[Web4lib] U.Va. Library website design review

[Andrew Hankinson]

Wow - this looks very good!

Some things that I noticed:

1.) I'm not sold on the gradient-shaded search-box - there are no visual
clues that I can actually use that to search. (other than the button next to
it.)

2.) The menu on the top left (check my account, etc.) seems a little messy
and out-of-place.  Do you need to have all those options there?  (i.e.
"Branches" as a menu item seems a little redundant, since you have a menu
for branches right below it.)

3.) The footer at the bottom could use some lovin'. (but that's probably on
the to-do list)

Andrew

On 5/9/07, John Loy <jml4n at virginia.edu> wrote:
>
> We've just posted a draft of a new design for the U.Va. Library
> homepage at <http://lab.lib.virginia.edu>, and would really
> appreciate any suggestions and comments on it from the Web4Lib
> community.
>
> Please keep in mind that this is very much a work-in-progress, and
> several things aren't working yet, most notably the search box. Most
> of the links in this version work, but they will take you to the
> site's current live pages, not ones reflecting the new design. The
> design concept; including typography, colors, layout, and other
> visual elements; will be applied before long to templates for the
> rest of the site. Those templates will be included in the next
> posting to our online "Lab".
>
> In the rush to get the page up by our deadline, we haven't tested
> very thoroughly. So the html and CSS may not completely validate yet,
> the CSS may not render quite right in older browsers like IE5, and
> we've undoubtedly not covered every accessibility detail.
>
> We've also started a blog at <http://uvalibwebdev.wordpress.com/>
> where you can find out what's coming next in our design process,
> learn about the technology running behind the site, and get links to
> sites in which we're finding inspiration.
>
> Please send feedback to webmanager_library at virginia.edu. If you
> respond to the list, please Cc that address.
>
>
> Many thanks,
> --
> John Loy
> Web Designer
> University of Virginia Library
> phone: (434) 924-7099
> fax: (434) 924-1431
> 552 Alderman Library
> http://lib.virginia.edu
>
>
>
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