I saw your other usability results, and I remember someone mentioning
the load time on headsets.com. I happen to have the bad luck of
currently being on a slow internet connection, and it shows up in the
site; it took a good 25-30 seconds to load the page. I don't think it
would stop me from viewing the page, compared to other web site load
times on this slow connection, but it definitely would be better as
light as possible.
The first thing I clicked on was the image link to KOSS, almost
without thinking about it, then I went back (because I'm reviewing
your site) just to take another look at what I had paid attention to
and what I had missed. The mouseover javascript on the KOSS and JENSEN
images is a nice effect, but used all over the internet and completely
unnecessary, while detracting from your site by increasing load time.
I didn't really read through the paragraphs on the right, because I
assume it's going to be easier to just navigate through the site and
look at pictures of headphones than read the text--even though I'm a
voracious reader, I want to see sets first, then read about whatever I
think looks cool. This is all without looking at more than the first
page, by the way, I'm just trying to get you to understand my
expectations.
Ok, so I click the KOSS, and the first thing that comes to my
attention is that the text on
http://www.headphones.com/headphones/html/koss/koss_splash.html is in
the image, not too big a deal but it could have been worked around
with a table and splitting the image into pieces, moving the text a
little upward.
I don't know anything about the model numbers, so I click one at
random from the first section, the PRO-4AA. Now I'm here:
http://www.headphones.com/headphones/html/koss/studio/koss_pro4aa.html
No, these headphones do not appeal to me, I don't like the color, and
offhand I don't know how the price compares. Are they available in a
different style, or do they all look like that? No information meets
my eye on the subject, if it's there. The pointer on the left is a
nice touch, I do like that. The many pointers on the right are a bit
too wide, if as I suspect you're using the same image as the pointer
on the left (which is good) you could maybe add a height tag that
scales them down a bit, makes them thinner.
Click around some more, into the home section on TD-61.
http://www.headphones.com/headphones/html/koss/home/koss_td61.html
This would be much easier if the categories were clickable, and there
would be thumbnails of everything in the category along with the
prices next to them. I would be having a better time. It's not bad,
it's not ugly, it's not repulsive, but I might go back to check
another site at this point just to see if I can find something with a
better listing, being on a low-bandwidth connection. High-bandwidth,
less of an issue, I just click back and forth between items.
Add something to my shopping cart. Oh, I like the look of the shopping
cart; the continue button is definitely good though it took me a
second to see it in that location; only one problem, I want my toolbar
back, my choices!
Hrm. Just realized the top image was a headphone plug. Wasn't paying
attention to it until now. Cute. Switch over to Jensen. Oh, come now,
three items? That's not worth a whole section by itself. Put your
items together, I don't want to have to look at two seperate sections
just to browse three items.
Well, as long as you're going to have a different section the yellow
is good to distinguish it, I like that, but Jensen's all faded out on
the top, unprofessional. Change it from white to black. Also, the
little arrows that attract attention to themselves no longer match the
background color, that's not good either. The spec sheets, by the way,
are rather nice. The tabbing idea altogether isn't bad, the little
sections for order and spec, though the bulleted details should
probably be in a little section to match, now that I think of it,
called details or some such.
http://www.headphones.com/headphones/html/koss/portable/koss_alternative.html
http://www.headphones.com/headphones/html/koss/portable/koss_traditional.html
Wait, what's this? There is a section with a bunch of headphones all
together! Now you're just playing with my head. And why can't I get a
better quality big picture by clicking those images? I have come to
expect this of the internet and I demand what I expect to happen to
happen! Make it pop up in a new window. Preferably one that closes
again if you click the image. I like the style, though, now it needs
to be done for the rest of the items.
Overall, it was easy to navigate, but the KOSS/JENSON categorization
kind of bothered me. Really, that is where
Studio/Home/Cordless/Portable/Noise Reduction should go (without
necessarily removing it from the menu on the left; those could be
links, say, to thumbnailed catalogs, while the left sidebar would
serve to seperate individual items if you know what you're looking
for.) What do I know about brand names, as a casual headphone
purchaser? And if I were a pro, Studio sounds all fancy, that would
catch my eye more than a standard brand name that comes in varying
qualities.
The load time was probably not that big a deal, and I'm just spoiled
by my broadband, but it wouldn't hurt to cut it down a bit. Text is
good, image text doesn't make me happy, especially in those two splash
screens for KOSS/JENSEN where the text was plain and indistingushed
anyway.
I disagree with the researcher who said the address on the other web
site made you seem small-ish; I think it establishes your tangibility,
your presence. You're not just running out of some guy's garage and
making your mark only through the net, you have a place where you can
be mailed, where you are based, and you're Official. Only if I take
the time to read it might I become a bit suspicious of the 310c, the
court, the general residential look to the address; but I am of the
internet age and so I ignore the details, except a quick glance, just
long enough to process what kind of information that would be.
Thanks for choosing Google! Answers again. |
