Thoughts on website

[frosty]

Getting up to speed with Silverlight, I started working on a detailing website. The text and everything is place holder and may need corrected. However, looking for input on the picture display on the main page as well as on the Our Work page.

TrickDetailing

Thanks in advance.

P.S. Viewing the website will installing Silverlight 3.0 which is about 2 mb. (It's Microsoft competition to Flash.)

[VR8]

Does that mean everyone will have to download a Silverlight flash player to view your website in the future? Sounds like a disadvantage. Many people are hesitant to add more software to their puters, however small the program, including me.

[jpegs13]

Having to download a program to view your website is a drawback. You want your site to jump out at people. We're an impatient lot. We want things in an instant.

[DLB]

Several of the latest web design guides say that Flash (or Silverlight) has seen it's day in the sense that you have to wait on anything to load. Now, there are several advantages to Flash content being embedded, but you shouldn't have to wait for it to load, it should load with the page. It definitely has it's place in the web world.

I forget what the time is, but I think the general consensus is that you have something like 5-10 seconds to "sell" your website to someone. When half or all of that is waiting on content to load - you missed them.

Do some browsing on how to effectively use Flash content and go from there. Personally, I would spend more time on your site if I didn't have to wait for Silverlight to load it. Your pictures could easily be prompted with some good JavaScript or something, and still look nice.

Either way - I say if you are going to use dynamic content, use Flash, not Silverlight. Silverlight still hasn't caught on (and probably never will catch up) like Flash. Most people already have the Flash Player installed, and it isn't that big a deal.

DLB

DLB

[frosty]

Having to download a program to view your website is a drawback. You want your site to jump out at people. We're an impatient lot. We want things in an instant.

Hehe I know, but you can't do the types of things as efficient in regular web technologies as you can with Silverlight or flash.

For me, it's learning more about Silverlight and evaluating some new controls.

Silverlight is just a browser add on and will get added via Windows Updates if enabled. I've been running it for years and maybe erroneously assummed others are running it via windows Updates.

If I used a traditional based HTML technology, at this point there wouldn't be any need for this thread. There's a cool pix display control I'm evaluating that I mainly was looking for feedback on.

Of course all is not lost, feedback that users that may visit my site aren't much on updating with that latest OS patches & updates is of help as well. (If running Windows.)

I may add a separate asp.net site without the extra functionality at a later time.

Mainly the detailing I do and have extra time to do is by word of mouth so I won't be doing a ton of SEO trying to get as many people as I can to call. I agree, if that were the goal I'd definitely have an Asp.Net alternative site up as well.

Thanks for the input. If anybody does have Silverlight 3 add on for their browser, specifically I'm looking for feedback on the pix display on the Home page, Our Work and the concept on the Restoration page.

Thanks

[DLB]

Forgive my criticism - it is totally meant to be constructive. I in no way mean it personally.

Your gallery presentation is neat - but I don't think it is very useful for this application. You apparently have a good grasp on how to build a Silverlight gallery (I have never fooled with it). I can see where it would be a nice touch on some sites, but don't think so for a site trying to highlight your detailing work.

I think the most effective type of gallery for something trying to show dramatic differences in pictures yet still maintaining speed, functionality, and user options is something like this:
SimpleViewer Gallery

That is the most intuitive and simple gallery viewer I have ever used. I have customized it (SimpleViewer, not just that compact one) to be used on several different sites in different ways.

The good thing about something like that is that you have a preview button, but all of the focus is on the image at hand. Plus, users have the Full Screen option if they want to see more of a photo. There are also several other useful features in their program, but those are some highlights.

With a small fixed image size and the scrolling gallery like you have built, you can only see 3 pictures at a time. Not very good if someone just wants to jump and see your interior work on a car and have to click all the exterior shots to get there. You have no way to really choose what you want to see.

As far as the "Our Work" page - I think I grasp your concept. However, it looks a little "boxy". There's not much flavor there. One thing that you are doing to yourself is limiting your page width to be really small. I don't know what resolution you are optimizing for, but it seems like that width is even small for 800x600. I missed the drop down menus inside each page to begin with. They are a little hard to catch - especially for scan the page lookers like myself.

All of this is my personal opinion, and I am not a professional or anything, you can toss it with the bath water if you want. Just trying to give you (one guy's) some insight. Typically, I can tell if a webpage I am looking at has the info I want on it in ~7 seconds. Chalk it up to browsing over the years, or just hyper focusing on what I am seeing. In comparison though - my wife (who uses the internet about 1-2 hours a week tops) will spend 30 seconds looking for something on a page that I spot in the first 2-3. Some audiences are more forgiving than others.

Hope that helps you out some.

DLB

[Impressions]

JMO.....get spell check b4 you post to site. I also noticed some grammar mistakes
Good luck

[frosty]

Forgive my criticism - it is totally meant to be constructive. I in no way mean it personally.

Hope that helps you out some.

DLB

First thanks for the input. I wouldn't have posted on here if I didn't want honest feedback.

I build more Line Of Business versus marketing websites and I'm not great with graphics as you can probably tell. I'm usually more about functionality than looks and why I'm asking for feedback.
I'm with you on looking at a website in a couple of seconds and determining whether I'll use it. I wouldn't use Craig's list for years because of the way it looks and function. Took constant prodding by friends to give it a try.
I can go into depth as to why I don't care for Flash and SL is just getting started and think it has a future when you look at it and WPF. I was with you on SL being a flash in the pan until Version 2.0 & 3.0 and that they are going way beyond what I think Flash will be. Check out controls such as at telerik.com and try to find those for flash.
Anyway, I don't want to side track this thread in that direction as it will be silverlight or I'll just go with asp.net. (Will be glad to discuss offline.)
Now to the site feedback.
I'm not happy with the pix quality as is right now. Picking the base screen size is hard to guess as well as I run at 1680 or 1920 but not sure the majority of users use. I may take it up to 1280x768. Maybe I'll play with it and leave the top section set as is and the bottom half take up the entire page and adjust with the users screen size.
Thanks to the link to the viewer. That actually has sparked a few ideas. I like the viewer I have but something just doesn't seem "right". I have a cube for displaying pix as well which is good for the "cool" factor but just didn't seem to fit the environment either.
Plus I'd like to have synched up before & afters for an easy comparison. Your idea about categories such interior/exterior seems interesting which I'll be thinking about.
I may see if this will do a vertical scroll and a way to synch up the befores & afters side by side with one scroll.
What do you think would make the drop downs easier to focus in on?

Impressions, you are definitely right on grammer/spelling. The words and everything were just thrown on there as placeholders and take up space testing some scrollbars etc. Some of it may even be babble I need to correct or just replace. I'll get back to those when I have functionality the way I want it.
Thanks guys for taking the time for the input. I appreciate it.

[TheGLL]

I won't check your website because I have to install Silverlight.
Not a good idea.

[Lowprofile]

The image gallery made me have to think. I don't want to have to think, just point and click. Very strange design.

Also, if I didn't have broad band there is no way in hell I would sit around and wait for it to load. Even with broadband took like 30 seconds to load. I guess I was expecting to be blown away by this silver light. I've seen word press template designs that looked better.

Am I missing something? That's what I waited for to download. Let me give you an example of what can, and is, being done with XHTML, CSS and Javascript.

www.andrew-brundle.com

can silverlight do that? Just HTML, CSS and JavaScript.

Also might want to check out css Zen Garden: The Beauty in CSS Design to see whats being done with CSS.

Not a shot at you. Just some design inspiration.