First oscommerce site

[sumario]

Hi all,

 

This site is for a bedroom furniture retailer in the UK and this is my 1st big project and 1st online store. Now this is not yet finished as in with all the products and company information but all i need is info on the design and maybe give me some pointers.

 

I tried my best to get it away from the stock look but i think something is missing but dont know what.

 

Bedmakeruk.com

 

The index is not finished yet, and no products yet added but i left a some of the test products in it so you can see what it looks like.

 

Store not live so you can make test orders. you wont get charged as the client has said that due to the nature of the business he will do it offline till further notice.

 

Thank you

[spax]

It is pretty difficult to get away from that, 'stock look' I know, however, you haven't quite managed that yet. It is the boxes that keep it looking stock so pay attention to those. Maybe look at other live osC sites and see how they have done that.

 

I like what you have done with your categories, they look good. If you don't need the 'New Products For...' box, losing it would lose some of that stock look.

 

The two nav bars at top and bottom of the page are too thin and the text too small. If you broaden them a bit, they would look better plus you could use the same gif for the box headers. While we're on them, I would lose the 'request since...' information on the bottom bar. It serves no purpose to anyone but you, other than saying not too many people have shopped here yet.

 

With the images you use as icons, at the top of the page. I don't know if that works! People are used to clip art icons rather than images, they could be overlooked.

If you are going to use them, I think you have them in the wrong order. The cart image points to the checkout not to the cart contents. If you are sticking with images, get one of a cash register to use for the checkout and use the cart one for the cart contents.

 

Being as the only live links are the osC ones, I didn't check any of the functionality.

 

Good luck with it!

[andro123]

Hi Like the site. I am trying to find out how to add pictures like the ones that you have at the top of your site. please see my post can you help?

[sumario]

It is pretty difficult to get away from that, 'stock look' I know, however, you haven't quite managed that yet. It is the boxes that keep it looking stock so pay attention to those. Maybe look at other live osC sites and see how they have done that.

 

I like what you have done with your categories, they look good. If you don't need the 'New Products For...' box, losing it would lose some of that stock look.

 

The two nav bars at top and bottom of the page are too thin and the text too small. If you broaden them a bit, they would look better plus you could use the same gif for the box headers. While we're on them, I would lose the 'request since...' information on the bottom bar. It serves no purpose to anyone but you, other than saying not too many people have shopped here yet.

 

With the images you use as icons, at the top of the page. I don't know if that works! People are used to clip art icons rather than images, they could be overlooked.

If you are going to use them, I think you have them in the wrong order. The cart image points to the checkout not to the cart contents. If you are sticking with images, get one of a cash register to use for the checkout and use the cart one for the cart contents.

 

Being as the only live links are the osC ones, I didn't check any of the functionality.

 

Good luck with it!

 

Thank you, all valid points. You are right, it still does look like the stock but having difficulties looking for bits of code but i will keep searching.

 

Icons - Theres an idea, ill do that, swap the cart and checkout images and get a new checkout icon.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

Hi Like the site. I am trying to find out how to add pictures like the ones that you have at the top of your site. please see my post can you help?

 

 

I just removed the scripts from the style sheet to give those bars the background colour and added a backgroun image in the header and footer files.

 

this is a small part from the header.php file:

 

<table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="1" background=images/barback.jpg>
 <tr class="headerNavigation">
<td class="headerNavigation">  <?php echo $breadcrumb->trail(' » '); ?></td>
<td align="right" class="headerNavigation"><?php if (tep_session_is_registered('customer_id')) { ?><a href="<?php echo tep_href_link(FILENAME_LOGOFF, '', 'SSL'); ?>" class="headerNavigation"><?php echo HEADER_TITLE_LOGOFF; ?></a>  |  <?php } ?><a href="<?php echo tep_href_link(FILENAME_ACCOUNT, '', 'SSL'); ?>" class="headerNavigation"><?php echo HEADER_TITLE_MY_ACCOUNT; ?></a>  |  <a href="<?php echo tep_href_link(FILENAME_SHOPPING_CART); ?>" class="headerNavigation"><?php echo HEADER_TITLE_CART_CONTENTS; ?></a>  |  <a href="<?php echo tep_href_link(FILENAME_CHECKOUT_SHIPPING, '', 'SSL'); ?>" class="headerNavigation"><?php echo HEADER_TITLE_CHECKOUT; ?></a>   </td>
 </tr>
</table>
<?php

