So in [post=12048630]this post[/post] a website is mentioned with the comment that it is an awful website.
http://www.topdogcuts.com/Top_Dog_Cuts/Home.html
When I saw it, my main complaint was that, on some of the pages, you have text formatted to make it look like it would be a link, but the underlined text does not link to anything. Otherwise, it looks to me like it’s simple, uncluttered, and gives you clear information.
Is this really such a horrible site?
I’m not a web designer, but here are the things I noticed looking at that site:
The colors don’t really go well together.
The fonts don’t match from one page on the site to another.
The columns of text on the home page aren’t the same width.
It looks like someone was going for “simple, uncluttered” and instead got “sterile, aimless.”
And last but not least: one friggin’ picture? Presumably, they should have the ability to put up dozens of images a week.
I agree. The lack of “boundaries” of any kind really bother me. I sort of compare it to soup: it’s like a picture and some words bobbing in the middle of an endless sea of gray.
Also, the title of the page: “Home”? It’s counterproductive and makes the page seem perfunctory and amateurish.
I could list more if I had the time/inclination. Sure, there’s a LOT worse (there’s nothing that’s really offensive to the sensibilities here), but it’s not really that good either.
It’s not horrible, but it’s not well done. Besides what KneadToKnow said, their menu bar is hard distinguish as links. To get more nitpicky, the columns on the front page are too narrow and make the paragraphs read choppily. Really, overall there’s just not much there. It needs content (pet peeve: I hate domains that aren’t worth the money it took to buy it).
It’s not horrible, because it’s readable, easy to find the information, and has actually useful info.
“Next page”
:eek::):D:p;)
There are a few things about it that are annoying in a sort of low-grade fashion, but I’ve seen worse. It’s more ‘meh’ than ‘aaargh!’
I hope the owner has more skill in dog grooming than his obvious lack of skill in web design and marketing.
It was made in iWeb by the shop’s owner (or one of his/her relatives). And it shows.
…Why are the first and fourth columns justified? I mean, you shouldn’t justify columns on web pages in general, but it’s just bizarre to do it only with those columns and not the others.
The layout is okay but other than that really it could use some work. Just seems incomplete, really.
Some small adjustments (font, font-size, color scheme, background) would make a huge difference.
Looks like the designer tried to pull off a simple Web 2.0 site, but uhh… ya. :smack:
When it comes to sites like these, I’m willing to put up with significant amounts of ugliness in exchange for not annoying me with navigation. The most important things I want to find out are: Where are you, when are you open & how much do you cost. To that end, opening hours & address are easy to find but a map for the address (or at least a link to google maps) would have been nice. Prices are nowhere to be found.
I don’t really care if it’s pretty or not, how well you can assess the look of your website relates very little to how well you can groom a dog.
With all that in mind, I give this site a C+.
As someone who’s browsed the web for a long time now, I’m trained to consider that blue colour and underline to be a link. When it’s not, it’s a bit off-putting, even in this much, much more sophisticated era.
Someone should go back to school and take Design 101 and Typography 101. And pay attention this time. There are professionals who design sites. They are there for a reason.
This is the first website I have seen where the first word that popped into my mind was “boring” and every link only emphasised that. It was so dull, my head felt like it was emptying just by looking at it.
And what’s frustrating is it would only take maybe two minor changes to make it feel nicer. An additional strip of colour, and some borders/dividers.
I agree with most of this. Fonts are something I never notice. I think there are only two fonts: the sans-serif font (used at different sizes) and the serif font used for titles on some of the pages. I’m more bothered that there are large titles on some pages and not others. The fact that the columns are different sizes on the home page are more annoying than the font issue.
I didn’t notice that there are even enough colours to clash.
Yes, they definitely could have more pictures.
Good point. But I wonder how many people actuall look at the title of the page in the top of their browser window? I almost never notice it, because of all the buttons and menus between the body of the page and the title bar of my browser window.
I kind of disagree with this. I think that any business, however small, even the person working out of their home, should at least have a website listing their location, working hours, phone number and e-mail address. Evean a one-page website is better than nothing. How else will people find you? I know that I personally never use a phone book anymore.
It was interesting to see all the comments, pointing out small things (like justified text, columns not all the same width) that I overlooked when viewing the site the first time. Simple does not mean you should put minimal effort into it!
Though when I think horrible website, I usually think of something like this:
(warning - I have my speakers turned off, so I can’t tell if these sites play music, but they look like the kind of place that would)
http://www.themalloftheforestonline.com
http://mizzpheonixrightxxxx.piczo.com
http://havenworks.com/
http://yvettesbridalformal.com (site seems to be down right now, but I looked at it yesterday and it was up)
Aaaarrrggghhh! I only looked at the last one & yes it did have music. & as horrible as the music was, its not as bad as the website or the clothes! My eyes, my eyes!
Welcome to my nighmare! Wow those were awful! Talk about a busy page!
Your site looked fine but I would arrange the wording vertically and with a bolder font.
I checked the page with the W3C validation page and it validates so from a construction standpoint it is very good.
I agree with the poster it’s too sterile. But at least you know in 99% of the browsers it’ll work and people will see what the author intended the way he intended it.
It doesn’t make my eyeballs bleed, but it’s a sparse, bland web site that looks like it was created for the sole purpose of being able to tell customers “we have a web site!”. There’s very, very little information, or any type of content. I’m surprised they actually listed the address instead of “call for location”
There’s no pricing, there’s no real information. There’s 4 different “packages”, all of which have the same services. What’s the difference between the different packages? I don’t know. How much do they cost? I don’t know. How do you get there? Well I don’t know where or who “Kroger” is, so I don’t know that either. I’m surprised they actually listed the address. Yeah I can google it, but if you’ve got that much underutilized white space, why not throw up a map, some directions, and maybe some pictures of the building? Or any kind of pictures at all? Are the Zellers, their dog grooming building, and their customers all too horribly ugly to look at? Or is it illegally operated out of a converted shed on the back of their property, and perhaps about to fall down? I want to see a nice, clean building, cheerful groomers, and happy, spiffy looking pets with optional bows. I want to see information on how they can make my grubby little mutt beautiful. I want to know if they can get chewing gum out of dog fur. I want a backstory about how Jebidiah Zeller started the business back in 1999 with 2 nickels, a broken leash, and a dream. I want information, any information at all. I get nothing.
The scenario I’m picturing is this: The Zeller family’s slacker children took a web design class at the local community college. This web site is an exercise from the first or second class, which discussed putting links in your web site and making them point to different pages within the same site. Zeller Jr got, hmmm, I’m guessing, a solid “C” on this assignment. Mom and dad, up to their elbows in dog poop, took a look at it and got all excited. “We’re on the interwebs! We’re on the interwebs!”.
“No, no, you don’t understand, it’s not published. It’s not on the internet”.
“Son, don’t be modest! It sure looks like an honest to gawd interweb page to me. Say, doesn’t this cost money or something, to be on the interwebs?”
<gives up> “Um, yeah. Well I guess my smart friend that’s been helping me with the web class can tell me how to publish it. Or maybe the perfesser can tell me. Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it out of my lawn mowing money”.
“Son, you are a credit to this family! We don’t regret adopting you one bit!”
“Whaaaat?”