Thread: Input on new website...

I am re-vamping my website and am in the process of combing through it (bayond basic design) and I'd like some user inputs! Please keep in mind it is NOT finished and there are some placeholders still so Im not looking for grammer correction etc
NEW site: Professional Middle Eastern Dance // Nadirah Johara
OLD site: ~*~ Nadirah Johara - Belly Dancer and Instructor, Belly Dance Fort Worth Dallas Texas Middle Eastern Dance ~*~

LIKES:
I like the general layout. ON the front page there is "news". The instruction page has different tabs for the levels of classes.

DISLIKES:
The form on the "hire" page. I personally hate those so that will change.
The minimal amount of photos in the gallery..

FUTURE ADDITIONS:
FAQ link on the instruciton page
FAQ/info on the hire page


Any advice/input would be GREAT!
Thanks in advance!
xoxo,
-Nadirah Johara

Just popped into the site... love the first page... the second page with the tabs for classes... maybe you could list all the options and they say... click tab above for more info... my first thought was "oh, she only teaches a beginner's class" then I saw the tabs. Need to make it more obvious?

Great idea! Thanks Jewels! Or maybe change to color of it so it looks like a form with tabs or something?!

Any input would be greatly appreciated!

I looked very briefly. Information seems to be well organized and the design is clean and professional. There were two things I noticed, though.

The "Performance" page still has a "(place paypal button here)" on it.

Some of the photos are trimmed better than others. The front page one in particular might benefit from another pass, since it's your first impression. The arms look a little bitmappy, and there are some extraneous pixels, especially on the right side, and possibly also on the feet (that might be the color of your pedicure, can't quite tell). The photo on the "Contact" page could also use a little tidying up, and if you're in there, you might want to straighten the center candle. With the way that celebrities get their images revised these days (Seriously, Paula Deen, you look like a giant, scary, plastic babydoll staring out of the cover of that magazine!), you've go no reason to feel guilty about tweaking a candle in Photoshop.

Originally Posted by Tourbeau

I looked very briefly. Information seems to be well organized and the design is clean and professional. There were two things I noticed, though.

The "Performance" page still has a "(place paypal button here)" on it.

Some of the photos are trimmed better than others. The front page one in particular might benefit from another pass, since it's your first impression. The arms look a little bitmappy, and there are some extraneous pixels, especially on the right side, and possibly also on the feet (that might be the color of your pedicure, can't quite tell). The photo on the "Contact" page could also use a little tidying up, and if you're in there, you might want to straighten the center candle. With the way that celebrities get their images revised these days (Seriously, Paula Deen, you look like a giant, scary, plastic babydoll staring out of the cover of that magazine!), you've go no reason to feel guilty about tweaking a candle in Photoshop.

LOL on the Paula Deen. I feel the same way about her...scary!

Yeah I felt the same way about the cutting of my photos. Ill ask him to clean them up. I am also not completely sure of his choices in the photos he used. I might have to just say "use this one for this page" etc.

Thanks so much for your help!

Also gonna add to dislikes: I don't like how small the facebook and newsetter link are at the top of the page. I think I need to have them as small images so they are better recognizeable.

Any more? Im gonna start working hard core on this lol!

For me it was kind of confusing that you have a "hire" button on the home page, but then if I go to a secondary page, the "hire" turns into "contact" on the navigation. Could you do a Hire/Contact in the navigation so it is more clear?

I figured it out in the end, but sometimes customers who get frustrated with a website just leave.

Originally Posted by crystalllized

For me it was kind of confusing that you have a "hire" button on the home page, but then if I go to a secondary page, the "hire" turns into "contact" on the navigation. Could you do a Hire/Contact in the navigation so it is more clear?

I figured it out in the end, but sometimes customers who get frustrated with a website just leave.

Yes I agree! Thanks so much for the input. I don't like the form either...I tend to not contact someone if I have to fill out info. I like straight up links to email and information. Plus I have got a lot of positive feedback on the way my current "hire" page is set up.

xoxo,
Nadirah

It really is nice:)
I know you don't want typo's yet ...but...on the hire page Middle eatern dance.
Perhaps update the webmistress date in the footer and add a content copy write or something similar there.

I like the color scheme that's on the new site, and I like that it's strictly about the dancing.

Two things stick out to me about the home page:
1. I don't like that the beginning of your bio is there with just a few sentences and then a "click for more" button. For me, that area should have your tag line/slogan, breaking news, or something generic like "A professional Middle Eastern dancer since XXXX". Whatever is there should be short & sweet (just like you, dahlin' ).

2. Either your name should be larger or your picture should be smaller. They seem disproportionate to me.

Of course, that's just my opinion and I could be wrong.

Thanks so much for the input Andrea...
and other!
Im creating my "to do" list for my designer yay!

I think its a great improvement! :)

Originally Posted by AlyssWeller

I think its a great improvement! :)

THanks so much!