Today I’m going to be redesigning Inner Rapport’s website. Inner Rapport is a Colchester based hypnotherapist service.

The Original Design:

You can see the original site design below:

You can check out the original website here: Inner Rapport

First Impressions: Strengths

Every site has some merits, and the good impressions I made here are these:

Helpful Intro Paragraph

One of the main mistakes I see people making is not clearly explaining the purpose of their website, usually in the form an introductory paragraph or welcome area.

Inner Rapport actually does this fairly well, not only specifying the services provided, but the specific locations, and some personal details about their hypnotherapist.

Displays Personality and Credibility

It’s great to see a website that isn’t totally faceless. Inner Rapport use a prominent picture of their hypnotherapist Steve Drury that helps portray personality and the sense that this is a real organization with real people.

They also do well to establish credibility, including several hypnotherapist achievement/organization logos on the page as well as mentioning Steve’s credentials. All of these points establish trust with the audience, which is key to generating business.

Consistency

Inner Rapport has fairly good design consistency, which helps set the visitor at ease and appears professional.

They use a limited range of fonts and colors throughout the site. Many sites I work with use too great a variety of fonts, colors and other design elements, which makes the site appear disorganized and sporadic.

First Impressions: Weaknesses

Of course no website is perfect, and our site’s often make negative first impressions upon readers without us even realizing! Here are the negative first impressions I received from this site:

Too Much Homepage Text

The main problem I have with the current site is the sheer amount of homepage text. It’s overwhelming and makes me want to leave the page rather than read it.

This is a common problem – people want to squeeze every bit of content they can onto the homepage.

Inner Rapport need to narrow their focus and make their homepage content more concise. Draw people further into the site’s subpages if they want to learn every specific deal of how you work (and not many will).

I also found it really confusing how you had a nav bar of about 4 items within your main text body. It was confusing if these were multiply calls to action, or a second menu, or both?

Generic Splash Image

The homepage image for Inner Rapport feels really generic, and doesn’t really help explain what makes them different, or really what services they provide at all.

Worse than this, it also pushes down the key content, meaning that all the important stuff (key info, credibility signs, photos of the founder etc…) is pushed below the fold.

No Clear Call to Action

Considering how much homepage content there is there isn’t really a clear call to action.

It’s all well and good to draw in your visitors with great copy, but you need to give them a push in the right direction. Whether this is to ‘read more’ or ‘make a booking’ is up to you, but something needs to stand out in that body text to make your users take action.

My Redesign Proposal

You can see my redesign proposal below:

Let’s look at some of my aims for the redesign:

Reduced the Amount of Content

To start, I removed the huge amount of homepage content, reducing it to what was necessary.

I found that in the intro paragraph on the current site many points are actually repeated, or entirely unnecessary. By having a more direct, concise intro paragraph the purpose of the site is clearer, and the amount of text is less likely to push new visitors away.

I Moved Key Content Further Up The Page

By removing the large generic photo heading the current site I was able to move the key content up above the fold.

Things like a clear intro paragraph and a proper area for credibility triggers should really help conversions.

I Used Prominent Calls to Action

There are some great features on this site so it’s only fair that you should be capitalizing on them!

I included bold call to action buttons to draw people further into your site and encourage more business. These should convert far better than the plain mass of text you currently have.

Suggest Your Own Site for a Redesign

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.

Today I’m going to be redesigning Skill 7′s website. Skill 7 is a wonderful organization that hosts sports courses, training and events for young people.

It’s also awesome that this is the 100th 30 minute redesign! I can’t believe this series has been so successful and had such longevity. Thanks to all PSDFAN readers for the support. I have a bit of a confession… as this was the 100th redesign, and I was running out of time as there was SO much to fix I actually took 40 minutes on the redesign in total. Don’t judge me!

The Original Design:

You can see the original site design below:

You can check out the original website here: Skill 7

First Impressions: Strengths

Every site has some merits, and the good impressions I made here are these:

Relevant Background Design

The background image on the current design may be fairly garish, but it’s at least relevant to the theme of the site (soccer training).

The bright grassy background is one of the few keys as to what this site is all about. Whilst it’s not a great design feature it does at least help people understand the organization a little better in the site’s current iteration.

Unique Logo

One of the better points of this site was their logo. The hand-drawn illustration of the lion stood out as a nice design feature in a site that otherwise falls down in a lot of ways.

The logo is unique, relevant and not badly designed. Currently it helps act as a central point for the design, framing the surrounding content.

Explanatory Sentence Attempting to Describe the Site

Whilst the purpose of the organization is far from clear enough, it’s encouraging to see at least an attempt at explaining what the website is all about.

The intro sentence: ‘Skill 7 have been providing PPA cover sessions and after school clubs at the following schools since 1999.’ is nothing if not helpful, and is definitely heading in the right direction.

First Impressions: Weaknesses

Of course no website is perfect, and our site’s often make negative first impressions upon readers without us even realizing! Here are the negative first impressions I received from this site:

Disorganized Layout

For me the biggest problem with this site is how disorganized the content is. It’s absolutely overwhelming, in a very bad way.

Not only is there a lot of content (I’ll get to this in my next point) but it’s not adhering to any sort of grid or structure. It seems almost randomly strewn over the page. You look one place and there are logos and badges, another place there seems to be multiple versions of the same menu, another place there is illustrations, graphs and photos.

Each piece of content is out of alignment with every other piece of content, and the result is very jarring and likely to push your visitors away from your site.

Not only this, but the content is not consistent. There is a huge variation in colors, fonts and general design throughout the layout, and this inconsistency only makes the site feel more shambolic and disorganized.

Too Much Content

Another huge problem with this site is the sheer amount of content.

