New web site feedback.

[Devil's Rule]

I've been working on an idea to develop a site for Banff and the surrounding area, and I came across the idea of integrating Google maps along with the street view option so that any potential visitors reviewing a property can see what things really look like.

So here it is BanffIndex.com, as you can see it is still in the early stages, but I anticipate that it will have sufficient content by the end of February to become quite useful.

Any feedback is welcome, thanks.

[FanIn80]

This might be a bit nitpicky... but it should say "Follow us ON Twitter" instead of "in Twitter."

[KTrain]

It looks good. However, it is a free Wordpress template you're using so your design isn't unique. If you're planning to continue to use the template, you should consider modifying so that it is has more of a Banff feel to it.

FanIn80 is right. It should be Follow Us On Twitter. That's a supplied image file though so you're either going to have get the PSD file from the designer or make a new one yourself.

[Cheese]

hmmm..well honestly...boring.
I dont see anything that would catch my eye past all of the other Banff websites. Im not sure I would visit yours specifically for the purpose you mentioned. This is just my opinion though and not worth a sh1te.

[MickMcGeough]

Structurally, it's too wide. You'd be surprised how many people still run 1024x768, and your site will create horizontal scrollbars at that res.

Style-wise, the monospaced serif font you use on the 'buttons' seems out-of-place.

Just a personal peeve, but unless you're doing something fancy with your text, use text, not images.

I agree with the others - it's a bit dry. For this type of website, especially starting out, I'd suggest going for a design with a bit more pop.

ETA: Just read KTrain's post. If all you're doing is using a free wordpress theme, why ask for feedback on the site? You can google a hundred comments on the other hundred websites that look exactly the same. Ask for feedback on the business idea.

[Devil's Rule]

Originally Posted by MickMcGeough

Structurally, it's too wide. You'd be surprised how many people still run 1024x768, and your site will create horizontal scrollbars at that res.

Style-wise, the monospaced serif font you use on the 'buttons' seems out-of-place.

Just a personal peeve, but unless you're doing something fancy with your text, use text, not images.

I agree with the others - it's a bit dry. For this type of website, especially starting out, I'd suggest going for a design with a bit more pop.

ETA: Just read KTrain's post. If all you're doing is using a free wordpress theme, why ask for feedback on the site? You can google a hundred comments on the other hundred websites that look exactly the same. Ask for feedback on the business idea.

Thanks for all the comments.

The site is very dry and not much content or functions at this point. It is using a free WordPress template, which I find quite simple but clean and eventually would be modifying the overall look and feel.

MickMcGeough, you are absolutely right in that I should of and meant to ask for feedback business/purpose of the site versus the overall appearance (but I value that input as well).

The idea is to provide an actual view of the hotel,restaurant, shops, etc... with no fancy picture edits provided by the business owners, using Google's StreetView functionality. A more honest impression of the surroundings. I've traveled quite a few places and booking online can be sometimes a hit and miss. The online pictures provide amazing views, but when you arrive there is a 7-11 neon sign blinking away.

Eventually, I'll be looking to incorporate an events calendar and a deals/specials section....possibly an Ask a local forum.

Thanks again to all the feedback, I really appreciate it.

BTW: I too thought that the Twitter tag at the top right should of read "follow us on Twitter", w=it will be changes soon enough.

[Devil's Rule]

So I've added some properties to the site, here is an example of the Mount Royal Hotel in Banff . Currently working on a new logo for the site and tweaking a calendar of events for users to post in.

Cheers

[MickMcGeough]

I like seeing the street view in action. I tend to check destinations out in street view anyway so I think having it integrated with your site is a good idea.

A couple suggestions:
- I'd increase the height of the street view - it's pretty narrow as it is. The first thing I was trying to do was find a way to make the view larger.
- I know you've heard it, but ditch the free wordpress theme. It's boring and will be familiar to some people.
- Does google have an API or some other way of hooking into their review data? I wouldn't rely on your own users providing usable review information for awhile, at the very least I'd be looking for a way to hook someone else's already-established ratings into your site, if that's possible

ETA: I see that you can minimize the map in the street view to the corner - I'd default to that perspective if I were you.

