Thoughts on AdamBots.com

[RyanCesiel]

Most people already know that I redesigned our website in preparation for FIRST a month or so ago and the new theme was put up on the day of the kickoff. However, I really haven't gotten any input back on it. If you could check my site and basically look for the things that the FIRST requires for the website award. Here are the things that I would like looked at from an outside perspective:

Navigaton - Is it easy to get around? How does the sliding menu work? Can you find what your looking for?
FIRST Content - Does it explain what FIRST is? Does it explain it's vision well? Do you feel there are resources for other teams?
Visual Aids - Are their images that help you understand the content?
Copyright - Does content sound familiar or have you seen it somewhere else?
FIRST Logo - Is it prominent?
Hover Over Tips - Are they helpful, or obnoxious? Do they work?

Keep in mind that I realize that we're lacking a big part of our site right now which is Team History/Team Story.

Once again, the URL to our site is: http://adambots.com

[RyanCesiel]

Another Question: Does the Visitor Portal do it's job?

[RyanCesiel]

Sorry for bumping, but is it possible to get any input? I don't need an answer to every question, if you have some criticism, please post it.

[addictedMax]

Talk to Quentin Sheets and get him to show you the IRC room. We'll love to help.

[Blad3101]

I like the site, it seems simple enough to navigate with a graphically pleasing and professional look. Content looks to be full and informative overall, and while I have seen designs done this way (generally) before it is still refreshing and unique in its own. Is there anyway to contact you through an email form?

[Uberbots]

I like your usage of mediawiki- it makes it insanely easy to add things to the site.

Thats one helluva navigation thing on the side. very innovative, but kinda unclear as to how it functions at first. still, its pulled off nicely

i couldnt find a link back to first on the home page )=

The site does, once you find the link, demonstrate what FIRST is. however, there is no way to view the previous year's games )=

Hover tips are very annoying.

[Blad3101]

Hover tips may appear to be a obtrusive in some cases, but doesn't FIRST require that alt and/or title attributes be placed within image tags; not to mention the w3c's standards which FIRST looks for.

[AndyB]

Very smooth running website. I like it a lot. Good work.

[RyanCesiel]

Originally Posted by Uberbots

I like your usage of mediawiki- it makes it insanely easy to add things to the site.

Thats one helluva navigation thing on the side. very innovative, but kinda unclear as to how it functions at first. still, its pulled off nicely

i couldnt find a link back to first on the home page )=

The site does, once you find the link, demonstrate what FIRST is. however, there is no way to view the previous year's games )=

Hover tips are very annoying.

Thanks, I'm thinking of ditching the hover tips. As far as previous years go, about half of the FIRST page is dedicated to linking to previous year's games.

http://adambots.com/index.php?title=...story_of_FIRST

Did anyone else have a problem finding previous year's games?

[RyanCesiel]

What do you guys think of the new menu? I've also added tons of new content, what are your opinions on that (mainly the About the AdamBots section).

[vivek16]

www.nonnebots.com/chat

great place for help

same that addictedmax talked about.

-Vivek

[octothorpe]

Very nice site! I don't have time to look at the content in depth, but my first impression is a definite good one. I like the unified design and color scheme, and I found the navigation very easy to use and understand – the javascript disclosure effects are especially slick. Everything seems easy to read and pretty well-organized. In general the design seems pretty classy compared to many FIRST websites (my own team's included) and obviously you've put a lot of work into the content. The hover tips for the links are probably a bit unnecessary, but I don't mind them on the images. Overall, I really like the site and didn't notice anything that I would change. Besides, definite bonus points for using MediaWiki and for all those rounded corners – having done web design myself I know that's tougher than it looks. Great job, and thanks for the ship date countdown reminder – it's hard to believe there's only 15 days left!

[RyanCesiel]

Originally Posted by vivek16

www.nonnebots.com/chat

great place for help

same that addictedmax talked about.

-Vivek

ChiefDelphi reaches a larger audience and I've noticed that more actual webmasters and judges are on ChiefDelphi as well.

Thank you octothorpe for your comments.

[swaknight]

I hate to seem completely ocd, but i noticed that on the main/home page, you have a team picture with white lights at the top. It could just be me, but the lights seem to merge in with the background of the page making it look like a wierd dimension issue.

like i said, it could be a little ocd, but i thought that it was worth pointing out.

Other than that, I love the site layout and design, and the nav bar on the side. And I like the glossy images, it adds a nice touch

[RyanCesiel]

Originally Posted by swaknight

I hate to seem completely ocd, but i noticed that on the main/home page, you have a team picture with white lights at the top. It could just be me, but the lights seem to merge in with the background of the page making it look like a wierd dimension issue.

like i said, it could be a little ocd, but i thought that it was worth pointing out.

Other than that, I love the site layout and design, and the nav bar on the side. And I like the glossy images, it adds a nice touch

The team picture will be changed in about two weeks with the FIRST 2008 team picture, so that doesn't concern me much.

Thanks for the feedback!