What do you like about websites?

[wenwilder]

I spend every day picking apart websites to help increase their sales and sign-ups, then I come here to the forum and add 'peeves' and read about peeves. Agreeing with the majority of them. BUT.........what about the things we LIKE about websites?

I like clean looking sites, the one's that seem to flow. There's a smooth transition between graphics and content, from page to page and you actually enjoy spending time on the site.

What is your favorite site and why? What layout do you like the best? What color do you like the best on a website? Do you like a lot of content or a little? More graphics or less? What catches your eye and what doesn't?

What are a few of your favorite things? :)

[matauri]

Are we your guinea pigs Wen? ;-)


What is your favorite site and why?There are a few sites that I enjoy visiting, tho my fav site (no laffing from the peanut gallery!)
http://www.stargate-sg1.com/home.html
It prob loads slow on dialup, and carries a lot of flash (which are normally 2 pet peeves of mine), but, it is easy to navigate around and aesthetically visual (2 of my more preffered qualities).


What layout do you like the best?
I don't know if there is a specific layout I like the best, as long as it navigates well. I do however, detest templates, especially when prof designers rely on them. They are meant to be tools for the inexperienced. Most of the time I can look at a site & straight away see 'template' written all over it.


What color do you like the best on a website?
ummm...best....well, that depends on my mood at the time. Recently I have been using a lot of orange, purple & bright olive green on sites (much to a WPW's member's disgust!) I like black to contrast other colours, so they dont fade into the horizon. I also think white is a good tool for contrast too. I am not a fan of tooo much white space! oh...and pastel colours really send me to sleep!



Do you like a lot of content or a little?
Lots of content! When I visit a website, I want to see something there. If I just want graphics, I will view the images side of Google.


More graphics or less?
A happy balance of graphics & content. One compliments the other.


What catches your eye and what doesn't?
Navigation! If I can open a page & have a quick look around & see if it has what I want on there, I am happy. If I have to look too deep, I am out of there. Anything useful they have on their site is lost to me. You can point me to a page full of links, as long as they are good links & relevent to your keyword search, because ultimately, that is how I ended up at your site...I was looking for something in particular.


What are a few of your favorite things? :)
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woollen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with string,
These are a few of my favorite things ;-)

(sorry Wen, couldn't resist that!) :-)



Cindy

[wenwilder]

*off topic for a sec.

Stargate has a TV series?????? I loved the movie and wish they'd make a part two, but a whole series? And I've been missing it? There are times I really wish I did watch TV! :)


*back on topic now, I hope.

The stargate site is a really cool site, they could do without the beeps, etc. but I'll always enjoy seeing pictures of 'Macgyver' ;)

Great answers Cindy, but now you know....I have to ask another question.............

Which do you like to visit more often:

Billboard sites, informational sites, personal sites, or sales sites?

[matauri]

Informational sites. I am an information junkie! :-)

Only go to personal sites if a friend points me there.

Only go to sales sites if I am looking to buy something online.

And never have time to go to Billboard sites, unless something absolutely grabs my attention.


** off-topic**
Yeah, about 4 or 5 seasons worth Wen! Ya missing out! :-)
And I agree.... the whistles could go on site. But as I not often have sound on my comp, I dont really notice them. Dont ya luv macGyver ! LOL...can get out of everywhere & make anything with nothing! LOL **



Cindy

[ldyguique]

I am content-driven. The only reason that I visit a site is to find what I was searching for. If I also find far more in my interest-range, I bookmarket it and return.

The site needs to be useful and have clickable links that work internally. I like sites that have multiple-page articles that also include a conversion to "printable version" as I usually am copy/pasting and sending to myself in an email. My email = my developing database so I can find stuff later on. I always include the address as part of my email so that I can return.

I have many links and favorites for some highly functional sites that are buttugly. I'm not there to critique the site but to use it. Now that I'm on dialup, I'm more inclined to prefer sparseness rather than graphics and flash-type things that load and load and load. I definitely do not like sites that have solid color backgrounds and reversed type --either they are unreadable or illegible to me or they can't print if I want hardcopy.

I don't like to have to click four layers deep to get to the primary information, such as pricing or ordering information if it's for a product. I know my budget and know what I can afford and if something costs three times what I can spend, I don't care how great the product seems to be. I might favorite it for a later return trip when budget is better after I've pondered the possibilities.

I don't wander the web looking for pretty or wow sites. I periodically stumble into them and note -- "wow, good job!" -- however, if the content isn't what I want or need, that's the end of the visit.

[vwebworld]

I go to a few sites routinely because I moderate on
them or find useful information www.total-impact.com
Some CSS resource sites, and I do some shopping online too.

The sites I like... are compelling - visually,
engaging - conversationally, and simple - in that
they have only what is needed to communicate the
site's message.

I'll post a few... later

~Roland

[vwebworld]

I like this site, eventhough it's all flash.
The openning "message" is great.
http://www.oldfieldsschool.com/

~Roland