Hi Andy,
Since you asked for feedback on your website… here goes.
Speed of loading: No issues perceived. However I’m accessing the site on a high speed broad band connection, you might want to test from a slightly slower connection and verify if you photos need to be resized.
User interface: If you can make the header slightly smaller, it will get rid of the need to scroll down to see the complete photo. It’s not really a major issue, but detracts from a positive user experience.
Uniformity: The link http://www.andystuartphotography.co.uk/#/0 takes you to the Landscapes gallery, however the text that comes up to the top right corner on all other pages to indicate which gallery is in use, doesn’t appear on this page.
Logo and Font: I understand you want a decorative design, but ensure that readability is given first preference. I suggest your write your name in caps in a simple readable font, using a much smaller typeface and stick it right below your Site name/logo (Red header)
Landing page: Instead of redirecting the user to the Landscapes gallery by default, if you could create a landing page which showcases your best image from each category and allow the user to choose what they want to see more of, it will add to a richer user experience.
Compatibility: I tested your site in Firefox 9.0Opera 11.6, IE 9 and Chrome. It renders well in all browsers. You might want to test on older versions of browsers just to be sure.
Selling: You did mention that you wanted to sell your prints, however I don’t see any prices / shopping cart options. you might want to include an add to cart icon similar to the info “i” that is available beside each photo.
Good luck: I’m delighted to find someone working so hard to make their dream come true. Good luck to you!
This turned out to be a lot more long winded than I expected. Excuse me if I have overstepped my limits and let me know if you need any help. I’m an IT architect, but web development is a hobby of mine.
Have a nice one.
cheerz,
Lucille
0 responses to “Hi Andy”
Wow, many thanks. I used a template from the photography website 500px to get this up and running. Originally they were working with a print lab to allow for commercial usage at some point the partnership broke up, but they didn’t tell their users or if they did I missed it. I’m not a huge geek, I can find my way around my PC and the web but after that I’m a bit clueless. The idea of designing and writing my own webpage is a daunting prospect, but the more I read your message the more I realise that I’m going to have to do just that. I wish I knew how to progress from here.
Andy Stuart … let me look up 500px templates and see how you can take it from there, I will get back to you as soon as I’m able to test it out a bit…. good luck with your venture.
Hi Andy,
I took a look at the features 500px offers and it pretty much takes care of compatibility and other minor issues. I don’t have an awesome account, so was unable to check the logo size as prescribed by the site. Please let me know what the dimensions are. I estimate, that if you reduce the size of the logo to the dimensions of the first line of your current logo, it will eliminate the need to scroll down to view your gallery.
Also, do create another folder which has the best images of your portfolio and use that as the landing page/home page. Add the landscapes album as you did the rest.
I am testing out WordPress in conjunction with Fotomoto… will let you know how that works.
cheerz,
Lucille