[sumario]

Hi again,

 

I tried my best with the info box headers, they look much better now. what do you think?

 

I incresed the font size of the text in the foot and header bars, i will remove the requestion count bit and the see if i can remove the trail list and i think that is a bit useless really.

 

I was wondering how can i remove the section, New products for [month], fully as it appears in other sections of the site like when you go to a catergory as well.

 

If you have any other suggestions please do tell.

 

Thankyou. :)

[choosealogin]

To remove the 'new products for..." on both the front page and the cat. pages, find in index.php

 

<?php include(DIR_WS_MODULES . FILENAME_NEW_PRODUCTS); ?>

 

either remove or comment out that line. It appears twice in that file (remove both), once for the index and once for the categories.

 

I noticed that categories is misspelled in the infobox heading cateRgories

 

Is that the 'cool menu' ? I like it. Only one thing, I think there's a trick to where you can "hide" the old stock category menu under it, so people w/javascript disabled will still see a menu. Maybe I worry too much about that, I don't know how many people actually browse w/o it. :huh:

 

Anyway, it's coming along..good luck! :thumbsup:

 

 

 

Hi again,

 

I tried my best with the info box headers, they look much better now. what do you think?

 

I incresed the font size of the text in the foot and header bars, i will remove the requestion count bit and the see if i can remove the trail list and i think that is a bit useless really.

 

I was wondering how can i remove the section, New products for [month], fully as it appears in other sections of the site like when you go to a catergory as well.

 

If you have any other suggestions please do tell.

 

Thankyou. :)

[sumario]

thanks for the infomation.

 

oops, and i did spell it wrong :D

 

Yes it is the cool menu, but the old menu is not under it, its just the info box background and line colour has been added there.

 

Thank you again for your support.

[spax]

That looks better already. Just add, text-align: center; to your stylesheet td.infoBoxHeading rule and that will make the text look better.

 

As for showing stuff to non-javascript users, you could try putting it between <noscript></noscript> tags. I don't know if that works with PHP having never tried but not hard to test.

[sumario]

ok will do.

 

I think you were right by saying to remove the new product bit. makes it look that much better.

[sumario]

Tell me what you think of this suggestion. At the moment i have replaced the address trail in the header bar with the date script. Now would it be an improvement if i put the date script back in the footer and to take its place in the header i put links in to other pages which will make the information info box no longer needed.

 

Tell me if this is wise lol.

 

 

Thankyou.

[enp]

Hi Sumario

 

The checkout button on the right top of your site is not there ( i've used Oprea 8 and Mozilla).

May be you should change the backgroung colour of the categories menu to match the background of the categories box.

 

Good luck with yours site.

[sumario]

yup it wasnt there because i didnt find a replacement yet, now i have :D

 

i dont want the menu to match the background colour as i think it looks better in a dark bold colour. What do you think? Maybe just change it to a different Dark blue or see if i can hide the back ground box all together lol.

 

Thanks.

[spax]

Tell me what you think of this suggestion. At the moment i have replaced the address trail in the header bar with the date script. Now would it be an improvement if i put the date script back in the footer and to take its place in the header i put links in to other pages which will make the information info box no longer needed.

 

Tell me if this is wise lol.

Thankyou.

 

Or you could put them in the footer, where most sites would have them.

 

I agree to shift the date back down to the bottom or somewhere else. At the end of the day, it isn't that important.

