30 Minute Redesign: Little Miss Scarlet

Week 60: Little Miss Scarlet

This week I will be redesigning: Little Miss Scarlet.

In the space of 5 minutes I can identify some of the key strengths and weaknesses of this design, and sketch out a mockup.

STRENGTHS:

I love the header and logo area, it’s really elegant and well designed.
The area showcasing the current deal is eye catching, bold and professional. The model photo is definitely alluring and the colors fit with the overall site.
There are some nice examples of calls-to-action.
There is consistent colors and typography throughout the site.

WEAKNESSES:

Contrast is a big issue on this site. Quite often a pink or red text is displayed against a red background. The result? Text that is VERY hard to read.
The left navigation feels like a repetition of the main menu, and therefore feels obsolete.
Despite the calls to action and billboard displays, the actual products on offer aren’t really shown. Specific popular items should be showcased on the homepage, to encourage sales.
The search option is nowhere near prominent enough, as many people will be using this option to browse the site/products.

My Redesign

As always, I was limited by the 30 minute time-frame, but I tried to improve upon several of Little Miss Scarlet’s features, adding a few design flourishes and a clearer layout that promoted content over wasted space:

MY AIMS FOR THE REDESIGN:

I improved the contrast, making a lot of the text more readable.
I added a bold, colorful navigation menu that makes browsing the site far easier.
I made the search feature much more obvious, using a prominent search form in the left column.
I showcased popular items right on the homepage, which should help to draw people into making sales.

Before/After:

Here is a quick comparison between the original design and my 30 minute redesign. Sure, my design could be more polished, but I believe that a lot of the basic elements have been improved upon, creating a more pleasant browsing experience.

How and Why To Enter 30 Minute Redesigns

You can have the chance to have your website redesigned in next weeks post. All you need to do is leave a comment to this post with your website address and why you think it needs a redesign.

The Benefits of Getting Your Site Redesigned Include:

Most obviously – a FREE redesign job!
Your website gets exposure to PSDFAN’s thousands of readers
You understand how to improve your website. This isn’t just a redesign, it’s a lesson in design principles.
You will get emailed the .psd of your redesign and can do whatever you want with it!

NOTE: I can only accept sites with English content, as foreign language websites are simply too hard for me to work with.

So please, leave a comment today for a chance to have your website redesigned next week!

About the Author:

Tom is the founder of PSDFAN. He loves writing tutorials, learning more about design and interacting with the community. On a more interesting note he can also play guitar hero drunk with his teeth.

2 Comments:

Georgie says:

July 13, 2011 at 11:16 am

Thanks for the redesign Tom. I really appreciate the input and I agree with the points you made about text contrast, search prominence and display of products on the home page.

I like the cleaner, functional layout and do think that both the navigation menu and the site body are much easier to read. I’ll definately be using your recommendations in the redesign! Thankyou.

Reply
- Tom says:
  
  July 14, 2011 at 1:30 pm
  
  Thanks Georgie! It would be awesome to see some of the suggestions implemented. If I had to recommend an essential improvement it would be to display products on the homepage, you’ll literally explode your sales that way (remember, you can’t assume that your users will be willing to click further into your site, you have to present them with the best offers on a plate). Let me know if you’d like the .psd for the redesign.
  
  Reply

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