 |
Old index.jsp page. Had 4 Flash files, which played consecutively. Each file ranged from 750K to 1.5 MB. There was a Flash detect page that was 1.5 MB itself. All menus were done with graphics. These graphics and all navigation for the site loaded upon your first visit to the index page, for a total load of 6 MB. |
 |
New index.html page. All Flash removed from the site, since 50% of total site users were on AOL and 85% of total site users were on dial up (AOLers included). Has rotating static clips from the previous ad. Has vertical branding element that allows specials on products to display throughout the site. Added site search capability and shopping cart. All elements within the site are done with server side includes, so that menus and other elements are reused and require little effort to change. Site also uses cascading style sheet (CSS). |
 |
Old product page. Inconsistent navigation; purchasing the product was three clicks away. As with all menu items, could not tell if a page had been visited or not. |
 |
New product page. Consistent navigation, product can be added to cart with one click. Consistent vertical branding element so that all sections feature their correct product consistently. Also reduces time to maintain. Navigation is sufficiently clear and color coded so that you can see if a page has been visited before or not. This aids the user in locating information and not re-visiting already-viewed pages. |
 |
Old product page. Inconsistent navigation; purchasing the product was three clicks away. |
 |
New product page. Consistent navigation, product can be added to cart with one click. Consistent vertical branding element so that all sections feature their correct product consistently. Also reduces time to maintain. Site header and footer information is now consistent through every page. It is no longer graphical, either. |
 |
Old executive information page. Inconsistent navigation. |
 |
New executive information page. Navigation is now consistent and will come up correctly in site searches. I had wanted to relegate such non-revenue producing pages to a section accessed by a small text link at the bottom of the site, in the manner that amazon.com does it. On this, I was overruled. But I introduced a vertical branding element nonetheless so that the product is never more than a click away from the user purchasing it. Real estate is valuable; no opportunities to sell should be lost. |
 |
Old store page. Long, text-based, and difficult to find the product or the options that go with it. There was a laundry list of product and download times that the CFO insisted I place at the bottom. This is probably the worst shopping cart page in the history of e-commerce. |
 |
New store page. Kept as a courtesy because there are a lot of links out there to the old store page. Easy to figure out which product you want to buy. One click adds it to your cart. Vertical branding piece advertises special offers (can contain rotating content). No more pages of download time information. |
