That is the kind of feedback I was looking for. One of the things we struggle with is good information presentation.
It's a mailing list management system for bands. Or it was. Now we call it "fan management and data collection", and we have client-side software that lets fans sign up for bands' mailing lists at concerts. And there's more snazzy stuff in the works that we'll be unveiling in (hopefully) a week or so.
It is important to note that a pretty design (and yours is really beautiful) isn't necessarily a good design (frankly yours is almost useless). I think your site fails to communicate what you do quickly enough. I lost patience with it; the only reason I lingered was considering your site as a design exercise.
I think that you are squandering almost all of your front page. No one cares about your news; lose it. You are not in the satellite or civil engineering business; lose the logo graphics. No one looks in flash animations for core messages; make it text.
As far as I can tell your business is charging bands fees to make it easier for them to collect fan contact information and helping them contact their fans. I think you should communicate this boldly in the center of the front page.
I have not thought about the copywriting at all but I think you should say:
>Easily collect contact information at the merch table without an internet connection
>Contact your new fans with our email, (snail mail), and text messaging software.
You should not distract your users with anything else.
But, I suspect it may be difficult to sell press packs for $6 a month. I think you could make more money from charging them for snail mailings and sms messages (and you better they aren't free). Further, I think you can additionally monetize your users with affiliate programs for t-shirt printing, cd pressing or whatever else bands need.
As far as I can tell, your team's core competency is graphics design. I think you do a fantastic job and I bet a lot of bands would be willing to pay for you to design their logos or websites or t-shirts or album covers. You can leverage your userbase to find new clients.
I wish you the best of luck and I think you have a good shot if you change your front page.
Very interesting idea but I'd have to agree with the original poster: it's very hard to figure out what it's about! I went to the site, started reading text to the left and was distracted by the flash animation to the right. So I watched it. And guess what, I couldn't make heads or tails of it! I don't know if it's the style, the fonts or what... but I was clueless as to what the app does. Only when I watched it the second time did I make a connection.
PS: The background of the flash anim is HORRIBLE! It's EXTREMELY distracting.... never use high contrast backgrounds. Never!
However you choose to describe it, do it using words that your users will use. That is what they will search for and that is what they will understand.
Comments
> What is it about??
That is the kind of feedback I was looking for. One of the things we struggle with is good information presentation.
It's a mailing list management system for bands. Or it was. Now we call it "fan management and data collection", and we have client-side software that lets fans sign up for bands' mailing lists at concerts. And there's more snazzy stuff in the works that we'll be unveiling in (hopefully) a week or so.
It is important to note that a pretty design (and yours is really beautiful) isn't necessarily a good design (frankly yours is almost useless). I think your site fails to communicate what you do quickly enough. I lost patience with it; the only reason I lingered was considering your site as a design exercise.
I think that you are squandering almost all of your front page. No one cares about your news; lose it. You are not in the satellite or civil engineering business; lose the logo graphics. No one looks in flash animations for core messages; make it text.
As far as I can tell your business is charging bands fees to make it easier for them to collect fan contact information and helping them contact their fans. I think you should communicate this boldly in the center of the front page.
I have not thought about the copywriting at all but I think you should say:
>Easily collect contact information at the merch table without an internet connection >Contact your new fans with our email, (snail mail), and text messaging software.
You should not distract your users with anything else.
But, I suspect it may be difficult to sell press packs for $6 a month. I think you could make more money from charging them for snail mailings and sms messages (and you better they aren't free). Further, I think you can additionally monetize your users with affiliate programs for t-shirt printing, cd pressing or whatever else bands need.
As far as I can tell, your team's core competency is graphics design. I think you do a fantastic job and I bet a lot of bands would be willing to pay for you to design their logos or websites or t-shirts or album covers. You can leverage your userbase to find new clients.
I wish you the best of luck and I think you have a good shot if you change your front page.
Very interesting idea but I'd have to agree with the original poster: it's very hard to figure out what it's about! I went to the site, started reading text to the left and was distracted by the flash animation to the right. So I watched it. And guess what, I couldn't make heads or tails of it! I don't know if it's the style, the fonts or what... but I was clueless as to what the app does. Only when I watched it the second time did I make a connection.
PS: The background of the flash anim is HORRIBLE! It's EXTREMELY distracting.... never use high contrast backgrounds. Never!
However you choose to describe it, do it using words that your users will use. That is what they will search for and that is what they will understand.