Version #2
I have been working on version #2 of my web site. The reason for this was there were a lot of functions that I wasn't using, and a lot of functions I found out I should have. Always a work in progress. When JR's site was built I liked the 760px width but after a year my computer screen has moved past that and I am sure lots of others have also, I was finding it looked smaller and smaller every time I upgrade. This site is 95% width which I think will better reflect the multitude of screen sizes out there. Also the SEO of the site was built around "Java Roasters" and no one searches for Java Roasters. I hired Jack_mcs awhile ago to go over my site (mostly SEO) and he had a lot of good ideas, now it is time to implement them along with some others. The look of the site still remains the same (almost), but that is still a work in progress.
The coding on this one was a lot tougher than I thought as a lot of the contributions seemed to change the same few lines, that was a huge PHP acceivement for me.
This version also has the capabilities to do wholesale from it as well as fundraising for schools. The wholesale will mostly be for Toronto area (I think) but fundraising for schools is a huge opportunity that we have done in the past and the schools have done very well with it, as well as us.
This site is also integrated into Sugar so all my wholesale and retail will all be in one place. Still working on QB integration (damn Canadian QB), I might have to go to a 3rd party program to get the osC info into QB.
Most of the DB moved over easily, the customers will be hard to move over. The old site had second address lines added as well as PWA, they are both gone from this site so all the fields are totally different, worse than the other fields. And I have to get them into Sugar also. Another work in progress. :( Don't create account on this site as that will just make my job harder.
The "new" URL is www.beancoffeeshop.com . Let me know what you think.
posted by JavaRoasters at 8:37 a.m.
12 Comments:
Hi Gary,
It is still a work in progress, I agree the other one looks better ... for now. I am going to need a new header as the old one is really set for 760px. I would add it to Battleshop but I don't want it messed with too much till it is done. I am surprised you think I should add it, if I beat you AGAIN, I think I will stop selling coffee and design osC sites ;)
What do you think would make this one better than the original one?
I did leave some thing different to see how they looked such as the font/font colour. I think the infobox heading font needs to be a bit bigger. Anything specific you think it needs?
Peter
PS I still like you, we have to go biking sometime. :)
12:12 p.m.
I thought I would try some new things like the 2 column style, more for function than design. The left column can be easily removed. I am also trying different font and font colour but that can also be changed back to the original design. Tomorrow I will change the font and font colour and let me know what you think then.
Thanks for the input Em. :)
6:54 p.m.
Hi Peter,
Its a tricky one as the new site is still a work in progress.
My views on a set width against variable are that the set width is easier to work with but a variable width can allow you better use of available space - its just a lot trickier to design as you have to try and make it look good on a whole variety of setups.
My site is variable and its given me many headaches, so why do I use it? Well, I make no bones about it, I follow the leaders. Imitation is the greatest form of flattery!?!? At least I think thats what they say :) Not sure what it means, BUT, my view is, there are a lot of big players out there putting an aweful lot of money into market research/design/hosting, etc...etc...
Take a look at the market leaders and copy the buggers! What works for them should work for you. In my case, I flagrently copied Amazon and they use a variable width.
This blogger template however is fixed and works so...
Another aspect is retail over design. You mentioned the extra contributions you are adding - more space due to the variable width should help promote certain aspects - I am hoping to get some kind of newsfeed/articles section up on the front page next year. The New Items works well for me, although a "featured items", essentially a hand picked selection, may work better and is also on my to do list.
Personally, I am interested in your comments about your integrations, Sugar and QB. Excuse my ingnorance but AFAIK QB is accounting software and Sugar is ?? Well, I dont know!
[Wow] Just done a google on Sugar Software - Too full of big words for this time of night![/Wow]
Dont suppose you use any kind of EPOS stock control system? Thats the main thing I would like to tie in with osC.
Cheers,
Rich
8:17 p.m.
