Working on design, Comments?

[Cabbit]

Hey this is my latest design in progress you can log in with test 1 as username and password. And even mess with Test1's profile. Some of the pages are still being worked on but in general the stories and home page are close to finished.
Please be advised that the stories are form a old site not run by myself and are currently under review for unapropreate content. I also dont recormend visiting this site form work. But please let me know what you think of the design and lay out, a lot of it is still very work in progress.

http://www.dev.cossycomforts.com

[Warning from the moderators: As babyjenniferLB says, this link may not be approrpriate to view at work. Please use discretion, and discuss only the web design aspects, not the content material, in this thread. Thank you.]

 

[Sdashiki]

Ow. My eyes.

Horrid colors, but maybe thats the idea.

 

[Cabbit]

Ow. My eyes.

Horrid colors, but maybe thats the idea.

wow the first person not to like the colours.

 

[Sdashiki]

your tabbed menu repeats the color yellow, for a colorful site, this id odd. the hover glow is kind of "so-last-decade".

there is a ton of dead space with no rhyme or reason to it.

things dont line up very well along the edges.

 

[Mac In School]

I'd definitely get some content above the fold.

Wikipedia: Above the fold

In a nutshell: When people first visit your site, assume they're going to give it only a painfully quick glance, and make a decision on whether or not they're going to stay to find more. If they have to scroll to find anything of value, a lot of them will hit their back button and move on to the next Google entry.

Identifying "the fold" on a Web site is very difficult because of all the different resolution settings out there. Not to mention that some people surf in full-screen mode, while others do so with their browsers "windowed".

At the VERY LARGEST, I would assume the fold is the top 384 pixels. That would be 1/2 of 1024x768. Keep in mind, however, that 14% of the general online population still uses an 800x600 display. While it's easy to say "screw them", 14% is HUGE, imo. That's a lot of people to ignore.

Try to get (at least some) of the most appealing content near the top of the page. If not the top 300 pixels, the top 384.

 

[Cabbit]

I'd definitely get some content above the fold.

Wikipedia: Above the fold

In a nutshell: When people first visit your site, assume they're going to give it only a painfully quick glance, and make a decision on whether or not they're going to stay to find more. If they have to scroll to find anything of value, a lot of them will hit their back button and move on to the next Google entry.

Identifying "the fold" on a Web site is very difficult because of all the different resolution settings out there. Not to mention that some people surf in full-screen mode, while others do so with their browsers "windowed".

At the VERY LARGEST, I would assume the fold is the top 384 pixels. That would be 1/2 of 1024x768. Keep in mind, however, that 14% of the general online population still uses an 800x600 display. While it's easy to say "screw them", 14% is HUGE, imo. That's a lot of people to ignore.

Try to get (at least some) of the most appealing content near the top of the page. If not the top 300 pixels, the top 384.

thanks for the info

 

[Cabbit]

As you will notice the other yellow tab is in the old style due to be replaces. The colour of the buttons reflects the colour of the page they access, Stories are pink so the button is pink. Same like the profiles, if gender is selected as female the profile page is pink, if selected as male the profile page is blue. The colour scheme was created in such a way to not be dull as the last site was sited as being very bland.
I am working on remaking the surrounds to be more mirror perfect and to use the space better i may also decrees the size of the header so that more content can fit on the page without scrolling however i do not really want to make the logo much smaller, i now she is not perfect but she is the best i can draw.
Any ideas of a different hover transition for the buttons, currently its just something quick that looked ok, well better than the old design.(the remaining more round tabs).

 

[werther]

the oppression of 'the fold' is over. article

 

[Mac In School]

the oppression of 'the fold' is over. article

werther,

Great article. Thanks for posting that.

I actually make a living doing something similar to what ClickTale is doing here, but it's based on getting visitors' opinions of Web sites. We do a buttload of Web site usability testing. I like to think I do a good job of blind testing site elements. It's kept me in business for 10 years now.

I agree with them to an extent. The fold is not the savior of a Web site, like it used to be. People are comfortable scrolling (vertically) and don't mind doing so.

However, there are a few things to consder:

If I read it correctly, according to their data, 74% scroll. That means 26% do not. Sure 74% is a majority, but why not go for more if you can? I can't imagine a television media buyer running a spot that only 74% of the viewing public would be able to see properly. If I can do something to capture half of that 26%, that would be a 13% traffic boost. I'll take that any day!

