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Hi all,
I'm currently working on a website for my Aunt's Equestrian supply shop. I'm keen to hear any feedback you have.
It's currently just a prototype, but I'm hoping to make it a little more dynamic by adding some jQuery elements.
Look forward to your replies.
Zach
As compare to other e-commerce website, your website is lacking of visual appeal. Maybe you should add some color and change the font. Also, add some photos with good quality
You need to rework the header/menu and separate the two so that they are distinct from one another. I agree with the previous poster as well.
Thanks for your feedback guys.
You are correct, there does need something in there to create more visual excitement. It's too "still", and perhaps a bit disjointed?
To take this forward, I think I will:
- Get rid of the wavy lines above the navigation
- Add more graphics similar to the horse heads in the header to pull it together
- Create a bolder navigation bar
- Get rid of the "Free delivery" bar
- Re-design the callout
- More subtle fonts in the footer
- Improve the google maps thing.
Let me know if you agree/disagree with these points and whether you'd add others.
Thanks,
Zach
That is a good start. Let us know when you accomplish these changes and we will look at it for you again.
As someone who often shops online for equestrian goods, from clothing to stable supplies, one of the very first things I always look for is the shipping information. It is surprising to me how many e-commerce sites do not put that info in a readily accessible place, with clear links to it. If I can't find the shipping info within a couple of clicks, I'm outta there - I won't waste my time shopping and putting together an order only to find out that they won't ship to where I live.
I like the colours you are using - dark or navy blue, hunter green and burgundy are classic colours used throughout the industry for everything from horse blankets to saddle pads to halters and such - you could consider adding a touch of burgundy here and there to liven it up a bit. I do like the clean, crisp feel of the site - much like this one, which is easy to navigate and appealing, and not like this one, which I find busy, confusing and frustrating.
AlphaMare is correct: you better have shipping policy/costs/details/FAQ available and visible. I just finished a store redesign not too long ago and honestly, the biggest improvement was making a concrete shipping cost policy and a concrete return/exchange policy (there was nothing before). These are important things that everyone wants to know and wont' hesitate to leave if they can't find it, because contacting the owner and waiting for response is a colossal turn-off in an age where most e-commerce transactions are automated and are finished within 5 minutes.
As for the design itself, I have to say that it's okay, but terribly bland. Even the picture on the front feels bland: bland guy riding a bland horse through a bland field. I'm going to through out some easy ideas off the top of my head that could add some pizazz:
- use another font, either Google font or font face kit from Fontsquirrel (Times New Roman is a boring font.. and the fact that it's the MS Word default just makes it that much lamer)
- use another color for your <h2><h3> tags... maybe that blue would look nice?
- get a better header break (the thing beneath headers). how about a silhouette of a wild horse?
- background? http://subtlepatterns.com/
-R
Hi all,
As usual, really great feedback guys.
AlphaMare, it's good to hear from someone who has a personal interest on this topic, and I'm glad you like the colours. They're actually taken from the colour of the logo, so perhaps my aunt had that in mind when she commissioned it. I'm always a bit concious about adding new colours to a pre-branded website as it might interfere with the brand, but perhaps I'm limiting myself too much with this. What is everyone else's thoughts on this?
Very good call on the shipping details, I'll be sure to include it.
RDesignista, you're right about the bland images, I should have mentioned they are just place holder images really and I'm waiting on my aunt to send some pictures of her own. I also envisaged having the ol' Javascript image dissolves in there. That picture won't be in the final design - besides I took it off someone else's website, so not sure I have permission anyway! I might keep the white horses head image if my aunt will cover the costs....
That subtle patterns website is great, thanks a bunch for that. I see me using it an awful lot.