2 ms·

Constructive criticism: the visual aesthetic of the site is so busted that I (and I expect many people) would never register to try the software. Some ideas for

Constructive criticism: the visual aesthetic of the site is so busted that I (and I expect many people) would never register to try the software. Some ideas for improvement which are specifically calibrated to match your case (not rules for sites in general, obviously): - Most of all, radically simplify. For now, I think it's better to just explain what it is and put forward a simple call to action (create your account and get started!) All of the accoutrements of a "professional website", the images with overlaid text (test tubes because it's scientific, for example) are distracting and too difficult to execute. Put all that energy into the app and market later. - The cloud tile background is random and totally dominating. The first thing I do when I visit is cycle my eyes around the strange margins full of clouds, because they're the brightest thing on the page. - The color palette is nuts. Pick 3 colors that you've seen together on other sites and stick to them. - Add a little more padding to all of the various boxes you're using. In almost every case, the edge of the box is way too close to the text. - Swap out the squirrel clip art for a word mark. Pick one of these fonts you like and write the name of the app in it: http://www.google.com/webfonts http://www.google.com/webfonts - Add a wrapper to the whole website if you want a margin around the fixed-width background. It looks really strange not to have consistent margins, especially with the intense background.

dkarl 15y ago
I like the images with words overlaid; it's the best part of the page. It makes his site stand out from the current cookie-cutter standard. If you can get decent results (not great, but decent) without looking like everyone else the last thing you should do is adjust everything to the currently prevailing style to make your site 20% more readable but instantly forgettable at the same time. I agree that the clouds are distracting, though.
- TenJack 15y ago
  Yea, I've gotten a lot of negative feedback on the clouds. That is one of the first things I am going to change. Thanks.
- ForrestN 15y ago
  If you can't see the difference between good design and bad, it's totally understandable to think of all design as equivalently good. I would say that there is no reason to conform a site to any sort of "cookie-cutter standard", but when you are not good at design and aren't working with a designer, it's much better to base your project on well-designed examples than to wing it with pink and purple boxes and no padding. Whether you're familiar with it or not, the trio of stock photos with marketing messages listed over top is already cliche, but more importantly is very poorly executed here. I think he should get rid of it because it's a waste of time to try to learn how to execute it well, not because it's never a good idea to have it. As I tried to explain, I'm not arguing that all sites should look a certain way, just that in my judgment this particular guy is better off making design a non-issue rather than trying to trail-blaze.
  - dkarl 15y ago
    As I tried to explain, I'm not arguing that all sites should look a certain way ... you're just giving him advice that would make his site look like every other site following the conventional wisdom. I agree his site needs work, but it would be more constructive to identify something unique and salvageable about his site instead of saying he needs to completely remove his design skills (or lack thereof) from the equation. It feels a bit negative and mercenary for a site that he's put a lot of personal work into and doesn't seem interested in monetizing. Personally, I think the way he's done the text on the photos feels original in this context. A professional analyzing the structure of the page might find a cliche, but that doesn't mean much if the users don't see it. Otherwise everything would feel cliche all the time. The solid background behind the text isn't original (A Softer World uses it, and it might feel stale in a magazine advertisement) but it puts you off the "product page" scent.
    - ForrestN 15y ago
      Obviously there's not much use in keeping this going, but I want to be even clearer: the problem isn't whether or not what he's doing is cliche, the problem is that it looks amateurish, distracting and unpleasant (sorry to be harsh, just trying to be clear). It looks wrong, not just outside of my expectations. I originally gave him a big list of concrete ideas of how to improve, it's not like I just said "boy this looks crappy" and told him to rip off existing sites. My broader point is that questions of originality and uniqueness are moot when you haven't crossed the threshold of basic quality, so it's counterproductive to worry about them. I can definitely appreciate your suggestion that I coat criticism with more than just the "constructive" preface, and I could have offered that I think it's a cool idea and that it looks like he's put in a lot of hard work. I'll do that next time.

dkarl 15y ago

I like the images with words overlaid; it's the best part of the page. It makes his site stand out from the current cookie-cutter standard. If you can get decent results (not great, but decent) without looking like everyone else the last thing you should do is adjust everything to the currently prevailing style to make your site 20% more readable but instantly forgettable at the same time. I agree that the clouds are distracting, though.

TenJack 15y ago
Yea, I've gotten a lot of negative feedback on the clouds. That is one of the first things I am going to change. Thanks.
ForrestN 15y ago
If you can't see the difference between good design and bad, it's totally understandable to think of all design as equivalently good. I would say that there is no reason to conform a site to any sort of "cookie-cutter standard", but when you are not good at design and aren't working with a designer, it's much better to base your project on well-designed examples than to wing it with pink and purple boxes and no padding. Whether you're familiar with it or not, the trio of stock photos with marketing messages listed over top is already cliche, but more importantly is very poorly executed here. I think he should get rid of it because it's a waste of time to try to learn how to execute it well, not because it's never a good idea to have it. As I tried to explain, I'm not arguing that all sites should look a certain way, just that in my judgment this particular guy is better off making design a non-issue rather than trying to trail-blaze.
- dkarl 15y ago
  As I tried to explain, I'm not arguing that all sites should look a certain way ... you're just giving him advice that would make his site look like every other site following the conventional wisdom. I agree his site needs work, but it would be more constructive to identify something unique and salvageable about his site instead of saying he needs to completely remove his design skills (or lack thereof) from the equation. It feels a bit negative and mercenary for a site that he's put a lot of personal work into and doesn't seem interested in monetizing. Personally, I think the way he's done the text on the photos feels original in this context. A professional analyzing the structure of the page might find a cliche, but that doesn't mean much if the users don't see it. Otherwise everything would feel cliche all the time. The solid background behind the text isn't original (A Softer World uses it, and it might feel stale in a magazine advertisement) but it puts you off the "product page" scent.
  - ForrestN 15y ago
    Obviously there's not much use in keeping this going, but I want to be even clearer: the problem isn't whether or not what he's doing is cliche, the problem is that it looks amateurish, distracting and unpleasant (sorry to be harsh, just trying to be clear). It looks wrong, not just outside of my expectations. I originally gave him a big list of concrete ideas of how to improve, it's not like I just said "boy this looks crappy" and told him to rip off existing sites. My broader point is that questions of originality and uniqueness are moot when you haven't crossed the threshold of basic quality, so it's counterproductive to worry about them. I can definitely appreciate your suggestion that I coat criticism with more than just the "constructive" preface, and I could have offered that I think it's a cool idea and that it looks like he's put in a lot of hard work. I'll do that next time.