I know some don't like it but I think the breadcrumb trail is a valuable part of the navigation. Especially if some of the links go deep, it is easy to click from the trail and it shows where you are. Personally, I would have it back there.

[enp]

The menu was just showing up... try to make it less obvious (colours or something) so the categories will show more.

:)

[sumario]

Or you could put them in the footer, where most sites would have them.

 

I agree to shift the date back down to the bottom or somewhere else. At the end of the day, it isn't that important.

I know some don't like it but I think the breadcrumb trail is a valuable part of the navigation. Especially if some of the links go deep, it is easy to click from the trail and it shows where you are. Personally, I would have it back there.

 

 

Thats also true to put them in the foot. But then i still will have to leave the information box in the page then. but still, should be ok.

 

Well, you make good points in having to keep the breadcrumb trail but i see it as only a good thing to use for the type of menu you have. like the orignal menu, you have to click onto the main category then into the sub cat and so on. As with mine, you can go straight to the cartegory.

 

I think that didnt make sense but oh well lol. Still, thanks for the help.

 

I have now made the menu fit the info box exaclty and looks much better. will change the colour of the menu though, the roller over colour that is.

 

One thing that still bothers me still is the fact that all the info box still look, well stock. or is that just me?

[spax]

It looks stock to us because we know what stock looks like. For us, things like What's New Here? and Welcome Guest!...... really give a stock feel, even the box header text. Unless you do things like merge the boxes into one, remove their headers or completely change them, remove the box theme altogether etc, then they will look stock. But like I said, only to us!

 

Why, if you put the Information links in the footer, would you still need the box? footer.php is called in every page!

[sumario]

Thats what i wanted to know a while back, how can i merge all the info boxes into one?

 

Ill search for the file that puts welcome guest bit in and change it.

 

Reaseon why you may still need the information box is the placement really its basically at the top half of the page. Wont information like about the company, faq, pricy issues, etc pages need to be in sight and not hidden on the bottom of page. For the customers sake really, so they can find it easy.

 

But i think you have been doing this for a long time and know what you are talking about so i just put it all in the footer lol.

[spax]

No man, you do what you think is right.

 

If you look at alot of sites in general, all the policy stuff is tucked away at the bottom. It is called small print and, in some cases, it is not what the proprietor wants you to read.

All I am saying is, if you want to lose a box, that one is a good one to lose as there is a suitable, alternative place, for the information.

[sumario]

ok.

 

After the last thing you said about other sites putting it in the footer as it will be basically the "small print" i will do it.

 

 

I searched thro the contribution and unless im using the wrong term i cannot find out how to merge the info boxes for site. i want to see what it will look like if i do it.

 

Thanks.

[sumario]

Hi again,

 

Well i couldnt find an answer to merge all the boxes together but i tried another way but i dunno, tell me what you think of the site now.

 

Thanks

[chooch]

Many sites are adding the categories menu that you have used, but it actually looks quite good on your site.

 

I like the product listing on the index page - I guess you are working on this right now so I'll wait until something changes on your site before updating.

 

You should in the meantime add this fixed width contribution from Vger, it will take literally 2 mins to install: HERE

[sumario]

i have tried to center the site before but because the nature of the menu, it doesnt center along with the rest of the site. s oi have to change the settings of the menu to be aligned again. But, if you try to resize the window, you can move the menu about which is not really that good.

 

I will try the contribtuion you suggested as i not yet done the center with css yet.

 

Thanks.

[sumario]

:( nope, it centered the shop but didnt take the menu along with it. I like this menu but its really restricting the shops design.

[chooch]

Try adding the 'center shop' contribution from the downloads section and see what happens - remember to back up!

[sumario]

nope, its a no go :(

 

Well if the site looks better now with the boxes then im happy enough. i just use a different menu next time.

 

If you haev any other suggestions to maybe improve the look of the site then please do tell. If not then dont worry, Thanks for all the help :)