Web Design Forums

kbarrett · 04-10-2006, 13:49

I work as designer for Zoto.com and we've been working on a redesign for the entire site. Right now we have a 'limited' version of this beta site that we have opened up to the public for feedback and testing.

Any feedback regarding the interface or the overall experience/usability is appreciated.

The sign up form is set to prepopulate dummy credit card information so don't worry about that. It doesn't cost anything to beta test. Just click the sign up button on the homepage. Fill out your username and password info. When you get to the payment page just enter in dummy info in the blank fields and hit the continue button. You will be prompted to login. From there you can begin to upload pictures and try out the interface. We could really use some feedback from test users.

You can view it here and sign up to test: http://www.zoto.net

If you find any bugs you can post them here:
http://www.zoto.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=15

Thanks!

kbarrett · 04-10-2006, 14:01

Oops, meant to post this link. There is more info about things here:
http://www.zoto.com/dev-blog/?p=98

.Ryan · 04-10-2006, 16:32

I like the main page, but then after I go somewhere else, the logo changes and the width goes to 100%, looks pretty bad imho, but the main page is great, hopefully you are yet to finish the other pages.

kbarrett · 04-10-2006, 16:33

Thanks for taking a look Luke.

Can you tell me what OS/browser you are using?

kbarrett · 04-10-2006, 16:41

Thanks Ryan!

The homepage is pretty clean. I'm glad you liked it. This redesign had a lot of design restraints. Part of the spec was that the background had to be white and the layout had to be fluid (stretches 100%). I can't really do anything about that. Is it just that you prefer a fixed layout? The site is very minimal. The focus is on the photos and so it's all mostly HTML/CSS with very few graphic elements. Not all of the layout has been 'tweaked' to match the comps by the production guys 'yet'. Can you be more specific about what it is about the interior pages/layout that you dislike? Any feedback helps.

Interesting point about the logo change. I will see what I can do. Any other thoughts on the logo or the look and feel overall?

.Ryan · 04-10-2006, 16:53

It's not that I like fixed layouts, it's just with the main page being like 70% then the other being 100% if feels somewhat like i have changed site. Then of course with 100% people with widescreens the lines become very long and not the most easiest to read. I just think, like the main page, the other pages would look better some what contsrained.

That is my only real problem though, except on the pages with the photos, like clicking lightbox, it looks fine as it is filled with photos, but the issue is more the privacy, terms, etc, pages.

hombrefeo · 04-10-2006, 18:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by .Ryan

the width goes to 100%, looks pretty bad imho

personally i like the 100% width (res 1280x1024) The site is nicely designed and very clean wish you the best of luck

jase1000 · 04-10-2006, 19:11

Site looks good in terms of graphic design but, speaking personally, I can't see who would want to pay for that particular service. Did you research the market before starting the project?

kbarrett · 05-10-2006, 12:32

There are actually lots of 'profitable' paid services on the market. Smugmug and Webshots are two examples. It is my understanding that these services actually have more customers and make more money than flickr.

Out target is mainly women. Think 'soccer moms' and the like. There are actually lots of people who take photos who are willing to pay for these kinds of services. Our service provides a great way to share photos with people, access them, and store them. If something ever happens to your computer or your home (think Katrina), your photo backups will still be safe online. The costs for these services is minimal. Although flickr is free you can only store about 200 photos. I actually have a Pro account with flickr. The cost is minimal for these kinds of services.

All the being said, I really hope people will want to pay for our service. We aren't done building out all of the features just yet. We still have albums and groups and lots of functionality to finish in the lightbox before we launch at the end of November. I think when we are done we will definately have a site that offers a great service that is worth paying for.

SeanMedia · 05-10-2006, 13:01

what methods of promotion are you gonna use out of interest?

did you do your own market research, or use readily available stats?