[Devil's Rule]

Originally Posted by MickMcGeough

I like seeing the street view in action. I tend to check destinations out in street view anyway so I think having it integrated with your site is a good idea.

A couple suggestions:
- I'd increase the height of the street view - it's pretty narrow as it is. The first thing I was trying to do was find a way to make the view larger.
- I know you've heard it, but ditch the free wordpress theme. It's boring and will be familiar to some people.
- Does google have an API or some other way of hooking into their review data? I wouldn't rely on your own users providing usable review information for awhile, at the very least I'd be looking for a way to hook someone else's already-established ratings into your site, if that's possible

ETA: I see that you can minimize the map in the street view to the corner - I'd default to that perspective if I were you.

Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it.

I had the same thought on making the streetview larger, ideally I would be able to have 3/4 of the map or streetview and the bottom 1/4 for the map. I'm not sure how intuitive it would be for the end user to only see a small square for the map.

I looked into the Google comments in relation to Google maps, and as it turns out, they are leveraging TripAdvisor and Yelp for their comments. As an alternative, I might look at the IntenseDebate plugin.

Thanks again for all the feedback.

[Bill Bumface]

Checking your Mount Royal example, lots of font spacing issues.

The beginning of the 'M' in the title "Mount Royal" is cut off, and the "be first to leave a comment" is overlapping all of the little icons in that area.

I'm also running IE 6 at work because my company makes money off rotting dinosaurs, so using browsers from their time seems like a good idea to them still.

[MickMcGeough]

Originally Posted by Devil's Rule

I had the same thought on making the streetview larger, ideally I would be able to have 3/4 of the map or streetview and the bottom 1/4 for the map. I'm not sure how intuitive it would be for the end user to only see a small square for the map.

I meant that the small square shows the user a place to click on to see the larger map. Even the half-sized map is useless for navigation purposes.

As a consumer of the service, a hotel's location on a map is only useful if I already know the city enough to be familiar with the area I'm looking at, or I've already chosen to stay there and need directions. If I understand your target - tourists who are trying to evaluate their options - they don't fall into either category.

If I were you I'd focus on the street view - a good, unbiased pic of the place. If you want to show a map, I'd show a separate map and put markers on the map showing how close the place is to other attractions/hotels/restaurants. That way it's a navigational tool as well as another thing to consider when choosing a place.

[DownhillGoat]

Just out of curiosity, where's the picture on the homepage taken from? It looks like the top of Mt. Baldy.

If it is, would it not make sense to have a pic from a mountain in Banff on the homepage of a site called Banffindex.com?

[Devil's Rule]

Originally Posted by kunkstyle

Just out of curiosity, where's the picture on the homepage taken from? It looks like the top of Mt. Baldy.

If it is, would it not make sense to have a pic from a mountain in Banff on the homepage of a site called Banffindex.com?

Thanks for the feedback :-) The picture is of Peyto Lake in Banff National Park, just off of highway 93 North, heading to Jasper from Lake Louise. here is a really cool Google satellite image, note how close the glacier is. I've swam in many mountain bodies of water and this one was the coldest.

Originally Posted by MickMcGeough

I meant that the small square shows the user a place to click on to see the larger map. Even the half-sized map is useless for navigation purposes.

As a consumer of the service, a hotel's location on a map is only useful if I already know the city enough to be familiar with the area I'm looking at, or I've already chosen to stay there and need directions. If I understand your target - tourists who are trying to evaluate their options - they don't fall into either category.

If I were you I'd focus on the street view - a good, unbiased pic of the place. If you want to show a map, I'd show a separate map and put markers on the map showing how close the place is to other attractions/hotels/restaurants. That way it's a navigational tool as well as another thing to consider when choosing a place.

That is a good suggestion, to focus on the street view image and minimize the map. I actually looked at that for the properties and locations that had their images taken on narrower street, like the Brewster Mountain Lodge. I might look at a blended approach to that suggestion.

I did add a google map on the front page for all properties, and then they can navigate to a profile page in that manner (still under development).