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Just wondered if somebody with a few minutes to spare would care to "test" my website, in particular the feedback form.
The site isn't finished yet, I've still got some text to do and the "slideshow" is currently running a bit faster than it will do evenually.
www.myxtrex.co.uk
Thanks.
The site isn't finished yet, I've still got some text to do and the "slideshow" is currently running a bit faster than it will do evenually.
www.myxtrex.co.uk
Thanks.
In reply to mypyrex:
Plenty of info on there but I think it needs separating a bit more, all looks a bit plain at the moment. Maybe have tabs at the top of the page or something?
Plenty of info on there but I think it needs separating a bit more, all looks a bit plain at the moment. Maybe have tabs at the top of the page or something?
In reply to mypyrex:
Hello, just started scrolling through.
It looks good, but I have some 'visitor experience' comments:
- there's some code appearing in black text from the second page onwards.
- could you put a menu at the top? It would the visitor to navigate more easily, rather than having to go through every page (which some visitors might not want to do). Perhaps you could divide the site into Kathmandu/Lukla/the mountains, or something like that.
- the 'next' on the final page doesn't take the visitor anywhere - even going 'home' would be good.
Hello, just started scrolling through.
It looks good, but I have some 'visitor experience' comments:
- there's some code appearing in black text from the second page onwards.
- could you put a menu at the top? It would the visitor to navigate more easily, rather than having to go through every page (which some visitors might not want to do). Perhaps you could divide the site into Kathmandu/Lukla/the mountains, or something like that.
- the 'next' on the final page doesn't take the visitor anywhere - even going 'home' would be good.
In reply to mypyrex:
You might want to make the "next" link a bit more prominent. Its a bit lost at the moment.
Nice pics though.
You might want to make the "next" link a bit more prominent. Its a bit lost at the moment.
Nice pics though.
In reply to Tall Clare:
That should be sorted now - working on the rest.
Thanks.
> (In reply to mypyrex)
>
> Hello, just started scrolling through.
>
> Hello, just started scrolling through.
> - there's some code appearing in black text from the second page onwards.
That should be sorted now - working on the rest.
Thanks.
In reply to Mike_Watson_99:
Noted - thanks
> (In reply to mypyrex)
> You might want to make the "next" link a bit more prominent. Its a bit lost at the moment.
> Nice pics though.
> You might want to make the "next" link a bit more prominent. Its a bit lost at the moment.
> Nice pics though.
Noted - thanks
In reply to CrankCrimp:
Working on it - thanks
> (In reply to mypyrex)
>
> Plenty of info on there but I think it needs separating a bit more, all looks a bit plain at the moment. Maybe have tabs at the top of the page or something?
>
> Plenty of info on there but I think it needs separating a bit more, all looks a bit plain at the moment. Maybe have tabs at the top of the page or something?
Working on it - thanks
In reply to mypyrex:
The content looks great, but if I may be so bold, it looks a bit like a website from 15-20 years ago: just a splurge of information on a page. Dividing the content up into easily accessible tabs, and putting some thought into graphics and typography to help make the experience more user-friendly, will help things no end. It also renders poorly on mobile devices, which is a big deal as a large proportion of people now access the web mainly through their phone or tablet.
Great start though!
The content looks great, but if I may be so bold, it looks a bit like a website from 15-20 years ago: just a splurge of information on a page. Dividing the content up into easily accessible tabs, and putting some thought into graphics and typography to help make the experience more user-friendly, will help things no end. It also renders poorly on mobile devices, which is a big deal as a large proportion of people now access the web mainly through their phone or tablet.
Great start though!
In reply to Only a hill:
On that note, it might be worth MyPyrex investigating WordPress templates - a really easy way of ordering his information in a more up-to-date form.
On that note, it might be worth MyPyrex investigating WordPress templates - a really easy way of ordering his information in a more up-to-date form.
In reply to mypyrex:
The images are a little slow to load for me. Are they still too large? For example trek005.jpg is 2048 x 1536 pixels.
The images are a little slow to load for me. Are they still too large? For example trek005.jpg is 2048 x 1536 pixels.
In reply to Tall Clare:
Yep, wordpress or blogger templates make the hard work of design so much easier. Also agree with the above poster about the images, they take too long to load because they are full resolution--which is not necessarily a bad thing to have as an option, but by default images should be at a smaller size to save bandwidth and improve loading time.
Yep, wordpress or blogger templates make the hard work of design so much easier. Also agree with the above poster about the images, they take too long to load because they are full resolution--which is not necessarily a bad thing to have as an option, but by default images should be at a smaller size to save bandwidth and improve loading time.
In reply to Tall Clare:
Good suggestion. It can also provide an easy answer to Pyrex's need for providing an email feedback without too much spam, as well as allowing moderated comments.
> (In reply to Only a hill)
>
> On that note, it might be worth MyPyrex investigating WordPress templates - a really easy way of ordering his information in a more up-to-date form.
