Lynch and Horton's Web Style Guide, 3rd Edition is now free and online! Read a bit of it, then go get the 4th edition (Kindle) for just $16.99.
NOTES ON Sept 5 discussion, Nick and Liz:
Assessment of SmartGridCC.org website based on desktop view
Assessment of SmartGridCC.org website based on desktop view
landing page
Looks like a product website in terms of color and boldness.
Consider continuing to use the colors, but more selectively.
Given the density and complexity of the site, a responsive
setup would be preferable. Currently the site stays narrow even on a large
monitor.
Right hand column
color blocks are too bold. Gaps between color rectangles increase their visual busy-ness. The
symbols in those boxes aren’t necessary but take up lots of space. These RH column items are persistent
from the home page to back pages, which makes it especially important that they
don’t take up excessive amounts of space. The lightning bolt extracted from the
logo and the FB Messenger bolt shouldn’t be used, as they dilute the integrity of
the logo. Items in this RH column could all be across the top, forming a
secondary set of menu choices (let's make a comp showing that). The color block “Download for your
Smartgrid Consumer Needs” leads to “Resource Library” so it could just be
under “Resources.” Also when you get to Resource Library it doesn't mention that this is all items to download - is download feature relevant or not? "Resources for Munis and Co ops" shows a download symbol but doesn't instantly download anything.
In addition to reducing items in this column, consider just outlining the items with hairline rules instead of putting them in colorful boxes.
In addition to reducing items in this column, consider just outlining the items with hairline rules instead of putting them in colorful boxes.
Top orange menu bar
has too strong of a gradient (skeuomorphic and dated). The way the gradient reverses in in the search
field is too prominent. Pull-down menu items should be prompted by hover rather
than click: This seems to vary, depending on which browser you’re using. User bypasses the Menu and uses theSearch field instead, because it’s not clear what would be under each menu
item. Perhaps redesign so that one hover would pull down a more extensive list of menu items,
such as a multi-column menu.
Logo in ULH corner should always be clickable to get back to
home page. The menu items quit working when user goes to “Events” section.
Consistent
nomenclature would help, for instance “Resources” should include “SGCC
Resources for Munis and Co-ops.” “What is SmartGridCC?” could be under “About.”
In any case, "What is SmartGridCC" could be a simple statement, rather than a Q/A.
Items like
“Myths Vs. Facts” should appear as plain text first, with OPTION to download as
a pdf. Throughout the site, text should not appear in pixelated form (JPGs,
etc.) Text should always be editable, searchable, and font sizes adjustable for those with
low vision.
“Frequently
Asked Questions” seems like something that should be under the “About” instead
of the “Contact” menu. And “Why Join?” and FAQs about membership seem like they
should be combined or at least in the same area.
Resources/SGCC’s
Resources seems misnamed – perhaps that needs to be “Resources for consumers.” Perhaps
the “Resource Library” under “Research” should be called something else, also.
Carousel feature may not be necessary. Usually this kind of feature is more appropriate for a site
showing lots of pictures. It looks cheap. Currently SGCC’s carousel has images
of texts, and the reader may start to read those texts, only to have the
carousel advance, which is annoying. SGCC could generate some appropriate
pictures (people speaking at meetings, smart meters in use, etc.) or just
delete the carousel feature. Carousel elements that are especially problematic are those containing the logo, since they are directly underneath the organization’s logo
at the top of the page.
Nevertheless,
the graphic for the member meeting (which appears in the carousel) has elements worth considering for the overall website: hairline rules; simple rule lines that don’t form closed
boxes; brighter, lighter green color.
Stories seems wordy. Stories show the
date twice: don’t put date in the story title and then display it underneath. Likewise, the “Posted in …” info is not
necessary and just adds to the amount the reader has to read.
204 pages of
stories is too many! Different story “types” such as Industry Event; Member
Spotlight; and Above the Fold could appear in different subsections of the
site. A second menu at the top, as suggested above, would allow visitors to go
directly to these subsections. The “Resource Library” should include letters
from the director and “Insight Reports” (although they may be in there under
“Reports.”) An inventory of all the different kinds of stories would be very helpful.
Names of
story types should be short and descriptive. For instance “Above the Fold”
takes up too many characters and could just be “News.”
The president and CEO blog should be part of the
main site so that it shows up in the search results. The blog should open
in a new window, not REPLACE the SGCC website in ones’ browser.
Once logged in, a WP bar appears at the top that
includes an “Events” icon.
INITIAL INVENTORY
INITIAL INVENTORY
TYPES
OF STORIES (11+ types)
(Liz explored to p.
30 of 204 pp.)
•Above the Fold
•Industry Event
•Member Spotlight
•White Paper
•Industry Resources
•Industry Event
•Upcoming Webinar
•President’s blog (Patty’s Blog)
•Research Release
•Other (accepting nominations; awards)
•Resource Library
Menu items
RESEARCH
SGCC’s
Research (7 items)
Resource
Library
~ by type (12 items)
~ by topic (10 subtopics;
over 25 sub-subtopics;
unknown # of constituent parts)
RESOURCES:
SGCC
Resources (7 items)
Consumer Info Kit (8 items)
Consumer Standards
~ Smart Inverters and Stds.
~ Why Standards
What is Smart Grid website
PRESS
Press Releases / Media Advisories
Conferences
Symposia
ABOUT
(5 items)
CONTACT
(4 items)
LOGIN
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