TDP Homepage redesign

Just starting a thread where people can comment on the recent change to the TDP homepage.

I have a few comments to get things started.

I know you're trying to put as much information as possible onto the page, but there isn't enough separation between the four columns of camera/lens review/info/etc and the news feed. It feels like a giant wall of bullet points. I'm not sure what would produce the best separation: background color changes, a vertical divider line, slight font size change, or something else, or a combination. Right now it's an overwhelming wall of stuff, and may drive first time visitors away.

Immediately below that, we get the images for the lens comparison tools and sample pictures... except that it nearly (but not quite) lines up with an image-based ad, which is about the same size. Again, the lack of separation of content types isn't ideal, and the nearly aligned nature of the layout makes it look broken. I think here, we don't need to see as much of the ISO chart as we see. What if these images were half-height. The top of the ISO chart, and a nice panorama landscape image. It reduces the user scrolling. It separates the content from the ad, and hopefully reduces the confusion over the slightly mis-aligned image. It would use less bandwidth too.

The Facebook, Twitter, ect. Buttons are in three sections on the front page and could be condensed into one area to free up room. It might also be nice to have Adorama-sized buttons for the main groupings of gear reviews, pics, and tips. Currently (on my android phone) there seems to be a lot of room in the middle, and the text for reviews is pushed tight up against the Logo/main picture. Nitpicking thoughts more than anything, but it's free nitpicking thoughts;)

IMO, some of the wording in each bullet point is redundant and can be eliminated ...

Canon Lens Information

Lens Recommendations:
◾General Purpose Lens
◾Telephoto Zoom Lens
◾Wide Angle Lens
◾Portrait Lens
◾Wedding Lens
◾Outdoor Sports Lens
◾Indoor Sports Lens
◾Macro Lens
◾Wildlife Lens
◾Landscape Lens
◾Best Bargain Lens

◾Used Canon Lenses
◾Canon L Lens Series
◾Gray Market Lenses
◾Zoom vs. Prime Lens
◾Age of a Canon Lens
◾Canon Lens Rebates
◾More Lens Info ...

I think since that heading already states that it is Canon Lens Information, the word lens isn't necessary in each bullet. Underneath that, it again reads Lens Recommendation. It could just read Recommendation For: and then just list with each bullet just list ...Wedding, Macro, Outdoors, L Series, Gray Market, etc. etc., Zoom vs. Prime and just list the word Rebates in that bullet since the heading again already lists that it is "Canon Lenses". Less wording would make it seem less jam packed.

Again, just my opinion. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the suggestions everyone - I'm grateful for them! And I'm listening/thinking.

Sean explained to me the reason for the wordiness in each bullet so disregard my comments! That is why I'm not a web designer! So, now I will change my comment to, "Good Job, Bryan"! :D

Ignore mine too. Thought I cleared my cache out. Guess not. Still like bigger buttons for main topics though.

Thanks for listening Bryan and Sean. A subtle change, but it's a vast improvement in flow and readability. The new bigger Adorama, and B&H logos push everything down nicely on the right-hand edge. It's much easier on the eyes now that all the headings align, and, as a bonus, the picture ad is now offset from the other images.

That's great to hear, David! Thanks for the additional feedback.

I have one suggestion for readability/user friendliness. In the reviews section, specifically in the 3rd-party and Nikon reviews, many of the postings are not actually reviews. There is a photo of the lens, and a statement that the site hopes someday to have a review. That is all fine, certainly, but can get a little frustrating to site visitors who are browsing through that section. After a few strike-outs, you tend to quit looking at the other "reviews", so ironically all the work that went into doing actual reviews on some of the lenses is wasted, as most people won't click on all the "duds" to find all the real reviews.

I think it would be clearer, and would avoid potential frustration, if there were some way to know (without clicking each one) which ones are actually a review, and which ones are merely a link to a place-holder photograph. It could be as simple as an asterisk next to the ones that are just place-holders, with a footnote below explaining the meaning of the asterisks. Or, you could have a separate heading for these, so there would be headings for "Reviews" and "Discontinued Lenses" (as we already see) and now also a heading/grouping for "Photo Only."

Just my 2 cents. I really enjoy the site, and value the reviews.

Scott - Thanks for the suggestion - that is a good idea.

I tackled the Nikon pages in bulk with a red message at the top of the page. I need to give more thought on how I can indicate full reviews vs. test results on the other pages. I'll likely need to add something to the database to allow this feature.

Getting all of those reviews completed would of course be an even better solution. :)

Thanks again,

Bryan