Watchband.biz website critique
I haven’t worn a watch since my last one was ripped from my arm by a drunken hooligan, but I’ve been asked to write a website critique for Watchband.biz, an e-commerce site where you can order replacement high-end watch straps / bands. If you’re unfamiliar with Watchband, I think your first impressions would disappoint.
The colours are bland and give the site a heavy feel. This certainly isn’t helped by the small text which is a strain on the eye. I’d suggest increasing the type size and also bumping up the leading (space between the lines). The left navigation column is black with white text. I’ve never been much of a fan of this combination, especially when the text is as small as it is here. I’d prefer to see perhaps a light pastel tone for the background with dark text. Much easier to read.
I must say though, after taking a look at the site content I was surprised to see the wealth of different watch straps and bands available, it’s just a shame that the first impressions let the content down.
Tucked away at the bottom of each page is the footer navigation. There’s some good info down there so why not show it up top? Information such as tutorials to help you choose the right type of watch band and sizing guides so your watch will actually fit shouldn’t be an after-thought, as it seems on the site.
There’s some nice photography on there too, which is hidden away from the homepage. I’m sure that the site would be more appealing with some striking imagery on the first page. Brighten it up with more white rather than dark blue and black. This will give the customer a more pleasant visit.
There are a lot of excellent customer testimonials on the site which is vital when selling a product or service. The testimonial page is very dull looking however. How about some photos of people? Even if they’re not the actual people who wrote the testimonials this would surely aid the cause.
The Watchband.biz logo isn’t the worst I’ve seen, but what’s the idea behind it?
I guess it can be interpreted to show strength, as you’d want from your new watch band / strap. It can be printed two colour (red and black) which will help keep costs down on items such as stationery and receipts. In times like these I’d love to see some sketches to fully understand why the designer has chosen the final outcome.
To wrap this up, if I wore a watch and needed a new watchstrap, I’d pay a visit to Watchband.biz and browse their collection of products.
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7 appreciated comments to “Watchband.biz website critique”
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“The Watchband.biz logo isn’t the worst I’ve seen”. That’s subtle :-D
Yeah, the overall look and feel of the site is heavy indeed. The logo in Impact(?) is not doing anything to help this, either.
The target audience has not been addressed at all, and my guess is that the designer couldn’t care less. People buying a 202 dollar watch band of alligator skin are people who are more conscious about aesthetics than others, and this could – should – be taken advantage of when designing a site like this. Elegance, exclusivity and simplicity.
To build trust, the Visa, Mastercard and FedEx logos could be more visible. Considering the footer navigation, you’re right. The sizing page, for instance, should be shown earlier.
David,
I enjoyed your logo posts. Stuff like that seems to be pretty rare, so keep up.
- A
Great review!
The first paragraph of text the hyperlinks are invisible until you roll over them. Now I presume they have done this because they aren’t really meant to be clicked on, more a SEO aspect than functional and design one. On the subject of SEO the URL’s are not search engine friendly. The site would almost benefit from friendly URL’s.
Eg http://www.watchband.biz/watchbands-rubber-synthetic
rather than…
http://www.watchband.biz/pi-509976714.htm?categoryId=26
Asgeir, yes, subtlety is my strong point. ;) I agree that more emphasis could be placed on trust-building .
Thanks for letting me know you enjoy my logo posts. I’ll come up with some more soon.
Cheers ilker.
Terinea, thanks for your feedback too. You make very valid points. I didn’t have time to go into more detail so your input is extremely welcome.
The design and SEO has been made the site owner, not a professional, and on top of a JS heavy content management system. I am well aware of the lack of “elegance, exclusivity and simplicity” (agreed, Asgeir). So you all, why not send me a quote for a new design. After all, I would be happy to freshen up the site.
The left navigation actually makes me dizzy looking at it. White text on black background is a big no-no in any sort of design. IF you MUST use white on black, make the white text bold since the black actually “sucks” away the white text.
Michael,
Many thanks for stopping by, and for requesting the review of Watchband.biz in the first place. I hope it is of use for you.
Sean,
I agree with you about the white on black.