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TooTall
02-06-2004, 09:29 PM
I would appreciate any input for a redesign of this web site.

http://Museum.Wibaux.US

I'm especially interested in navigation tools. Search engine placement is important, so each link needs to be seen by the spiders. We have done well with the search term "Montana Museum(s)", and are improving with the term "Montana History".

Any ideas for features that will help make our visitors keep coming back?

The content is thin right now, but that is something that we are working on.
tmmoose
02-07-2004, 06:34 AM
The site now is simple and very user friendly..Maybe
a site search tool
on the index page a "did you know" ...factual information that changes periodically.
D856C
02-07-2004, 08:41 AM
When cosidering design or redesign a good technique is seaching the category -- museum sites.

I think there is a little slack cut (emphasis on little) for sites which are visual in nature. Museums are one. The Civil War and Locomotive Museum (http://www.southernmuseum.org/) loads pretty fast. (dislike their color scheme, though) It also better integrates photos into the site design. Special exhibits are highlighted on the front page, rather than just the building exterior.

Your site can boost visits by doing more of a magazine layout. Each month -- as matches some museums existing promo schedule -- a feture exhibit is displayed on the front page. Rotating and detailing content in this way is more likely to encourage repeats than any single layout redesign.

I would expand the timeline into a full page infographic. As long as the user is properly prepared and *slightly longer* download time is explained it can work. The trick is to have some kind of reason for the graphics. User feel betrayed when there is so much "graphic" the "info" part is lost.

To sum up, the site needs a better integration of content and graphics, not necessarily a lot more graphics. Infographics and changing content can provide a reason for coming back more. Fast loading does not, in any way, automatically equal user friendly. The quality and user focus of content counts.