Sometimes websites are an epic fail. The designer gets too clever for their own good and the only person that actually finds the site any good is themselves.
Usability goes out the door with common sense. As a friend of mine once said, “The problem with common sense is that it’s not that common”.
We were kindly referred to Matakana Market Kitchen by Warkworth Printing. The site had only one page where music started up as soon as you landed at the site and you had to hover your cursor around the site to locate tabs which showed a modest amount of info. Basically the website had no navigation, no map, a hard to find phone number, little text so really bad SEO etc etc
Music on websites is never a good idea. Think about it. You’re at the office, it’s an open plan space and you think to yourself, I think I’ll research where to take my partner to dinner. You go online and start looking for restaurants, you click on a link, then wammo, everybody in the office hears the music and knows you’ve been using work time for doing personal stuff. Shame on you!
Now I know you’re saying ‘but I don’t do that’. Fact is stats show that 60% of employees who use a computer, use their work computer for personal stuff. Whether you think somebody shouldn’t use their work computer or not, you don’t want a site that people won’t visit or revisit, because that could cost you big money.
Any website that makes the user have to think is never a good idea. Don’t make them think! For example if you re a restaurant owner, you need to consider what it it that your potential customer would want. Your menu? Where you are? How to book? Reviews?
A user doesn’t want music or to have to guess how to find your menu or address.
We were given a website scope by MMK that involved creating a site that had a Matakana Market look about it, a website that was simple and easy to use but had the sense of local produce and a country feel.
Here are before and after screenshots:
| MMK’s Previous Website |
The New Improved Website |
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