Hcsinc.com Web Site Review

[mconet]

http://www.hcsinc.com

This web site is divided into two parts. Hillman Consulting Services and HCS Designs. Both parts incorparate the same design however I would like some feedback on how you think it looks and download times.

Any comments are appreciated.

[edshuck]

hi
98/2 dsl sony17se 80megram s3 verge ie5.5

HCS cad/cam
The use of the cccccc instead of ffffff causes the text to be difficult to read on the blue-gray background. This was a problem for me throughout the site.
A smaller problem is leaving (or not leaving) a space between the graphics and the white text.

HCS designs
Suggest a space between the Log In and Password.

Make the mouse over consistent from designs to cad/cam. I suggest losing the fly-out on the design side. It is redundant and is too small to read.

/hcdesigns/about/staff/index.htm I do not know of any way to do this but reduction of the horizontal space between the Name and the persons name would be good

Really nice pages. Thanks

[westmich]

As an advisor, I want to be as consistent and objective as possible. The following review is based on a template with a grading scale of 1 to 5 (5 being best). This review is not exhaustive; there maybe errors or items missed.

First Impression
Is the site's purpose (goals/audience) clearly defined? 1 2 3 4 5
Yes, the purposes of this dual site seem clear.

Is the navigation system obvious? 1 2 3 4 5
Yes

Is the splash page appropriate? 1 2 3 4 5
It works, however, you may want to consider two separate sites, each with their own domain.

Do all elements of the site seem to add value? 1 2 3 4 5
The site is at it’s most basic element. I would consider adding more content.


Navigation
Ease of finding your way around? 1 2 3 4 5
Consider adding a drop-down box for quickly jumping around.

Alternative navigation not depended on images or scripting language? 1 2 3 4 5
No. Also, there is no alternative text for the linked images. This can cause problems for people who their graphics disabled or browsers for the disabled.


Does the navigation adhere to common Web GUI standards? 1 2 3 4 5
For the most part.


Content
How much detail is provided in the content? 1 2 3 4 5
Basics

Is the content broken down into the most basic chunks of information? 1 2 3 4 5
Yes

Are forms used in addition to mail links for contact information? 1 2 3 4 5
Although there are several options for contacting, there are no contact forms. This can be useful for a couple of reasons. One it allows the owner to obtain specific information. Two, not everyone has access to an email client on their computer (work, libraries, schools, etc.)


Graphics
Is the site consistent throughout? 1 2 3 4 5
Yes. The look is professional and consistent. One problem – you have created all your text images as JPEG files. GIF images will take less file space and eliminate the artifacts that you currently have (artifacts are those fuzzy looking things around a JPEG image).

Do the graphics place a heavy burden on download time? 1 2 3 4 5
No, with the above exception.

Are the graphics appropriate for the site's purpose? 1 2 3 4 5
Yes, with the above exception.

Does the site work in multiple resolutions? 1 2 3 4 5
Yes, including WebTV

How is the readability of the text and font choices? 1 2 3 4 5
The ‘onHover’ descriptions of the main links are small and hard to read. The white is a little fuzzy, but this is due to the JPEG artifacts.

Branding - is the site unique and memorable? 1 2 3 4 5
Professional, but not exceptional.


Compatibility
Does the site display and work correctly in both IE and Netscape? 1 2 3 4 5
No problems noticed.

Does the HTML and CSS source code follow standards? 1 2 3 4 5
No major HTML problems noted. CSS is not used. IMHO, I would recommend using it.

Is the site accessible for the disabled? 1 2 3 4 5
No image alt tags used, no table summaries, and nested tables can accessibility issues.


Other
Representative is spelled wrong on the home page of the site design section.



Please note: I am not able to do this for every site. I will try to do it for the 'larger', more complete sites and may just add a few comments to smaller sites and design templates.


[Edited by westmich on 10-21-2000 at 01:35 AM]

[roryaustin]

Hi there

As webmaster of ServicesDir.com I see a lot of sites offering design services. Yours is definitely one of the better looking ones. I think it looks very clean and even elegant and it loads fast too.

Some tips I do have though are that some of the graphics should have transparent backgrounds instead of trying to match the colors exactly. I'm talking about the graphics on the left for each category and one of them in the portfolio section.

If you removed one or two line breaks from the bottom it would probably make the scrollbar on my 800x600 go away and it'll just look nicer.

The links at the top should be moved about 10-20 pixels left because "Contact" is right up against the edge of the window.

Rory

[mconet]

Anyone have any other comments?

[dhtmlshock]

Only two things I didn't "like". They aren't even major.

Your contact graphic runs all the way to the far right edge, so it looked like it was falling off the page, or that should have a horizontal scroll bar.

When I clicked on About, and then Staff, there was no way to get back to the rest of the About sections without clicking the back button.

Looks very good. Keep up the good work. I'll be posting my site for review shortly, and hopefully you'll have some input for it.

[Sparkie]

Hello mconet,

I checked out your site and have the following comments..

-Your main section "about..portfolio..etc." graphics look rather grainy and faded. Try saving them as slightly higher-quality .jpgs to reduce that effect.

-Except for the last photo on your main design page.. I have no idea what those other photos are of!

-I can barely read the mouseover text under the links on the top right section of the site, and I'm using a 640x480 resolution..

-I would change the main photos from one section (CAD/web design) to another.

And thats it for my suggestions. Hope it helps!

[Anders]

Once again I am going to discuss the content. I think it would be great if you could add a small screenshot of every site you've designed. A picture is worth a thousand words Sounds wierd in english but I'm sure you understand this swedish saying anyway.

/Anders

[Grandmaster]

Looks good.
Like the mouseovers and the square pictures beside the navigation text.

At the top i think there should be less white space behind there...

Fill it in with some semi transparent pictues or something..

I donno just an idea.