Need some feedback...please :)

[jwsfun]

We're coming along slowly but surely (as time permits) and we'd like some more input on where our site stands today...

I'm new at php/css and self-teaching as I go along (wish I had the time to take courses on all this). I've gotten a lot of help along the way and I sincerely appreciate everyone who's had a hand in getting the site to where it is now.

Please take a look...Thanks! :D

 

Bluefiregifts.com

[ChrisHoward]

A few tips from me:

 

>It really needs to fit the screen as people hate scrolling horizontally.

>It lacks a sense of proffesionallness as this is portrayted via the colouring.

>It needs to have an introduction/home text

 

But it does have a very very very good potential.

 

Hope this helps :D

[burt]

At last, somehting different to normal Oscommerce! Nice work overall, but there are some things that you should think about;

 

1. User of 800 x 600 resolution. Your site does not fit because of the large buttons along the top.

2. Have a think about extending the site to a fluid 100% design - I think it would look better.

3. Do you think the Poll helps your customers to purchase ?

4. Don;t know why you've got the php and sql logos. Do they help your customers to purchase ?

5. No product descriptions ??!!??

 

You have a good start, but you need to concentrate more on what will make potential customers become real customers.

[jwsfun]

Gary,

 

I appreciate your knowledge and insight...In response:

 

1. It didn't fit because of the settings in the header.php file, which has been corrected.

2. 100% it is...:)

3. I have the polls on the site mainly because our target customers are those who are "addicted" to their favorite films and are collectors (whether fair-weather or diehard) of various film (and tv) related merchandise. As you know, everyone has an opinion...and this is just an amusement for those interested. It's certainly not a permanent aspect or site attraction, but we plan to keep the polls available for a trial period once we go live.

4. Good point...Answer: No. I just put them there temporarily as I was experimenting with revamping the footer.

5. Yeah, I know...In haste to get items displayed, many of the products haven't been afforded product descriptions. This will, of course, be remedied before the site goes live.

 

(By the way, since I'm new to all this, I could sure use your expertise in using drop-shadows...I'm struggling with this and haven't had any success creating "div" classes, et all, to accomplish this)

 

********************************************************************

 

Chris,

 

Please see above responses...I'm not sure why you dislike the coloring, but taste is relative and we're intent on keeping the color scheme as is. Besides, it's relative to the site name in a small way. We like it and don't think many customers will object or leave the site simply because of not liking the colors being used.

As far as an introduction/home text, yes, it will have this when time permits but it's one of the last things on the "to do" list with respect to site design.

Thanks for your valuable input :).

[Tariq]

I really like it, and commend you for being able to accomplish what you have without prior knowledge when you started!!

 

Im still pretty "Stock" looking, but am trying to change that as much as I can as I go :) I think our site will be a "Forever Work in Progress" LOL

 

Anyway :)

 

The signin/profile/andsuch links on the right of the header get lost... They are almost im[possible to see without looking directly at them because they blend with the blue/white already there. Maybe exchange them with the Search Link??? Big possible, but not sure how it would pan out.

 

Also, I am showing an   on each input in the Sire Info infobox, and in the Footer.

 

Where did you get the dinky Paypal Verified logo down there? I hate the one on the site I did ;/

 

I really like the images around the products. That looks sharp. LOL How did you do that? Just inserted them? Considering doing images around my infoboxes. Not sure how it will go. Gotta play with that..

 

The One infobox outside of the polls is great. Very clean appearance.

 

Good job, and keep it up! You are definastely on your way! Wish I learned as well as you have :( :)

[jwsfun]

Melina,

 

Thanks for the compliments...I'm a long way from finished as well. I work on the site when I have the time and it's coming along slowly but surely.

 

The links in the header...Take another look: I "smudged" the color a bit so there isn't so much white behind the link text. I spent way too much time finding out the right way to get the links, search box and "logo" into place to change the way the header looks (for now anyway).

 

The " " problem should be gone by now.

 

PayPal logo: A combination of two logos, merged together and shrunken down to fit into the footer. Piece of cake, really.

 

Images around the products...You mean the border around the pics, or the "separator" that "wraps" (not quite) around the image/product info?

 

Borders in your stylesheet (insert after TD.productListing-data):

 

td.productListing-data img {
border: 1px darkblue solid;
} 
td.productListing-data a:hover img {
border: 1px orange solid;
}

table.infoBoxContents td.smalltext img {
border: 1px darkblue solid;
}

table.infoBoxContents td.smalltext a:hover img {
border: 1px orange solid;
}

td.smalltext img {
border: 1px darkblue solid;
} 

td.smalltext a:hover img {
border: 1px orange solid;
}

 

This will put borders around almost all the images on your site. Change the pixel, color and style to suit your needs. Any images that are unaffected, you will have to create a new class for them in the stylesheet.

 

As far as the "separators" go, this is a "bastardization" of the includes/modules/new_products.php file, which is displayed when viewing your default.php (or index.php). I just made the images and through trial and error found the right place to put them.

 

Good luck and thanks again for sharing your thoughts :).

[Guest]

Hi,

 

Nice looking site.

 

When browsing the Movie Posters it initially shows 4 classic posters and 4 contemporary, I went in and viewed one of them when I went back to Movie Posters is displayed a different set, is it displaying random posters? How do I view all posters? (without the "all products" which is too many to scroll through)

[hilgie]

Hi,

 

The thing with the most of you I don't understand is why do you upload a website into your main domain name (your selling area) when it's not finished yet?

 

We are talking about an e-commerce web site here and it's not done yet.

It's better to have no site then a site that's not finished an therefore people not returning.

 

Just my 2c.

 

Greetz,

 

Danny

[jwsfun]

Mike,

 

Thanks for looking and for the compliment...I've got a long way to go yet.

I'm not sure why you're having an issue with viewing the posters category. Funny thing is, there's only ONE "contemporary" poster that's been uploaded so far.

You should be able to click on the movie posters tab in the header, be redirected to the two subcategories and then view eight (8) randomly selected posters (you'd still be on the default.php page at this point). Clicking on one of the subcategories, "classics" for example, will then redirect you to a different layout of eight posters, with the previous and next links located at the top and the bottom of the page. Clicking on next will navigate through the posters in this subcategory.

So, anyway...If you're initially in the subcategories where it's showing the "classics" and "contemporary" links above the eight posters displayed, clicking one of these and then returning to the subs will show new posters. My new_products.php file is altered to display random products this way, which is why you're seeing this happen.

 

Danny,

 

If you've read this entire thread, you should understand that I am new to all of this and have never built a site before osCommerce. This is the only way I know how, so it's how I'll go about it. Thanks for your input though :).

[Guest]

Ah right.

 

See I thought it was showing a heading "Classics" with 4 posters underneath it and another heading "Contemporary" with 4 posters underneath it. It wasn't obvious to me that those headings are actually links to their relative sections.

 

Now being a computer programmer I am usually fine navigating websites etc but your site wasn't intuitive for me, probably because there are no breadcrumbs or a products listing on the left (as standard osCommerce) it is difficult to know where you are within the site.

 

You may need to consider adding some navigation aids, just so you don't lose customers that can't find what they are looking for/browsing for.

 

What are the sizes for your posters in is it inches, centimetres?