Please review our company site http://www.leaf-photography.com/default.aspx

The site introduces too many clicks between the user and their goal. Why on earth should I have to click a model, then click on a "why buy" button? If a user clicks on a model, they probably want to know the stuff that is on that why buy page, which includes who the back was designed for and crucial specifications.

Classic graphic design overload, information design underload. For example, what connection do the pictures on product pages have with the camera back. Is this an example of a composition which this leaf model was specifically designed for? You don't say. What connection does the user gallery have to this specific piece of equipment? You don't even say whether any of the user gallery photos was taken with a leaf model you can buy today.

There is no comparison chart to aid the user in selection of the right model for their application. Or for applications they might want, but might not know leaf provides.

Now is the time to trot out that old cliche "professionals would be able to guess exactly what the designer was trying to do." The user will figure everything out is ridden a little hard on too many sites that think a forum post substitutes for user testing.

The site looks good. But in use, the site leaves a lot to be desired. It's all graphic art, no visual merchandising. In contrast check out the Imaging Resource Comparometer, which could be prettied up to fit any layout.

Aesthetics are not exactly the easy part -- but making a site look pretty isn't that hard. Making the site work for user objectives is the hard part.

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Design Crux - infographic design,
content strategy Visual Merchandising online

Why is the main menu in the upper right?

Studies ( http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl/u...web_object.htm ) have shown that visitors from the USA will not expect a menu in that location.

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Dave Barnes
+1.303.744.9024
http://www.marketingtactics.com
sitting in my basement with my iMac

The site is unavailable but I'd take the "Developing Schemas for the Location of Common Web Objects" research with a big pinch of salt. The respond to a blank grid approach says nothing about information flow and context, it just tells us what we already know, ie. the most popular placement of navigation, advertising and so on.

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Illustrated History | Beauty, insight and graphic design
Doodleblog | Simple but subtly addictive image-blog