Hello Frank,
The question is: “how the site feels and functions from a user’s perspective”.
Who is the user in this case? What is a target group? I presume the people from marketing department. Thus, I tried to imagine a marketing person participating in a focus group to evaluate the site of Impact&Ink. As such, I will try to answer the question of whether I would hire I&I to design my company’s site and other marketing materials.
The first aesthetic impression is positive, clean, and contrasting (but balanced) colours, nice people, and a general enthusiastic atmosphere, which is also created by headings. Next, I started reading body texts, and this made me wonder: why do they tell me the same thing about what is on any of those types of sites and what is in every marketing textbook. I know all this stuff. I know what our company site should look like, I know our target market, and I do not expect them to tell me all this. I do not have the resources to design our site myself, and I need to hire somebody to do it to my taste. It should be like going to the tailor when I exactly know what my suit should be like.
Meanwhile, I&I declare: “We start by understanding your brand, goals, and target audience to create a design strategy that works for you.” But our business is very complex, and we are not going to wait; nobody knows for how long until they reach their understanding (of course, with our help, what will cost my time). And, btw, do they also offer in-depth analysis of a company? Is I&I a market analyst as well?
I&I promises “your content to not only look good but also make a lasting impact”. But with what measures? Commercials (TV/newspapers/internet) usually undergo validation procedures. What about internet sites?
Marketing professionals are primarily concerned with profit, however, in order to calculate it, it is necessary to account for expenses. There is nothing about the costs on the I&I site. I would expect to be given at least some overall information. I need this while presenting I&I as a prospective contractor to my boss.
What would I expect to find on a site of this type?
Foremost, a solid self-presentation. What can I say about I&I looking at this site? Unfortunately, nothing very encouraging. They wrap standard elements (happy people photos and textbook info) up in nice colours and graphics, attracting attention. However, I believe this graphic is not vividly associated with the type of business they do. In other words, the design of this web page is adaptable to various other brands.
Next is also a part of self-presentation: what size and kind of business they are ready to offer service to.
I would also expect to see the idea of site creation workflow they offer. What should I, as a client, have to arrange to get things going? What materials? Photos? Texts? etc. How long does it usually take to design a site? What is the cost (just some orientation, cost per hour etc.)? I am not going to even consider buying a pig in a poke.
It would be informative to see a site created by I&I for a client. It could be a real one or a fictional, but it should contain an explanation of the creation process. What was the starting point? What were the client’s expectations? Why was that type of graphics used? And many other points would inform what is awaiting me.
I could go into other details, but let me finish at this point with my humble remarks.
