The latest major change: the bottom half of the homepage now includes links to the brand pages, from which you can get to a page where all the site’s informaton for a specific model is either displayed or directly linked to. This should make it easier for people seeking information on a single model. As part of this change, “reviews”… More →
Category: Website Design
Website Design
Site design tweaks
People tell me the site could be easier to use. A more thorough redesign is coming, but in the short term I’ve made some tweaks, and they seem to be helping. 1. Reduced wordcount on the home page and the main reliability page. 2. Removed some extraneous design elements. 3. Placed text about the on-site surveys below the log in, so… More →
The blog and the growth of the panel
My top priority, by a wide margin, is growing the panel to a point where TrueDelta can provide solid reliability information on all popular models. This was a major reason I started this blog, because a few people suggested it would make the site more attractive to potential members.
Improving usability
Many people continue to find the site difficult to use. So based on one member’s advice (with which the site’s designer concurred) I read Steve Krug’s Don’t Make Me Think, a classic in the website usability genre. It’s a quick read, and I picked up some useful tips. I’ve spent the last couple of days improving the organization of the… More →
Verbs
I’ve had a few people complain that the site is confusing, and while I’ve certainly felt their pain I’ve been at a loss concerning what to do about it. Then last night I received an email that gave me a helpful clue: it’s too hard to figure out which links lead to the surveys, and which lead to the results of… More →
The cars pictured in the header
I’ve been charged a few times with being biased against domestic cars simply based on the cars depicted in the header: an Acura TL, a Kia Sportage, and a Honda Odyssey. I suppose an explanation of how these cars were selected is long overdue.
Failure to communicate
I’m always asking for feedback on the site’s design. Responses generally fall into two groups: 1. Couldn’t be simpler 2. Couldn’t be more confusing Being the sort of person I am, I focus on the latter group. Which is usually a group of two or three, out of over 8,000 members, but I assume that for every person who speaks… More →
Website design – why so hard?
This morning’s article over at The Truth About Cars discusses the poor state of automotive website design based on an interview with a firm that studies it. I agree that most manufacturer sites are poorly designed. But I’m not sure I agree with the specific sites singled out. For example, MINI’s site is mentioned as one of the best. Yes, it’s flashy… More →