Hi Rich, sugar is at http://www.sugarcrm.com/crm/. It is a CRM program. There is a integration contribution on the osC site, it needs some more work still but it is a very good start. Doing wholesale and web sales I was looking for something to integrate the two together so I don't have two sets of todo lists, etc.
We don't use any inventory control systems as we just roast what we need for the week.
The QB integration will be difficult as that means redoing our wholesale accounting books also. Everything in time.
My computer screen was 800 px wide, now it is 1024 and I was looking at it on a bigger screen. It made the 760px look really small. With so many people having wide screens these days, even on laptops I think for version 2 of the site it is the right move.
9:01 p.m.
Hi Gary,
The header is beyond me to incorporate into the new site (which is why it is not there yet), thanks for the offer but I have Emmett to take care of things like that for me.
I also haven't put the header up as that is the one part of the old site that I wasn't sure about when it was first designed. I want to see how this develops and then do the header as I might do something similar but updated.
I will make it *more* like the old site over the next few days, there are a lot of simple things I can do with the stylesheet. Check back when you return from Rio. I will try get that X factor back into the site.
When VN2 first designed the site I spent a lot of time with them talking about what I liked/didn't like in web site, what I wanted/didn't want. Still trying to remember "why" they did things the way they did. I find that makes needed changes to the new site clearer for me to see.
I know that it was 1 column because I wanted only what is necessary there such as shopping cart, etc. But now I wonder if having removed things such as Best Sellers, etc. haven't cost me sales.
Everyone says it is one of the "best" osC sites out there, but from a customers point of view I wonder if they think the same way because the sales do not match the response from the osC forum.
I want to make sure I have the right balance within the site before removing things such as the left column again.
7:28 a.m.
Might be me, but it seem like the two columns exposes how square the site is...
In your existing site you have a header with a graded background and coffe-bean image... something like this for the actual main body might be more relaxing to the eyes...
I also thought why not make the whole site (page) a coffe-bean, e.g. content inside of something looking like a bean where the bean blends away into the background... or something of a similiar nature but with a coffe cup, e.g. transpose the coffe-cup and make that the page container...
or near the very edge of the page change/blend the color from black back to lightish brown...
All products page.. have two three per row...
Switch content, or on off the columns depending on the page... e.g. if MyAccount just focus on My Account and save off the uncessary columns/info...
Fixed width is ok, but generally not containing both left and right columns, move one of them outside the main body...
10:52 p.m.
Might be me, but it seem like the two columns exposes how square the site is...
I think the left column will disapear again, I can't see much use for it. The rest of the ideas were great but might have to wait for version #3 which will probably be a reskined version #2. A lot of that is not within my capabilities right now, and my time frame. Great ideas though. Thanks.
1:57 p.m.
I took out the left column in index.php and changed the font colour back to white for the main page. Any comments (better/worse) would be welcome, or if you think I should make it the 760px width and keep the exact same look as the old site.
9:03 a.m.
Hi Gary,
I am trying to keep the site XHTML validated so the header and footer will need some work as they are multiple images and it is easier to include 1 image in the header or footer class. I am working on the main body area now and the SEO. I will have to get my code monkey to touch up the header and footer before they go up. I am glad you think it is looking better, I put it back to almost exactly the way it was before with the fixed width.
1:35 p.m.
Hi Gary,
The extra width was just something I was trying as I prefer it but no one else seemed to like it. :( The site is back to the original 760px which means the old header and footer will be able to go back in.
I have been working on the SEO of the site and still have to add all the additional information pages back in. I am still working on the SEO for the "Coffee Classroom" section as that is going to be a bit tricky and will take time. I am still working my way through how I want to proceed there.
The site is still very much a work in progress but coming together.
Thanks Gary
9:04 a.m.
I still have the same comment from when you posted the first site for revew on the osC forums-
Change those darn review stars!
Coffee cups, or coffee beans, or coffee stirrers, or Starbucks logos- something!
4:55 p.m.
Hi Chance,
That is actually VERY HIGH on my to do list with this version. They WILL be coffee beans when the site is finished.
5:55 p.m.
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