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Originally Posted by smurfgirl
And last year you won two website awards. Think about what you changed from last year's website. Perhaps this is a sign that some things were better the old way? Try to pick the best features of both year's sites and combine them to make something that is even better than 2008 or 2009 alone.
Also, I agree with others that the header is huge. It's good to keep the team identity in the site, but that's all you see on the home page.
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The 2008 and 2009 sites have the same exact layout and page structure just a different look. In fact, last year we also had a gigantic header with the countdown on it.
As far as judging it by how many awards it's won, that's not really the best way to do it. This year in Michigan, you were only allowed to win
one district Best Website because they wanted 7 winners for the State Championship.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ScottOliveira
People keep commenting on the large header, but I like it. It has been a big trend amongst web developers, especially towards the end of 08 and into 09. The nav bar on the left does take up a lot of room, and would be nicer if you could fit it in better. Personally I like bars along the top, with a sub bar beneath that you repopulate based on selection. However you have enough items it would be difficult to fit, especially given your large font size. While part of me says you could make the entire page wider to fit everything, I know that's just because I'm running at 1680x1050. With a 920 site, you can't get much larger before you start exceeding screen size for older monitors.
You might want to consider having the page load with the 'Start Here' tab closed, so more of the menu items are visible initially. I think it would also look nicer if you were to extend the fade around the page all the way down, instead of stopping ~340 pixels after the header.
I would also move the awards off the front page, especially if they are from a very different site. You're giving the wrong impression that the site people are looking at has won those awards. And I agree it would be very nice to create a subdomain with your site from last year on it, to showcase how you have been changing.
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Thank you; this is some of the best feedback I've gotten so far. Next year, I'm considering moving to a horizontal dropdown menu of some sort to make the navigation seem less overwhelming and possibly easier to use. As for the fade, I'll look into making it go down further and the end less noticeable.
With subdomains, are you saying I should divide the content from each year into a bunch of subdomains or simply showcase the design from each year on another subdomain? The content remains the same year after year, except the new stuff regarding new seasons.
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Originally Posted by bmusser
Both teams have great sites. While asking for advice and suggestions is absolutely great, I don't think it is fair to compare two teams websites in a forum like this. It is only going to cause ill feelings. In the spirit of FIRST I would suggest this thread focus on the advice and not comparing the two sites. Good luck to all the teams in Atlanta.
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This is a good point. Make sure that when you're giving feedback, it's not harsh or cruel and respects the work of teams.