| Author |
Message |
Jason W (Pristines4)
Member
Username: Pristines4
Post Number: 644
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2003 - 10:41 am: | |
Thank you Mark and Taek. All points noted.
Mark, I did still receive that info you typed in, BTW.
:o) |
Mark (Marvellous_mark)
New member
Username: Marvellous_mark
Post Number: 38
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 09, 2003 - 6:11 am: | |
if suggestions are welcome then why not...
- On the first page you come to the navigation should stay highlighted to let the user know they are already in that secion, similarly for the other sections
- on the side nav the nav should stay highlighted because if you click in the main frame it comes off highlighted.
- Fonts are inconsistant on the main pages vs the registration pages - too many styles going on for me. I'd keep arial in either big or small, thats it.
- Might be worth giving users a sneak peak at whats inside the members areas
- Why is membership limited?
- Contact Us page - why not have a form - that way you can make sure that you get the information you need and its a nice medium between posting a letter and emailing someone IMHO
- The font colour of the blue links blends too much into the background - keep it consistant and use that white
- I'd use thumbnails for members cars - downloading large image is frustrating when there is no need - if a user wants they will pop them up to a large size.
- Personally i like using alt tags becasue for whatever reason if your images fail, the user can understand what they are clicking on
- The navigation down the side is fine to keep it simple, but i'd put a rollover on the text so people know its a link too
- Its not search engine optimised as far as i can tell, framed work is always difficult for search engines anyway. If a search engine picks out a phrase from your content pages it will link the google user to it - the page wont be framed when they see it. I never use frames as they are just more hassle than they are worth.
- i used fake details to try and see the site - there was no verification for credit cards etc so it errored - more verification needed i think
err thats a lot to be going on with i guess - just my humble opinion
Personally i like the colours, and think they go well together. I dont think you need to use flash for a site like this really. I actually liked all the brands grouped together - you see the info before you without having to click again to see it.
Pretty good job i reckon - it just needs a bit of tweaking to make it better. |
Taek-Ho Kwon (Stickanddice)
Intermediate Member
Username: Stickanddice
Post Number: 2075
Registered: 11-2002
| | Posted on Monday, September 08, 2003 - 7:45 pm: | |
>>Finally, consider using Flash.<<
Carefully consider this and any type of bandwidth taxing content. As for funky Flash animations...I and most who I know click on the Skip Intro link. Gimme content, not fluff.
I actually like basic pages. Unless your business is in web design (and even then) save the funky stuff for something else.
Just from a cursory look it looks pretty cool, although blocky colors don't do it any favors. Also, LLC should be left out. No need putting that in. Makes it seem more "institutional" (for lack of a better word) and not in a good clinical way.
Congrats on this milestone Jason!
Cheers |
Jason W (Pristines4)
Member
Username: Pristines4
Post Number: 642
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Monday, September 08, 2003 - 7:35 pm: | |
Here's a samply of my prices: http://cgi6.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&userid=clubvantage&include=0&since=-1&sort=3&rows=50 |
Jason W (Pristines4)
Member
Username: Pristines4
Post Number: 638
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, September 06, 2003 - 5:52 pm: | |
Thomas, all of your points have been noted and will be taken care of. Thank you!
As for the parts list on the Porsche, I don't want to subject his car to thefts so we left all of his modifications out.
Hubert, yes, that's Princeton's car. How do you know him?
Amir, the main portion of the site took a few hours. The 2 years comment was pertaining to the time frame since I started looking into opening a business like this.
As for webdesign, I don't know the first thing. I look at source codes and I give myself a headache.
- Hyperlinks are still being taken care of.
- Grey background is simple, I wanted simple.
- The list of venders is in alphabetical order.
Very simple and straight forward, IMHO.
Testimonials, we'll work on those. Most companies rather I not give public quotes simply because they like to keep prices up. I run the risk of losing good suppliers if I do actually post a price, but that will be looked into.
Thank you all for comments. Keep them coming.
Jason- |
Amir (Amir)
New member
Username: Amir
Post Number: 40
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, September 06, 2003 - 4:42 pm: | |
2 years? My web-designing buddies can put a site like this together in 2 hours. That's about 50 bucks. Sorry, but I am not exaggerating. Even from my layman's perspective, you seem to have a few basic pages, one photoshopped picture, and a couple of forms that (hopefully) feed into a database. What took two years? Refining the business plan? Establishing the relationships? Test-marketing? Getting financial backing? Writing and editing the content? Or making the website?
Some specific comments:
- You haven't done much with styles.
- Your hyperlinks don't work.
- The grey background is very dull. Use a nicer color scheme.
- The list of vendors is very cluttered. You need more space, graphics (thumbnails), and smaller, hyperlinked text that links to their sites, or at least provides a quick, one phrase, description. It should not be three columns. If there's too many and you end up with a very long single column, group them into categories and have a separate page for each category eg. Suspension components suppliers, Electrical, Turbos, etc.
There's also no testimonials, examples of how much someone could save by using your services, etc. As for the history...it's ridiculous. If you can't be bothered to put details and humor into it, don't bother. In fact, the whole site is devoid of any personal details that would show you to be an automotive enthusiast and make the customer feel like they know who they are dealing with.
Finally, consider using Flash. |
Hubert Otlik (Hugh)
Intermediate Member
Username: Hugh
Post Number: 1338
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, September 06, 2003 - 4:37 pm: | |
you sponsor princeton wong's 993? |
Thomas I (Wax)
Junior Member
Username: Wax
Post Number: 250
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, September 06, 2003 - 4:01 pm: | |
Very, very good-looking site. Really.
Some simple fixes and suggestions:
Affiliates: I note FerrariChat is sensibly placed at the top. While it and other affiliates are text-underlined, they aren't hyperlinks.
FAQ:
What are the membership costs?
Please click here for an overview of the membership benefits and fees.
(No link.)
Sponored Cars: I'd have details (linked to a separate window) of items on the vehicle purchased through VantagePerformance listed. This would prevent unnecessary questions from cluttering your Inbox and guide people to your checkout line.
Members Area: Submittal Form; The thrice-mentioned "(Required)" can be replaced by an "*".
"* (Required)" can be at the bottom of the page, once.
Contact us: Customer Service
While the email link does work, it should be underlined - at minimum, on rollover, if not period.
Again, great-looking site. Obviously a lot of love went into it. |
Jason W (Pristines4)
Member
Username: Pristines4
Post Number: 636
Registered: 12-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, September 06, 2003 - 2:13 pm: | |
Well, after much trouble and hardship, I finally got my website up. It's taken two years for this company to come together! I'm in a state of awe and anticipation right now!
Enjoy the video. It was a Lambo/Ferrari/Porsche/Sports Car Fun Run that I was invited to about 3 months ago. It was a HELL of a time! Our own Houston Gumball.
http://www.vantageperformance.com/vantage_international_performance.mpg
WEBSITE: http://www.VantagePerformance.com
Comments WELCOME!!!
Jason-
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