Website Redesign

Fox River Wines

After a few attempts at selecting a site to base my research and project on (and grateful feedback from Edwin and Students) I've settled on a very basic site for Fox River Wines that is a great initiative ... especially since I love wine :)
(Might need to do a few wine samples along the way, eh!)

• Site was created by a web developer ... although it is simple in nature, there may be many reasons to why this site is the way it is:

• Site owner requested a simple layout
• Low budget and therefore basic page service
• Add-on pages as required, therefore resulting in broken links and no uniform layout from on page to the next
• Site not maintained on a regular basis
• Web page not important to the owner (however this is a downfall I will address in later posts)
• Web developer not experienced or lacks usability knowledge
  

• Site developed with HTML Frames - a total of 7 pages
  
• Pages are very simple, basic colours and uninteresting - almost un-engaging
  
• The 'About Us' page doesn't contain links to other pages at all, therefore using the back button within a browser is required to access alternate page links
• There is little or no consistency of links between pages ... they appear in different locations and layouts from page to page making it difficult to navigate the site
• The Wine list page contains broken links (suspect developer has removed pages or changed attribute)
  
• A small yet unnoticeable link to a parent site (Goundrey Wines) and the developers link (Reynolds Technology) is present only on the Wine List page.
• The site has a simple order system with ability to enter credit card details .. however, the site is NOT encrypted (oh dear)
• Snail Mail postage details are visible
  
• The site also includes a radio button to subscribe to a mailing list (however, it doesn't specify if this is an electronic or snail mail subscription OR what the subscription provides)
• The site does not have any facility to 'unsubscribe' or 'cancel' orders. I assumed this would be done over the phone
  

Proposed Site Objectives

• Revisit current content and update as necessary
  
• Repair or remove broken links and / or pages that not functional
• Assess current pages and add / remove as required
• Create a simple, snappy and easy layout for navigation, speed and information
• Update images, fonts and colour scheme
• (Additional objectives to be review as research continues)
  

Comparision Sites for Research and Usability Testing

1. Foates Ridge Boutique Wines
2. Margaret River Wine Centre
3. Goundrey Wines
   

Next Steps
From here, I'll begin checking out some easy and functional sites. In addition, reading and research on successful site development and usability will take place.