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Week 66: Mississippi Realtor Institute
This week I will be redesigning: Mississippi Realtor Institute.
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:
- The site uses a fairly cohesive color-scheme, and the bold blue works well.
- The site is clean and simple, so not too cluttered (apart from the menu).
- There is some attempt at introductory welcome text for new visitors.
- Otherwise I’m struggling to see too many merits in this design, it’s quite limited.
WEAKNESSES:
- The menu is wayyyyy too many items. These items should be condensed to broader categories and a more concise menu.
- The layout feels unbalanced, the two column design results in some strange alignments and uneven distribution of content.
- The welcome message doesn’t explain the site very clearly, and the main welcome image is similarly confusing.
- There are no calls to action and very little direction of where to go on the site (apart from the previously mentioned huge list of menu items). Browsing the site is not easy, it’s an effort.
My Redesign
As always, I was limited by the 30 minute time-frame, but I tried to improve upon several of Mississippi Realtor Institute’s features, adding a few design flourishes and a clearer layout that promoted content over wasted space:
MY AIMS FOR THE REDESIGN:
- I reduced the number of menu items to just a few items in which the current subpages could be grouped. This makes the site much easier and clearer to navigate.
- I introduced a much clearer welcome area that actually explains what the site is about.
- I integrated calls to action and gave the user more direction in how to browse the website.
- I made the site generally more interesting to look at, using large background graphics and nicer design touches.
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.
10 Comments:
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An excellent redesign.. Lucky Institute!
Thanks so much LJ, I have fun designing this one.
What a difference this redesign makes to this site! Looking at the older site you cannot tell by just glancing at it what this sites intention is, but looking at the redesign there are so many elements that make is stand out and make it apparent the website is for the retail market. It is really important to make a first impression with your viewers and a good first impression making them stay on your website and I think this redesign will definitely do this in comparison to the original.
Thanks Stephanie! I think that’s one of the main problems I see throughout this series – that it’s not apparent what the site does. A few visual clues can really work wonders for clarifying the purpose of a website.
Wow Tom, amazing work on the redesign! I love the visual components and highlighting the instructors on the homepage. I agree 100% with all the points you made, and you definitely added a clear purpose to the site, with corresponding calls to action. Your 30 minute redesigns are my favorite element of your site because it makes me more aware of a sites strengths and weaknesses when I examine it.
I can’t wait to get the PSD and play around with it!
Thanks Tom!
I’m really glad you liked it Chris! I’ve just emailed you the .psd file
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Thanks for the PSD Tom! I will definitely put this to use and send you a link when we have our new design up!
I so love the redesign you did. I learn so much watching the fixes that you do on these sites. I would love to have you consider doing a redesign for http://www.impressionsofday.com.
Thanks for the suggestion Monique, I’ll be sure to include it in this Thursday’s poll.
Wonderful job, Tom! That website has changed completely and is now much more visually appealing. I really love how a potential customer can, thanks to the new design, understand what the website is about in just one second. It makes everything clear and easy to navigate. I’d really like you to consider a redesign for http://socialshutter.com/ . It’s a photo-sharing community a friend of mine and I have started. Thanks!