My advise isn't based on what's "acceptable" or "good enough". My advise is based on how to make a site better than what's "good enough". Then again, I'm one of those oddballs that still thinks fast-loading pages are a good thing. What people are willing to do is one thing. Taking it a step further and making it the best experience possible is where I'm coming from.

One school of thought in the Web usability testing world is that people scroll because they have to, not because they like to.

My most important point: I'm not saying you need to save the world above the fold. No need to squeeze everything of value you possibly can up there. I'm not even saying it must be body copy up there. I'm just saying it's a good strategy to have something of value above the fold. Text, a quote, an intriguing image, a Flash movie (ug)... Something... Anything.

Some of my sites have very little above the fold. But I do my best to make the area above the fold is intriguing enough to encourage a user to want a user to scroll down to see what else I have to offer. I'm not a fold nazi, but in some situations, it is still good advise. Click this attachment to see a full-size version of her site (800x600) and I'm guessing you'll agree that the "above the fold" rule is applicable in this case.

 

[rajfantastic]

this website is quirky and cool. good job!

 

[Cabbit]

this website is quirky and cool. good job!

Thanks, i'll work on that above the fold stuff but im not recodeing for 800x600 as im sure you all know even apple is as wide as my site, i want to look to the future not hold onto the past. I try to make as much of my code work back to ie 5.5, i had to lose out on transparant .png and .svg because only safari 3 could use that.
I do plan to make an accessable version of the site, and .svg version of the site. Perhaps a Wide and Thin option but thats a lot of extra work to cater for 0.2 % of my 842 current members on my old site.
I really apresteate everyones comments and i will work on them, if need be i can strip the site down and remake it as many times as needed.

 

[werther]

Heavy Dooty,

I believe you are quite right. For instance, when babyjenniferLB first started posting questions about the site some time ago, I checked it out. I had no idea that the site had to do with an erotic fetish. The reason I did not know: I did not scroll down. I thought (because of the design) that the site had to do with baby-sitting or was a community web-site for stay-at-home moms. I was wrong.

So it was apparently hypacritical of me really to post the article. I design for the fold as well, but do not stuff it with tons of info/graphics. I think mostly the article and the statistics there-in are useful for those times when a client has multiple departments wanting a piece above the fold.

I think the site in question would benefit if it had a different banner. Perhaps one with real people. Though, I am not the user base.

 

[Mac In School]

werther,

Glad we're on the same page. For the record, I had no idea that's what the site was about until you told me! I figured it had something to do with children and babies, which aren't a part of my life, so I was just looking without reading. LOL.

 

[Cabbit]

ah yes currently the site isnt to clear on its intent but the logo is similer to a few of the other sites arround. It's kept cartoony and stuff mainly cos i prefer drawing to photograhy and its more of a support site.
All of the content is currently under review because we want to make it so that teens that are dealing with this can get information and if need be use it as a tool to help there parents understand. I have been dealing with this in a non fetish forum since i was 5 but never understood it. So the aim is to make the site as friendly as possible and to filter all content to do with anything sexual.

 

[Cabbit]

okies i changed the header image to make it a bit smaller, and jerry(me the logo) now sits on i a nice bubble, well i hope it looks like a bubble, looks softer than the glass shelf of before.

new logo http://www.dev.cossycomforts.com/images/header/base_logo.png
old logo http://www.dev.cossycomforts.com/images/header/web-jpg/base_logo.jpg

 

[Cabbit]

how about some of the site features like the story preview slide down, and the comments system and the gallery preview. Thats made in flex and took me 2 years to make work right how i wanted it.

 

[Mac In School]

babyjenniferLB,

I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to be brutally honest. I didn't mention this stuff before because, after looking at the site 4-5 times, I didn't know what it was about.

Keep in mind, it's just my opinion and you (and everybody else) are entitled to your own.

I think the design itself is all wrong, top-to-bottom. What I see when I first look at it:

- A child that appears to be about 4 years old.

- Two babies.

- 11 baby bottles.

- A color scheme suited for decorating a nursery.

