Looking for website evaluations

I am looking for honest site evaluations for The MMAP Learning Center. Please comment on content, ease of use, layout, color, flow, etc. http://themmaplearningcenter.com

Thank You in advance!
Michaelson Williams

 

Hello Michaelson,
Most people glance through a new web site pretty quickly, and that's what I did, maybe 5 minutes - not an in-depth evaluation here.
1. The opening video commercial is well done, held my attention all the way through. Is there a way that it can keep from playing to me again when I return to that page?
2. Please add a video of yourself in "Meet the Founder". You can use your text there as your script.
3. The calendar on the courses page says "SEP" at the bottom and took me to September 2014?
4. Is breadcrumb navigation working? I rely on it to know where I am on a site with as many pages as yours.
5. You may want Privacy/Terms of Service at the bottom of pages. I did see your disclaimer on sales pages.
Again, I just did a quick look-through. As CTO for a couple of tech companies, I've done many, much more detailed evaluations.
I did not go into any of the courses, but judging from your background, I bet they are good.
Overall, your site seems comprehensive, informative, easy to navigate - well done.
Best wishes,
Bill

 

Hello Bill!
Thank you very much for the insightful and informative evaluation. We will surely be looking to address each of your comments in order to improve upon our website user experience.
Thanks Again!
Michaelson Williams

 

Okay... I'm not gonna praise your site much... I'm sorry.
There are some glaring design-flaws on that page. First of is the color-choice - it might be company colors, or something, but it's a glaring kick in the nuts. Red on orange text fails most legibilty / WCAG guidelines, and the same for the green on grey and green on orange text. The bright green background outside the wrapper is also quite glaring, and might benefit from a tone-down.
As for the text, you're using at least 5 different fonts on the front page. Two, at the most (one for headings and specific text, one for bulk text). Also, refrain from using serif fonts for large amounts of text online - it's easier to read sans-serif fonts.
The blinking logo/ad top left is a bit distracting - chill with the animated gif images.
Autoplay on video? No, no and no. Don't. Just don't. If I want to watch a video, I'll chose to watch it myself - it's also below the fold, so on autoplay it starts playing without the user seeing it. Not a good choice.

I'm not gonna go into the actual content of the site, as that would probably get hostile very fast, but as for the design and thought behind it, I'm not giving much credit.

As for the background code, I'm not even gonna start - it's running on Wordpress, which means it's crap. Pure and simple. Way too much code for its own good, and scripting and inline-css and other monstrosities that won't benefit you much in the long run. For that kind of page, I would've just built it from the ground up, without using a CMS. It doesn't seem to need much day-to-day updates, and it would be easy to make an admin-interface for adding new pages / courses and content without using bloated crap like Wordpress.

 

Thank you Popsicle, very much for your evaluation. There would never be any hostility from this end. We learn from what people tell us whether we like it or not, if we are willing to listen. I am always listening closely. I am a firm believer of the idea that if you ask for something then you'd better be willing to listen to the feedback. Do you have any examples of websites like this that you've built or like? I would be very interested in seeing them. If it's not to much of a bother a couple of links would be fantastic! Again, thank you for your input!

Best of Success!
Michaelson

 

Sorry, no links available (I don't save links, usually), but your site is basically a front-end with a few sub-pages with content on them (the courses) and a few "about us" pages - it should pretty much be able to work well on any level since you're using Wordpress - I'm guessing you would like a unique look for the site, not a general theme, but I would recommend you get someone at least semi-professional to put together the site, both color- and font-wise. The design itself doesn't necessarily need to change, just... the choices for how it should look. Here's a quick change - reduced the clutter, toned down the colors, removed some unnecessary items from the page.

 

Hello Popsicle,
I really wish there was a real name to engage with here. I doubt your real name is Popsicle. However, if that is indeed your real name, your parents should be commended for stepping outside of the norms. Okay, I really want to seriously thank you for putting in this much effort into looking at our website. Although we will not be implementing all of your suggestions some have already been put into place. Your input was very eyeopening to say the least. The delivery need a bit of work but life's a journey we learn as we go. I think your ideas in looking at our website would be very useful to anyone looking for an honest site evaluation. I hope other people read the suggestions that you gave me to think about their own website development. Your helpful suggestions have definitely improved the look of our site. I am looking forward to more comments is you so choose to continue with your evaluation. Once again, thank you very much for your ideas and suggestions. I/we greatly appreciate the constructive input!

Best of Success!
Michaelson
The MMAP Learning Center

 

I'm taking Popsicle seriously. Good points on site design. Thank you, Popsicle.
Though, I thought Serif fonts are easier to read. Those little extra lines drag your eye through the words? "Serifed fonts are widely used for body text because they are considered easier to read than sans-serif fonts in print." -- Merriam-Webster's Manual for Writers and Editors, (Springfield, 1998) p. 329. Asian (Chinese and Japanese) writing also has serif fonts - same reason.
Thanks, again.

 

Serif fonts are easier to read in print! Not on a screen. This is quite common knowledge, and there's been a lot of studies about this. Tale a look at the infographic here:
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2013/03/serif-vs-sans-the-final-battle/

 

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email:

 

Popsicle,
I stand enlightened. Thank you.
Maybe...
I don't have time for an in-depth research project, but a quick Google of "most popular fonts on the web" seems to show a preponderance of serif fonts. All ten on this list are serif: http://www.typewolf.com/blog/most-popular-fonts-of-2014 (except in the bloggers own text... odd.)
Georgia was top of the list a few years ago - a "transitional serif font"; serif, but redesigned (slightly) to be easier to read on the screen, even in smaller sizes.
Anyway, Popsicle, may we hire you for our next new web site review? Have you written any guidance?
Thanks, again,
Bill

 

No. Apart from the first font (Caslon) on the list, they're all sans-serif. You need to look at the images. Just seeing the names would tell you they're sans-serif if you had any typography knowledge (futura, grotesque etc).
I'm available if you need any help, just send me a PM here, or an email to , and we can discuss it.

 

Yup, got me again. I was looking at the titles, not the images.
(If I had ANY knowledge, I could be perfect!)