Check Our Site For User Friendliness.

google_silverts · #1 (**permalink**) 08-22-2006, 11:05 AM

Hey guys and girls. I just would like to have some of you check our site for various things like user friendliness and to basically tell me all that you suggest I can do to make the site better for our visitors. We've got some pretty awsome rankings on all the search engines but im more concerned with the look and feel...

www.silverts.com

Thank you all in advance for your input.

thorfjalar · #2 (**permalink**) 08-22-2006, 02:51 PM

It would be friendlier if there was a menubar, either top left or top right with: home, about us, contact, site map, faq.
Also a bredcrumb trail might be in order.
The site is not very friendly towards sight impaired, try viewing it in the Lynx browser. Given the sites target audience that should probably be the first thing to fix.

bj · #3 (**permalink**) 08-22-2006, 05:59 PM

Your index page is somewhat redundant. It doesn't say or do anything that can't be on the first page of the shopping cart (the "start shopping" page) where all the navigation lives. It's too many clicks to get to the meat of the site, and not obvious from the index page how you do that.

I'm also thinking that font size is a bit small for seniors. You should probably leave it at default size (just don't specify any font size in the stylesheet.)

billwhedon · #4 (**permalink**) 08-22-2006, 06:14 PM

I'm going to step a bit further with a suggestion about your fonts. I'm older, and have poor vision. I'd suggest sticking a magnifying glass on the mainpage clickable to switch back and forth between <div> statements with larger and smaller fonts. Something like
div#normal{font-size: 20px;}
div#larger{font-size: 28px;}
div#biggest{font-size: 36px;}
and about 4 or 5 lines of Javascript to rotate through them by ID. Dead simple, just a very few lines of CSS and Javascript, and you have a very senior-eye-friendly setup.

The buttons need to be bigger, and make sure your pages have good contrast - mind things like blue text on blue backgrounds - they don't work together.

Finally, you need to have simple navigation on every page on your site. Put it at the top or down the left side, but put it somewhere.

Other than those minor points, nice site!
Bill Whedon
Serpent Systems
Dalton GA
http://www.serpentsystems.com

bj · #5 (**permalink**) 08-22-2006, 07:20 PM

Quote:

I'm going to step a bit further with a suggestion about your fonts. I'm older, and have poor vision. I'd suggest sticking a magnifying glass on the mainpage clickable to switch back and forth between <div> statements with larger and smaller fonts. Something like
div#normal{font-size: 20px;}
div#larger{font-size: 28px;}
div#biggest{font-size: 36px;}

Bill, if you define fonts in pixel sizes then IE can't scale or zoom them. Best practice, according to the css-discuss group, is to define 100.01% on the body, and use either descriptives (ie. large) or percentages or ems when defining font sizes on the other elements. This treatment will allow anyone to use any size font they choose in their browser, even if they choose IE.

martyn-it · #6 (**permalink**) 08-22-2006, 07:28 PM

I think this is the most important point

Quote:

Finally, you need to have simple navigation on every page on your site. Put it at the top or down the left side, but put it somewhere

I think you have fallen into a trap we all do - You know your site backwards forwards and sideways

It needs an idiots guide menu otherwise you can't find anything - the links are not obvious links (Titles)

and then the 'shop' is way the otherway - menu's all over the place
Questions like - why does the mens shop sell blouses and bras

(click on Shop for Men, click on footwear and you have the womens menu back)

The site is well laid out and the colours are good, but you can get lost very easily but it is a nice site if you are patient

Martyn

Keimos · #7 (**permalink**) 08-22-2006, 08:40 PM

Hi google_silverts,

A lot has been said previously that is spot on, remeber how you go into a shop? How do you find your way around.

Move the links that you have at the bottom to a place that people can see.

Quote:

When shopping people like to browse, especially if they are looking for something in particualr. Give them an easy guide and throw in alternatives when they get there.

You have a nice looking, clean site, just work on the navigation. If your site was compared to a roadmap, you have a lot of lost custom(ers)

Take care, more work but it will be worth it.
Keith

ron angel · #8 (**permalink**) 08-23-2006, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by google_silverts

Hey guys and girls. I just would like to have some of you check our site for various things like user friendliness and to basically tell me all that you suggest I can do to make the site better for our visitors. We've got some pretty awsome rankings on all the search engines but im more concerned with the look and feel...

www.silverts.com

Thank you all in advance for your input.

not at all intuitive to get to the actual add without
having to go through a couple of layers,this is not good for the older generation who might just be starting on computers.I also would like to point out that a man holding a cup in his hand does not seem to go with clothing for night incontinence!
www.ssrichardmontgomery.com

MikeinFlorida · #9 (**permalink**) 08-24-2006, 10:54 AM

All right so the old people on the side in the picture look nice and have nice smiles welcoming everybody. (I shouldn't talk much. I'm not that far away. --lol---)

But the home page needs some major work. Reduce the size of there picture. Put a site map right below there picture so people can get around more easily. Forget the page being divided. This is 2006. Get with it and make the whole page move together, which will keep visitors on longer and gain more interest in your products. Overall, the site is clean in appearance and you sure do have the rankings for this niche. Good luck with it!

dustygraphix · #10 (**permalink**) 08-25-2006, 05:12 AM

On the index page in the light blue box, at first there are two seperate columns and then they join together (seperate for "create an account" and "silvert's site map" but then joined together for "tell a friend about silvert's clothing for the elderly"). I think this might be a bit confusing because at first glance it looks like two seperate things "tell a friend about silvert's" and "clothing for the eldery."
I hope you understand what I mean.