I've looked at the site 4-5 times now. Each time, just looking at the design, and not reading the copy. I had no idea what the site was about, even after reading the moderator warning in your initial post. I figured that was a standard disclaimer, or something.

When I first learned that it actually was somewhat of an adult-themed Web sites, my initial reaction was: Pedo!

That is not a judgment of what you're promoting or the people that are interested in that sort of thing. It is only a judgment of the design itself. Simply put, the design (not the content) looks like it was designed to appeal to young children.

My advise: Sleaze it up a bit. I'm not saying it needs to look like your typical pron site. I'm just saying you should do something (definitely above the fold)
to make it clear that it's a site for adults.

Oh, and the gallery preview is a sweet feature.

 

[Cabbit]

babyjenniferLB,

I hope you don't mind, but I'm going to be brutally honest. I didn't mention this stuff before because, after looking at the site 4-5 times, I didn't know what it was about.

Keep in mind, it's just my opinion and you (and everybody else) are entitled to your own.

I think the design itself is all wrong, top-to-bottom. What I see when I first look at it:

- A child that appears to be about 4 years old.

- Two babies.

- 11 baby bottles.

- A color scheme suited for decorating a nursery.

I've looked at the site 4-5 times now. Each time, just looking at the design, and not reading the copy. I had no idea what the site was about, even after reading the moderator warning in your initial post. I figured that was a standard disclaimer, or something.

When I first learned that it actually was somewhat of an adult-themed Web sites, my initial reaction was: Pedo!

That is not a judgment of what you're promoting or the people that are interested in that sort of thing. It is only a judgment of the design itself. Simply put, the design (not the content) looks like it was designed to appeal to young children.

My advise: Sleaze it up a bit. I'm not saying it needs to look like your typical pron site. I'm just saying you should do something (definitely above the fold)
to make it clear that it's a site for adults.

Oh, and the gallery preview is a sweet feature.

How about a sub title with the site slogan or something "for adults who refuse to grow up" or something along they lines. Im working on some of your suggestions now i think i have lifted the fold i think and of course there is going to be a nice big disclaimer before entry to the site is permitted and stuff, explaining the site and who it is for and stuff like that im just not good at the writing part so im looking to persuade one of my friends to do all the site writing.
Oh and the logo isn't that young she is has boobs lol. I'm working on a newer outfit for her but that may just be personal taste. And i make my stance clear now, any pedo that enters the site and posts anything to do with that topic, well i got there ip address and there mac code and the isp and the arrangement is i pass this on to my local authorities and they pass it onto the local authority of the user. I don't want my site infested with people that don't belong people like me have a hard enough time working our own feelings without evil people giving us a bad rep when they don't belong anyway.

 

[Cabbit]

i added a note to the front page, i hope this is along the lines of what you guys recormended. Please advise.

 

[Mac In School]

Somebody else needs to weight in on this.

I still say "sleaze it up".

 

[Cabbit]

Somebody else needs to weight in on this.

I still say "sleaze it up".

what dose sleaze it up mean?

 

[werther]

Heavy Doody is right in my opinion. If I was about seeing people in diapers and did a search in google and clicked on a link to your site I would quickly close out. The banner looks like a child. I too have no problems with people that are interested in this (the diaper thing that is), as we all have a fetish of some kind or another.

The reason why I was suggesting changing the banner to use photographs was because the banner as it is now suggests pedophelia.

Again this is only my opinion.

 

[Cabbit]

Heavy Doody is right in my opinion. If I was about seeing people in diapers and did a search in google and clicked on a link to your site I would quickly close out. The banner looks like a child. I too have no problems with people that are interested in this (the diaper thing that is), as we all have a fetish of some kind or another.

The reason why I was suggesting changing the banner to use photographs was because the banner as it is now suggests pedophelia.

Again this is only my opinion.

Ok that is a fair and valid point, i am working on a new outfit for the logo anyway it wont hurt to make here more adult. I hope the text on the front page also helps and do you think a note or something like a slogan on the banner will help. As before "for adult's who refuse to grow up" or somthing along thous lines?.

 

[Mac In School]

How do others feel about the same pastel colors on a black BG?

 

[Cabbit]

How do others feel about the same pastel colors on a black BG?

Hmm black would look rather sexy, i think thats were your going. I was wanting to keep it cute but sexy cute mite work.