Category Archives: Website Design

Small Business, Website Design

Do You Have Frumpy Website

In the day of reality TV, makeover shows seem to be everywhere. You know the ones where the show take someone who may not put a whole lot of effort in their appearance, rather frumpy, and by the end of the show turn reveal a brand new person with a whole new confidence. Reality TV at its finest, right? Well the shows may not be for everyone but it did get me thinking about graphic makeovers.

One of the key principles of these shows is to strip (sometimes literally) down to the basics. Sort of a fresh start. The hosts learn what the person is about, features that make them who they are and then build from that. They understand what makes the person unique and work within the foundation they have developed. The shows don’t just apply some makeup, and buy some new clothes they makeover the person, the entire person.
Thumbnail image of Website Before Redesign
Ask yourself “Is my website frumpy?”

If it is look at getting back to basics. Understand what your business strategy is and how it can be communicated online? What information can you provide about the products or services you offer? Are people finding the information on my site? Are customers even finding my website?
Thumbnail image of Website After RedesignWebsite After
Be critical when looking at your site. Does it care about its appearance, looking professional or does it look sloppy, like it just threw on some sweatpants and headed out the door? Your website is often the first interaction your business has with potential customers. A professionally designed website is a critical part of that impression.

Does your website have clearly communicated message? Is it clear how customers place an order, request information or how to sign up for your companies newsletter? You need to determine what makes a visit to your website a success for both new and existing customers.

When looking to redesign a frumpy website take a bit of advice from reality TV makeover shows and get back to basics. Once the basics are defined then pour on the pretty. Designing a website that works and looks good can do a tremendous amount for the confidence of a business.

View our most recent designs in the Before and After Portfolio

User Experience, Website Design

The US Apeals Court Rules It’s OK to Bury Your Terms & Conditions

A U.S. Appeals Court has ruled that a website can incorporate terms and conditions language into the clicking of a continue button. Meaning a website no longer needs to require a person clicking a checkbox to agree to the terms and conditions of the site.

The dating website True.com was sued by a male user who said he was unaware that the website’s free membership was only for women. A main part of the case was the fact the user argued he had not agreed to terms and conditions on the website’s registration form when signing up for a free trial.

Now, I’m not sure about you but I have never completely read anyones’ terms and conditions however I still think this is a poor decision by the court and one that I would urge you not to listen to.

It seems a little shady to try and bury your terms and conditions – and causes one to question if you have something you are trying to hide. If you have terms and conditions that will affect how a person will interact with your site provide a checkbox that must be acknowledge before they continue. Even if the person doesn’t read the terms they will be forced to at least acknowledge there are terms to the service.

Terms, conditions and all that legal mumbo jumbo may not be fun to read but think about how poor of an experience it will be if the user is blind-sided by something they “should have” read but didn’t because it was “hidden”

Design, Website Design

Should I Re-Design My Website

4 Comments

My site is working fine. The links work. Content is added regularly. We have new features. Why does my company need a re-design?

Those are all great things. Sites should be updated regularly, have new features added, and by far have working links. However, as the site grows it soon outgrows its foundation. Leading to an unorganized use of content, poor usability, and eventually chaos. A re-design is a perfect opportunity to take an inventory and put things back on track. It will also allow for a better user experience.
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