>
> On that note, it might be worth MyPyrex investigating WordPress templates - a really easy way of ordering his information in a more up-to-date form.
Good suggestion. It can also provide an easy answer to Pyrex's need for providing an email feedback without too much spam, as well as allowing moderated comments.
In reply to Turdus torquatus:
Just reduced it to 1024 x 1536. How does it look now?
> (In reply to mypyrex)
>
> The images are a little slow to load for me. Are they still too large? For example trek005.jpg is 2048 x 1536 pixels.
>
> The images are a little slow to load for me. Are they still too large? For example trek005.jpg is 2048 x 1536 pixels.
Just reduced it to 1024 x 1536. How does it look now?
In reply to mypyrex:
Sort your image sizes out.
eg.
The picture of you (top left) takes ages to download, is eating up your bandwidth and needs reducing in size.
The actual image you have on your page is this one http://www.myxtrex.co.uk/digby5.jpg
It is 1400 x 1800 px and it is scaling in the browser to 200 x 250 px
Which means everyone that opens this page downloads a half a Meg (400kB) image in order to view a tiny picture which could be sent in 9kB! (I have just tested a resize in Gimp).
You need to resize it in an image manipulation program and save for web.
All of your images appear to have this major problem.
Sort your image sizes out.
eg.
The picture of you (top left) takes ages to download, is eating up your bandwidth and needs reducing in size.
The actual image you have on your page is this one http://www.myxtrex.co.uk/digby5.jpg
It is 1400 x 1800 px and it is scaling in the browser to 200 x 250 px
Which means everyone that opens this page downloads a half a Meg (400kB) image in order to view a tiny picture which could be sent in 9kB! (I have just tested a resize in Gimp).
You need to resize it in an image manipulation program and save for web.
All of your images appear to have this major problem.
In reply to mypyrex:
Just read your comment about the slide show, sorry, I have put that in the comment box at the end of the web page....should read opening thread first....dhhh. On the whole, I think its a great site, with loads of opportunity for expansion.
Pete
Just read your comment about the slide show, sorry, I have put that in the comment box at the end of the web page....should read opening thread first....dhhh. On the whole, I think its a great site, with loads of opportunity for expansion.
Pete
In reply to interdit:
ps - You probably will not see how absolutely terribly slowly this page loads as your browser most likely has already caches the images.
Try a hard refresh (Ctrl-F5) to see what a monster download you have created.
ps - You probably will not see how absolutely terribly slowly this page loads as your browser most likely has already caches the images.
Try a hard refresh (Ctrl-F5) to see what a monster download you have created.
In reply to mypyrex:
As others have said, some good information on your pages, just lost in a poor design that looks very dated. However I gather from other posts that you are hand-writing your html code from scratch and there is a lot to learn.
Can I start by asking what is the aim of the site, who is it for and what do you expect them (the users) to get from the site. Sites need to be designed for the intended audience, their expectations and also the devices that they are likely to be using to view the site upon.
If your site is simply a vehicle for you to learn html yourself then no problem, you can develop it as you go along. If however yor site has a real aim or focus then you need to get the design / layout / format of it right from the start.
If you want to continue hand coding then you need to learn CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), these will enable you to separate your design from the content, making changes easier to perform.
If you want an effective website building quickly then you need to consider using a Content Management Tool, Wordpress, CMS made simple or something like that - these however require installing on some sevrers but often come pre-installed with some web hosts. Also they require learning, but easier than learning html from scratch.
I'm happy to give you ideas, things to look into if you like.
Hope this helps.
As others have said, some good information on your pages, just lost in a poor design that looks very dated. However I gather from other posts that you are hand-writing your html code from scratch and there is a lot to learn.
Can I start by asking what is the aim of the site, who is it for and what do you expect them (the users) to get from the site. Sites need to be designed for the intended audience, their expectations and also the devices that they are likely to be using to view the site upon.
If your site is simply a vehicle for you to learn html yourself then no problem, you can develop it as you go along. If however yor site has a real aim or focus then you need to get the design / layout / format of it right from the start.
If you want to continue hand coding then you need to learn CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), these will enable you to separate your design from the content, making changes easier to perform.
If you want an effective website building quickly then you need to consider using a Content Management Tool, Wordpress, CMS made simple or something like that - these however require installing on some sevrers but often come pre-installed with some web hosts. Also they require learning, but easier than learning html from scratch.
I'm happy to give you ideas, things to look into if you like.
Hope this helps.
In reply to mypyrex: sort out your tags - i can see two body tags and unclosed divs etc
i think you should start using CSS- you could transform the look of your site with a few lines of code..
i think you should start using CSS- you could transform the look of your site with a few lines of code..
In reply to interdit:
Ouch--just made the mistake of viewing the page over 3G on my phone, and it's eaten up quite a few megabytes!
Ouch--just made the mistake of viewing the page over 3G on my phone, and it's eaten up quite a few megabytes!
