[design2work.net]

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum.... just wanted to say big hello to everyone here, hope everyone is having a good time.. My name is Ken, I study graphic design new media in the uk. Any design student here?

Like most of you guys I have recently made myself a flash site - www.design2work.net. This is my second flash site I hope it's better than my first one..... any comments are welcome? yes the bad ones too..

Regards
Ken

[SeanMedia]

Welcome Ken.

The flash is good - I like the design, and your rollovers for the menu are nice enough. I have a few problems:

1. When the site loads take out the "click the blue dot to start" - it's annoying

2. You should have at least some welcome text - I was waiting for some and then realised I had to access the menu without any invitation to.

3. Portfolio - actually say something like "move mouse over lines to see my projects"

4. Portfolio - why no description of each project? A link to the odd one in use would be nice.

5. Contact - some text would be good.

6. Blog - Your website and you blog look like two completely different, unrelated websites. Some consistency would be good.

Don't get me wrong - I like what you have, and you have nice stuff in your portfolio, but it could be really good rather than just good.

Textual links aren't necessary for other web designers because they will figure out how to use the site, but the "normal" user may not.

[design2work.net]

Thanks for your comments Sean.... they are very helpful.

1. It wasn't my original idea to have the "click the blue dot to start", but after having 3 people telling me that they thought the site was not working because they didn't think they'd need to click the blue dot to 'start'. Do you think I should have the navigation items showup without the need of the user clicking anything?

5. on the contact page there's my email address and phone no. , what else can you suggest i should put on it?

6. the 'design2work' blog is actually still in working progress, i shouldnt really link it to my old blog.. bad idea (i know)

Your comments are appreciated.

Ken

[.Ryan]

1. It wasn't my original to have the "click the blue dot to start", but after having 3 people telling me that they thought the site was not working because they didn't think they'd need to click the blue dot to 'start'. Do you think I should have the navigation items showup without the need of the user clicking anything?

Yes it should.

Sean pretty much said everything, a little hard to understand, the blue dot then just the lines, you need to think for stupid people, pretty easy to know hover over the lines, but aint really hard to say that either =/ But it does look nice, good work.

[SeanMedia]

Hey Ken

1. The user shouldn't need to click anything to start. Period. Just make the website start when it loads.

2. At least have a "This is how to get in touch with me". Maybe even offer an online form - lots of people like them. There is too much space on the page as it is.

Take care buddy,
Sean

[mindtrick]

Welcome!

I really love ur site, it looks amazing! But i totally agree with previous posters about the blue dot, it was a tad annoying

[stylin328]

Nice site. The lines on the portfolio might not work for me, but overall grea design. I like the colors and typeface your chose.

[mx]

Greetings D2W

Sorry, this is far too FFFS for me.

Get rid of the blue dot nav as it adds no value, similiarly the lines for the portfolio navigation are too random and give no information about the projects. Good rule of thumb with navigation is if you have to tell the user how to use it (i.e pleae click on the blue dot) then you've failed on usability.

Pretty though it is, the repetition of the navigation text on rollover adds nothing (if it was sub navigation or something more graphically it would be fine) and doesn't work well when you navigate to another item quickly. make it so the elements grow and contract concurrently with each other.

Apart from the light bulb it looks fine ,though for something with so little content it could do with some more style frankly.

Sorry if this all sounds rather harsh, but if I go to your portfolio site, have to guess my way round it and come away none the wiser about who you are and what you do, then it's not working.

Having said this, when I was at uni my first flash site was almost exactly the same

[pedge]

I agree with the above - the contact section should at least have something like "If you would like to discuss a project in more detail, or if you require a quote, please contact me at... blah blah blah".

Also - About Me section. Its called 'about me' but rather than saying "I do this" and "I have done that" you're putting it in "he does this" and "Ken has done that". Its about you so I would suggest using "I" instead.

I'm really not keen on the line links for the portfolio - too fiddly, especially when I'm using a trackpad on my laptop as I (personally) find it difficult to make short movements onto each line without the cursor leaping by 2 lines. If you see what I mean.

The style of the navigation is quite funky - why don't you follow that style into the portfolio somehow?

Finally, I think you should have some intro text just so I know what sort of site I'm at - even if it just said "take a look around..., explore & discover... etc" - anything, just something.

Its a nice start and I'm sure you'll be able to build on the comments here and make it a knock out...

[design2work.net]

Thanks to all for taking the time to comment on my site....

max - you must be more of a programmer than designer I guess? you sounded like one of guys in the office =]

pedge - I've tried to make the portfolio page to look like it's "link" to the porfolio text but the problem with that is when the user hovers over the other sections(aboutme e.g) while they're on the portfolio page the aboutme text will overlap the portfolio text.

this forum is great... thanks again

[popc0rn]

Seriasly Ken thats one nice flash website, im more of an AJAX boy myself and dont really use flash much. The last time i used flash was when i was building some parts of the game for www.cubeisland.com with GRD from digital outline. But yer great site, although i belive everything that can be done in flash will one day be able to be done in ajax

[30equals]

the flash is redundant here. i mean. i'm starting to dig flash sites again (after many years).
but your animations look (or maybe are) like theyr just tweens etc.. not coded. the rollovers are too slow. and it looks too empty overall.

the colors are allright though.

[mx]

Originally Posted by design2work.net

if it doesn't work, it's art NOT design.

ken - you must be more of an artist than a designer I guess?

Intuitive usability is a fundamental part of great web design, but then if you doing a degree in new media then surely you knew that.

Experimental navigation is fine in context, but a portfolio is about the fast delivery of information. If you want to show off your 'crazy' navigation ideas create an element within your portfolio that shows these.

[design2work.net]

max - totally agree what you said. [form follows function] especially with web design function is much more important than the aesthetic side.
Just me trying to 'define' the line between programmers and designers.. hope i didnt offend you in any ways. glad that you did drop a line on this topic... have a nice weekend =]

[Megaton Cat]

The navigation is pretty annoying as I have to stay on thatr tiny little blue line just to see the content inside. And the blue button thing is unnesssary aswell. Good portfolio work though!

[design2work.net]

forgot to mention that www.think-art.co.uk was my first flash site, which one do you think is better?

[30equals]

Originally Posted by design2work.net

forgot to mention that www.think-art.co.uk was my first flash site, which one do you think is better?

actually, i like the first/older one better