04-10-2006, 13:49	#1 (permalink)
kbarrett Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: trapped inside of comp.psd (send help!) Posts: 98	Photo Hosting & Sharing Website Redesign I work as designer for Zoto.com and we've been working on a redesign for the entire site. Right now we have a 'limited' version of this beta site that we have opened up to the public for feedback and testing. Any feedback regarding the interface or the overall experience/usability is appreciated. The sign up form is set to prepopulate dummy credit card information so don't worry about that. It doesn't cost anything to beta test. Just click the sign up button on the homepage. Fill out your username and password info. When you get to the payment page just enter in dummy info in the blank fields and hit the continue button. You will be prompted to login. From there you can begin to upload pictures and try out the interface. We could really use some feedback from test users. You can view it here and sign up to test: http://www.zoto.net If you find any bugs you can post them here: http://www.zoto.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=15 Thanks! Last edited by kbarrett : 04-10-2006 at 16:24.

05-10-2006, 12:32	#9 (permalink)
kbarrett Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: trapped inside of comp.psd (send help!) Posts: 98	There are actually lots of 'profitable' paid services on the market. Smugmug and Webshots are two examples. It is my understanding that these services actually have more customers and make more money than flickr. Out target is mainly women. Think 'soccer moms' and the like. There are actually lots of people who take photos who are willing to pay for these kinds of services. Our service provides a great way to share photos with people, access them, and store them. If something ever happens to your computer or your home (think Katrina), your photo backups will still be safe online. The costs for these services is minimal. Although flickr is free you can only store about 200 photos. I actually have a Pro account with flickr. The cost is minimal for these kinds of services. All the being said, I really hope people will want to pay for our service. We aren't done building out all of the features just yet. We still have albums and groups and lots of functionality to finish in the lightbox before we launch at the end of November. I think when we are done we will definately have a site that offers a great service that is worth paying for. Last edited by kbarrett : 05-10-2006 at 14:03.

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04-10-2006, 14:01	#2 (permalink)
kbarrett Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: trapped inside of comp.psd (send help!) Posts: 98	Oops, meant to post this link. There is more info about things here: http://www.zoto.com/dev-blog/?p=98

04-10-2006, 16:32	#3 (permalink)
.Ryan Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 295	I like the main page, but then after I go somewhere else, the logo changes and the width goes to 100%, looks pretty bad imho, but the main page is great, hopefully you are yet to finish the other pages.

04-10-2006, 16:33	#4 (permalink)
kbarrett Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: trapped inside of comp.psd (send help!) Posts: 98	Thanks for taking a look Luke. Can you tell me what OS/browser you are using?

04-10-2006, 16:41	#5 (permalink)
kbarrett Registered User Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: trapped inside of comp.psd (send help!) Posts: 98	Thanks Ryan! The homepage is pretty clean. I'm glad you liked it. This redesign had a lot of design restraints. Part of the spec was that the background had to be white and the layout had to be fluid (stretches 100%). I can't really do anything about that. Is it just that you prefer a fixed layout? The site is very minimal. The focus is on the photos and so it's all mostly HTML/CSS with very few graphic elements. Not all of the layout has been 'tweaked' to match the comps by the production guys 'yet'. Can you be more specific about what it is about the interior pages/layout that you dislike? Any feedback helps. Interesting point about the logo change. I will see what I can do. Any other thoughts on the logo or the look and feel overall?

04-10-2006, 16:53	#6 (permalink)
.Ryan Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 295	It's not that I like fixed layouts, it's just with the main page being like 70% then the other being 100% if feels somewhat like i have changed site. Then of course with 100% people with widescreens the lines become very long and not the most easiest to read. I just think, like the main page, the other pages would look better some what contsrained. That is my only real problem though, except on the pages with the photos, like clicking lightbox, it looks fine as it is filled with photos, but the issue is more the privacy, terms, etc, pages.

04-10-2006, 19:11	#8 (permalink)
jase1000 turd 2.0 Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Right on your tit end Posts: 1,163	Site looks good in terms of graphic design but, speaking personally, I can't see who would want to pay for that particular service. Did you research the market before starting the project?

05-10-2006, 13:01	#10 (permalink)
SeanMedia Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Belfast, Ireland Posts: 416	what methods of promotion are you gonna use out of interest? did you do your own market research, or use readily available stats?

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