SITE REVIEW: http://cssfreelancer.atspace.com

Hello forum,

After a long break, I am back with my first online portfolio at http://cssfreelancer.atspace.com.

Would appreciate it if you review my site please. I am open to any critics. So just say anything.

I am also looking for some related websites to exchange links. Anybody interested let me know please.

thanks

I read about one sentence, and then I just gave up ... It's waaaaayyyy too long, why not split it up into different pages ... ? So instead of having anchors on the same page, split those up into different pages ...

I'm glad to see that you have a W3C Valid page, that's always good ...

Design-wise I don't like it at all, those colours bother me (the orange red and green together with the standard blue links ...), then those buttons are too "old-school" for me ...

I agree about the page length, much too long. Also to make your page look a bit more professional, I would justify the text. The colours don't blend, try making them more subtle.

o.k. Thanks a lot for your reviews.

@ righteous_trespasser: It is a good idea to split pages rather than having all the info on the same page if you do not provide some means of navigation to make the page more usable which I have stated it in my portfolio (since you gave up reading so you did not see it ) However once there is enough navigation links on the page, it is not necessary to split the page into more pages.

Now as a user why you expect that links should direct you to other pages? Why do you think that if i split it up to some pages you will be reading more of my portfolio and you will not give up reading? what makes you to get bored when the information is located on the same page?

@ joanne_r : why do you think that justifying texts will make it more professional? which online reference can you provide for you speech in this regard?

inregards to the colors, could you be more specific. Give me something to work this is one of the rules . Which colors I should use and where?

would appreciate it if you answer the questions that i asked from righteous_trespasser too please .

because I looked at the page, and realized that I have to read a whole book ... but if some of the content was on the home page it would give me some relief seeing that it's not too much, then I would move on to the next page and see that it's not that much to read, and read it, then the next, then the next, and before I know it, I would've read the whole site's content without it feeling so much ...

o.k thanks for replies.

I disagree. Even if you provide enough anchors and links, using a single page for all of your content will often overwhelm a visitor, giving them the impression that it is going to take forever to read through your content. Many people are turned off by the thought of reading a web page that goes on and on and on.

Splitting the site up into pages gives a more logical, intuitive feel for users to take in information at a pace that they set. Visitors will be much more inclined to read a page if, upon seeing the page, they know that they can actually finish reading the content in front of them in a timely manner.


When I click on one of your buttons, let's say Contact, for example, I am taken to that portion of the page. However, now I want to look at a different part of your site. To get to another page, I have to click Back To Top, and then click the button I want. This extra step will turn off a lot of visitors who are expecting to always have a menu easily accessible.

Alright, on to some of the things I've noticed:

You use some boxes to hold content on your site, but they contain no padding and look somewhat incomplete in a way. For example, the paragraph that starts with "Accessibility can be thought of as "providing..." is in such a box. Some padding around the edges would make it look much better.

The purple boxes don't seem to fit in with the rest of the colors.

I also agree with righteous_trespasser about the buttons, they look too outdated, too early 90's-ish.

For your color scheme, I can see how you're basing it around the header image, but the red, orange, green, blue, purple, it's all just too much going on and makes the site seem a little disorganized. Try narrowing your colors down to two or three and stick with them throughout the site. For example, the blue text on orange background for your section headers does not blend well.

Finally, the background color just seems a bit off in my opinion. I can't quite put my finger on it, but the creme color just seems too dull. Try playing around with a background that's a bit brighter.

I just think it looks a little ragged, maybe the font size could be smaller or you could do away with the columns. I'm sorry xoxo, but you did ask for opinions, that is mine and how I see it as a visitor to your site. Make the colours easier on the eye by choosing softer shades.

@spork:
o.k well I totaly understand what you all suggesting. I am not trying to be defensive at all. If i wanted then I wouldn't be in here. As for the one page or some pages, it is my opinion and personaly when I visit a website it does not matter how long its content is. As long as I get the necessary information that I need I will read on and on no matter if i am in the same page or what. However may be you are right and not everybody is like me. Maybe I will split it up to some more pages later. However since home page uses a lot of keywords so I doubt it.

Yes i will add some paddings to the boxes you mentioed. In terms of colors yes you are right and I will do some more work later on. What I had focused on, was the functionality rather than the look of my portfolio. I mean I tried to make it a cross browser / platform layout.

However I do believe that yes it needs some more thought in terms of how it looks which is why I am here to get opinions.


@joanne_r : Well I appreciate your thoughts and review of my site. There is no need to be sorry. I am not offended by your opinion at all. o.k try to browse my site in lower reolutions and with IE6. or have you guys tried the link in my portfolio to see how it looks like in other browsers and platforms?

and inregards to the font size , I have set it in % and ems which changes based on the user preferences. is it possible for you to send me a screen capture of my site, telling me about the browser, resolution and so on please? you can use my email in my site.

Once again thank you very much for all the replies and expecting more. Come on forum let me know what you think.