BathandBodyBotanicals.com

Leisa · #1 (**permalink**) 12-11-2003, 04:50 PM

Hello. I would like to hear your thoughts on http://bathandbodybotanicals.com - All natural bath, body and aromatherapy products. I designed the site and the logo and would like to know what needs to be changed, how it flows, etc. Thanks!

netcastles · #2 (**permalink**) 12-11-2003, 05:42 PM

I like the look, the colors, the logo...
On the Store page products.php I was expecting some general cateogries (say 6 that span your products, Cobalt R, Sets, Candles...) so I could get a quick feel for what you carry. This is well organized, but not clear. Make the top categories larger?
You need image enlargements.
You need a better menu when exploring items. What if I went into Candles but decided I wanted to look at the Cobalt R stuff instead, but couldn't be bothered to find my way back to the categories page on my own...

Leisa · #3 (**permalink**) 12-11-2003, 05:45 PM

Thanks netcastles. The store is the part of the site I had nothing to do with but I totally agree with you. I'll pass this on to the site owner. Any other thoughts anyone?

waanagaran · #4 (**permalink**) 12-13-2003, 01:38 AM

It's a very pretty site. I liked the choice of pastel colors, very cool and soothing to the eyes. But I think you missed something on the "Our Product Line" page - the nav buttons are all gone.

Other than that, it's really nice. A feminine touch for a feminine-oriented site.

tkeneipp · #5 (**permalink**) 12-13-2003, 05:08 AM

Let me start by agreeing with waanagaran, in that I like the color choices and the logo is nice. The image is also well chosen.

Three things don't work for me, so take this for what it's worth.

You managed to nail one of my pet peeves right on. Inconsistent navigation! Having it move from the right to the left once you enter the site is not anything I would recommend. After all these years on the net, I still find that flustrating and a bit disorientating. I have to reshift my expectations of where the navigation will be, so I can only imagine what someone less experience would feel. Also on the main page you have navigational elements in the bottom right that disapear on the other pages. These must have important information in them or you would not have put them there. I might recommend that you put all the navigtation together (on one side or the other) and have it the same on all pages. You might want to make the individual navigational elements smaller if you do this, they take up a lot of real estate right now.

You might rethink your use of the simple boxes around your text and the subscription form. The brackets around the text block on the main page are creative and a element you might want to repete for consistancy. You could also add some more "glam" images to the large text areas on other pages to give them a sense of structure and to carry that feeling throughout the site.

From a design point your beautiful image on the front page almost completely negates the text on the left. The image is very compeling and the eye jumps right to it. The next thing it goes to is the large navigational elements on the left side and down and then up to the logo. Remember the western eye tends to travel left to right in a downward angle starting with the most copeling single element, which in this case is the photo. So what I am saying here is that you have effectively trapped the veiwers eye on the right side of the page. Try swapping the naigation and text blocks and see if the page feels more balanced to you and easier for the eye to follow, the weight of the navigation will help offset the image.

Good start!
You are most welcome to review my site if you would like at www.takdesigns.com list right here in the site review discussion.

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