off. Disregard if it is temporary.
This is what I see:

"If you would like to post some o
and include a link back to us. Fe"

I like it. It is "catchy".

The Webmistress's picture

She has: 5,586 posts

Joined: Feb 2001

I like it, but then I've always liked your flash site Smiling

I too am getting a horizontal scroll at 800*600 and the screen shot of the gym-routines.com doesn't look like a screen shot to me, maybe put a border round it???

Good job.

Julia - if life was meant to be easy Michael Angelo would have painted the floor....

Jack Michaelson's picture

He has: 1,733 posts

Joined: Dec 1999

I think it's great. You managed to create the same look and feel the Flash-version already had. Way to go!

PS. The content is a nice story Wink

mairving's picture

They have: 2,256 posts

Joined: Feb 2001

How brave of a moderator in the Website Critique area to post a site for review. Who knows one of these days, mairving.com may even come under the knife.

I do like it better than the flash site. I might repeat some of the things that others have already said, but I try not to read previous reviews before I review a site.

  • Colors - the colors worked pretty well together. I always like blue and orange together though I prefer a darker blue.
  • Graphics - I am noticing some jaggedness in your orange border, in particular around the corners and down the right side. Can you anti-alias it?
  • Links - why would you underline your hyperlink in the paragraph but not underline it in the bottom nav? I think that you should make the This is a Link non-underlined.
  • Email - I would make this a form rather than a mailto link. Looks better and makes sure that you get the proper info.
  • Resume - Why don't you do your resume with the same color/theme that your site is done? Then put a printable version link on it. This would make sure that you have some continuity with your navs and all on it.

Looks good overall, when are all the links to be active?

Mark Irving
I have a mind like a steel trap; it is rusty and illegal in 47 states

Megan's picture

She has: 11,421 posts

Joined: Jun 1999

That resume link wasn't supposed to work - what it's pointing to is the printable version that links off the flash version. I forgot that it was there so don't pay any attention to that.

I decided to underline the link in the paragraph because I think that's a lot more user-friendly. It's okay to remove the underline on a navbar, since it's usually obvious from the positioning and other formatting that a navbar is links, but in text it's harder. I'm not expecting to have a lot of text links in there anyway.

I will take your advice for the contact page and I'll see what I can do about the corners....it's just that one curve that's bad really.

The rest of the pages will be done.... when I get the content ready, which will be ..... eventually... I'll try to do that all this week but who knows if that will actually happen.

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