Testing a new site design

[andrewr]

Hi everyone,

I'm working an a re-design of my personal site and I have a couple test pages up that I would like some feedback on. You can access the new homepage at the url below and then follow the link to the one portfolio that is up now. None of the other links are working yet.

http://www.xcelco.on.ca/~aross/index_nov03.htm

I'm trying some image transistions that only work with IE for Windows, but they should degrade to standard image swaps in other browsers/OS. There is a slide show on the home page and mouseover transitions on the portfolio page.

I'd like to know how these transistions work, how long the portfolio page takes to load, and how the pages look in other browsers/os, especially Mac. Any other comments are also welcome.

Cheers,

Andrew

[jlphotog]

Andrew,

I love the transition of the images. It was all very smooth. The portfoilio page loaded very fast. No unusual waiting involved.

Jan
jlphotog (http://www.jlphotog.com)

[andrewr]

Thanks Jan. Are you using a high-speed internet connection?

[jlphotog]

Sorry Andrew, should have said in my other post. Yes I'm using hi speed ADSL. Even with that your portfolio loaded faster than a lot of pages I have been to.

Jan
jlphotog (http://www.jlphotog.com)

[Paul Hartley]

Hey Andrew,
Love it, very nice design. The front page preview, thumbnail navigation, display and transition of images all very nice. I'm on a network and as expected was quick.
What software are you using to create the site? Flash?
Paul.

[andrewr]

Quote[/b] (Paul Hartley @ Nov. 17 2003,02:24)]What software are you using to create the site? Flash?
Thanks for the comments Paul. I'm using Macromedia Dreamweaver and the site is just plain old html. The image transistions are made possible by using a free extension for Dreamweaver. I think you can hand code it too, but the extension makes it much easier.

I thought about learning Flash for the redesign, but realized I just don't have time and I also want the site to be as easy as possible to update. Another reason is a recent lawsuit against Microsoft that may drastically change the way Flash sites work in future browsers and may require many existing Flash sites to be modified.

Cheers,

Andrew

[Alastair]

Hey Andrew,
Looks pretty good in Safari on my little Mac. *I like the transitions. *And I think it's best not to use Flash, if you can help it. *I find that the biggest compliment I get about my site is that it loads quickly and it loads properly for everyone who is using it. *Yours seems to do the same. *Let us know when it's up and running and live.

Alastair.

[andrewr]

Thanks Alastair. I didn't think the transistions would work on a Mac, but I'm glad to hear they do. I agree with you about Flash and really don't like most of the sites I see using it. You can certainly do some pretty cool things with it, but I find most designers just do it because they can and they want to show off their skills.

Cheers and I'll let you know when I have more of the site up and running. If anyone is using a dial-up connection I'd still like to hear how long the portfolio page takes to load.

[Peter Wm Richardson]

Hi Andrew:
Better late than never. Since moving to the farm, I am now saddled with dial-up and your site loads and transitions and runs very well. I didn't time it but the images came up within a few seconds and the transitions were instantaneous by comparison. Very, very nice!
Cheers,
Peter

[RayS]

http://www.canphoto.net/iB312_html/non-cgi/emoticons/blues.gif Looks good I agree with your statement of :

I thought about learning Flash for the redesign, but realized I just don't have time and I also want the site to be as easy as possible to update.

At one point in time I used all kinds of image display tools - Now I use the KISS Rule!

Ray Sproull

[Omar Ray]

Quote[/b] (andrewr @ Nov. 15 2003,10:12)]Hi everyone,

I'm working an a re-design of my personal site and I have a couple test pages up that I would like some feedback on. You can access the new homepage at the url below and then follow the link to the one portfolio that is up now. None of the other links are working yet.

http://www.xcelco.on.ca/~aross/index_nov03.htm

I'm trying some image transistions that only work with IE for Windows, but they should degrade to standard image swaps in other browsers/OS. There is a slide show on the home page and mouseover transitions on the portfolio page.

I'd like to know how these transistions work, how long the portfolio page takes to load, and how the pages look in other browsers/os, especially Mac. Any other comments are also welcome.

Cheers,

Andrew
Hi Andrew,
<p> the images load with no problem.. and almost when right away when you visit that page....

i like the layout... good job ..

regards
Omar

[gwinterb]

Looks great on my Mac using a high speed connection! Nice clean design. I agree with the points re: Flash. It is difficult to update and frustrating when someone just wants to see your portfolio quickly without waiting around for your intro to load.
I'm currently redesigning my site specifically for these reasons and I'm curious what the extension is that you used for Dreamweaver?

[andrewr]

Quote[/b] (gwinterb @ April 26 2004,07:38)]I'm curious what the extension is that you used for Dreamweaver?
Thanks for the feedback. I'm still picking away at my site, but it's almost ready.

The DW extension is called Swap Trans Image and you can find it at dmxzone.com (http://www.dmxzone.com/showDetail.asp?TypeId=3&NewsId=5159).

Cheers,

Andrew