In reply to mypyrex:
Still...
2,048px × 1,536px (scaled to 400px × 300px)
Why would you change it to 1024 x 1536 px anyway when you have set it to display at 400 x 300 px?
It's over a Meg! The internet slows down each time this page is loaded and they have to switch on auxillary nuclear power plants.
Change the image size (In an image manipulation program) to the size that you want to display it (400 x 300 px). Save it for web - This will select a suitable compression quality level.
I have just made a 400 x 300 px version of your 1MEg file and it is 53.3kB.
> (In reply to Turdus torquatus)
> [...]
>
> Just reduced it to 1024 x 1536. How does it look now?
> [...]
>
> Just reduced it to 1024 x 1536. How does it look now?
Still...
2,048px × 1,536px (scaled to 400px × 300px)
Why would you change it to 1024 x 1536 px anyway when you have set it to display at 400 x 300 px?
It's over a Meg! The internet slows down each time this page is loaded and they have to switch on auxillary nuclear power plants.
Change the image size (In an image manipulation program) to the size that you want to display it (400 x 300 px). Save it for web - This will select a suitable compression quality level.
I have just made a 400 x 300 px version of your 1MEg file and it is 53.3kB.
In reply to mypyrex: have a look here: http://www.dynamicdrive.com/style/
In reply to mypyrex:
Just timed it on my iPad, we've a 5mb connection, and each page takes around 25 seconds to load. As others have said, it's mainly due to your images not being optimised for the web and basically being too big in file size.
Generally it's a bit plain looking but not a bad start, at least you don't have auto-loading video.
I'd make the home page much lighter in content, it should have just enough to pull the visitor in and provide links to the interesting parts of the site. Typically home pages should load in a second or two, users won't wait much longer than that.. The content's all a bit linear at the moment.
Navigation: there's no distinguishing between internal links to other pages on the site and external sites. You can style these up with CSS, preferably in an external stylesheet. Have links at the top of each page, perhaps as a horizontal list, as well as at the bottom - this is being kind to your visitors.
I'm sure there's more ...
ALC
Just timed it on my iPad, we've a 5mb connection, and each page takes around 25 seconds to load. As others have said, it's mainly due to your images not being optimised for the web and basically being too big in file size.
Generally it's a bit plain looking but not a bad start, at least you don't have auto-loading video.
I'd make the home page much lighter in content, it should have just enough to pull the visitor in and provide links to the interesting parts of the site. Typically home pages should load in a second or two, users won't wait much longer than that.. The content's all a bit linear at the moment.
Navigation: there's no distinguishing between internal links to other pages on the site and external sites. You can style these up with CSS, preferably in an external stylesheet. Have links at the top of each page, perhaps as a horizontal list, as well as at the bottom - this is being kind to your visitors.
I'm sure there's more ...
ALC
In reply to a lakeland climber: i remember the days when they said keep pages under 100Kb
Thanks for all the useful comments. I've been trying to reduce image sizes as I go along and I'm now reducing, as suggested, the images in paintshop to 300 x 400.
Thanks all.
Thanks all.
I presume that by reducing the size of my images, as I am doing at the mo, I am also reducing the overall size of the web site on my server.
In reply to mypyrex: yes- you may have used most of your monthly bandwidth by posing this thread (if you have a limit?)
I'm also reducing the image size on the slideshow.
In reply to mypyrex: As others have said, the site looks very dated with that colour scheme, layout and menu system. Again, try using a CMS like Wordpress which makes it super-easy to make a professional looking site.
In reply to mypyrex: Good photos.
Couple of minor issues:
Position of Next link is too low so a slight miss click is likely to mean hitting the icon in the Task Bar at bottom of screen.
Needs a Home button so you can always jump back to the begining.
Personnally I am not keen on Deep Blue backgrounds and Yellow text, it is very tiring on the eyes and detracts somewhat from the evocative photos. If background could be a lot lighter / subtler and text plain / dark.
But welcome back.
Couple of minor issues:
Position of Next link is too low so a slight miss click is likely to mean hitting the icon in the Task Bar at bottom of screen.
Needs a Home button so you can always jump back to the begining.
Personnally I am not keen on Deep Blue backgrounds and Yellow text, it is very tiring on the eyes and detracts somewhat from the evocative photos. If background could be a lot lighter / subtler and text plain / dark.
But welcome back.
In reply to mypyrex: "Setting up a Business" didnt last long then did it!
In reply to mypyrex:
As others have said, the linear structure is unhelpful, the colour scheme is unpleasant and the 'Next' button on the first page is so well hidden that I'd never have noticed it unless I knew from others' comments that there were more pages to find. Some of the content is quite interesting though.
As others have said, the linear structure is unhelpful, the colour scheme is unpleasant and the 'Next' button on the first page is so well hidden that I'd never have noticed it unless I knew from others' comments that there were more pages to find. Some of the content is quite interesting though.
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