You’ll notice in a lot of my redesigns I’ll talk about reducing your content to the minimum of what’s needed. Anything extra detracts from this and will confuse and put off your visitors.

This site is one of the worst offenders I’ve ever seen for trying to put absolutely everything on their front page.

There are logos, sponsor badges, news, events, countless menus (why!?), prominent social media buttons that all clash, logos of schools and more. Not to mention all of this content clashes with a hideous grass texture background.

Remember – subpages exist for a reason! Put some of your key content on your subpages.

When designing your homepage think about what people want from your site? Your main purpose should be to explain what you’re about and to establish credibility. Then you can draw them into looking at your subpages for more relevant info.

The Purpose of the Site Is Not Clear

Apart from the background image and that hidden away explanatory sentence there isn’t a lot clarifying what you do as an organization.

I shouldn’t have to search for this information, it should be immediately obvious.

Part of the problem is the huge amount of obsolete content on your homepage, but you also need a clear, informative headline area to explain your organization in a sentence or two for new visitors.

My Redesign Proposal

You can see my redesign proposal below:

Let’s look at some of my aims for the redesign:

Cleaned Up Content, Made More Organized

My first job was to remove the huge mass of obsolete content from the homepage. This should either be scrapped or if essential moved to a relevant subpage.

Now I could focus on clarifying the key homepage content.

Not only this but no more disorganized page structure! I used a grid based system to ensure all content was well lined up and easier on the eye, rather than placed sporadically around the page. I also opted for consistent fonts, colors and styling.

The result is a more professional overall page that doesn’t push your viewer’s away.

I Clarified What the Organization Does

In the original site it’s pretty hard to work out exactly what Skill 7 do.

I made a point of introducing a large welcome banner that explains the organization in a couple of clear, informative sentences for new visitors.

I realize this intro text may not be totally accurate, but I’ll leave it up to you guys to best explain your organization (you know best!).

I also added a nice personal touch by including photos of all the coaches and staff in the background for the banner, making them truly a part of the website.

I Established Credibility and Trust

Your website needs to be trustworthy, particularly for new visitors looking to learn more about your organization.

You’re entrusted with young people and physical training and need to appear as credible on your website as you are in the offline world.

In my redesign I achieved this through several methods:

• Firstly you’d be how great a professional website can be for your credibility, no matter what the content.
• I included plenty of pictures of your staff and coaches throughout the design
• I included an area to meet your top coach and displayed his impressive qualifications.
• I included an optional testimonials area with great feedback from a happy parent.

Suggest Your Own Site for a Redesign

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.

Have you seen our popular series 30 minute redesigns yet?

Each week I will redesign one reader’s website, providing a free redesign, in depth analysis and exposure for them.

It’s a great breakdown of the principles of solid web design and allows everyone to learn from the real life examples.

Suggestions Needed

After 99 weeks of fantastic 30 minute redesigns, for some strange reason, this week we received no suggestions for this weeks redesign!

So… rather than a redesign today, I’m using this post to gather suggestions for next week’s redesign. I’ll host a poll next Thursday, like usual to decide which design will be redesigned. If you would like a completely FREE redesign and analysis of your site, simply leave a comment to this post with your websites address.

I’m so happy to announce the return of 30 Minute Redesigns! Our popular weekly series has been on hiatus since August due to time commitments on my part. However, I know how many people love the series and I’ve been getting a lot of requests to reinstate it.

Now that the dust has settled on our newest website MyDesignDeals I can again turn my attentions to helping our reader base one redesign at a time.

Not only that, but I’ll be implementing some great new features in the series including:

• Video analysis
• An in depth ebook
• Webinars/live events for group site analysis

I hope that you enjoy the series and please get involved by commenting and suggesting your own site for a redesign.

30 Minute Redesign #99: CAMFO Medics

Today I’m going to be redesigning CAMFO Medics’ website. CAMFO is the German, Cameroon Medical forum.

The Original Design:

You can see the original site design below:

You can check out the original website here: CAMFO Medics

First Impressions: Strengths

Every site has some merits, and the good impressions I made here are these:

The Site is Clean and Professional

The current design for CAMFO Medics is certainly not bad. Overall it’s actually fairly professional. The layout is clean and nothing feels clunky or amateurish.

Content areas are fairly well distinguished from one another and backgrounds are light and non-obtrusive on the content.

Clear Navigation

Another plus of the current website is that the navigation is pretty easy to use.

The ordered list of pages is very basic, yet clear to understand. The links are self explanatory, and it’s a fairly pleasant experiences browsing around the site.

I also like the use of the breadcrumb navigation, as it helps clarify where the user is within the website.

Strong Logo & Brand Colors

Whilst it’s not so much of a website perk as a logo perk, the logo is a real visual piece within this website.

The icon, fonts and colors of the logo are quite striking, and act well as a header to the page. In my redesign I show how to echo these strong colors throughout the design.

First Impressions: Weaknesses

Of course no website is perfect, and our site’s often make negative first impressions upon readers without us even realizing! Here are the negative first impressions I received from this site:

No Clear Explanation of the Site

Probably the most common problem I encounter when analyzing sites is a lack of explanation on the homepage about exactly what the site is, who it’s catering for and what they do.

CAMFO Medics has a single, small sentence explaining what ‘CAMFO’ stands for and offers no further information on the page. They need to make it instantly clear what the website and organization is all about and who they’re serving.

Too Much Clutter

CAMFO may seem like a fairly simple website, but there is still a lot of useless content on the site.

Remember – if the content isn’t helping you, then it’s not needed!

Here’s a list of clutter content on the site that I would remove (and why):

- The search form (there doesn’t seem to be enough content to warrant this)
- The date (it never fails to astound me how many people put calendars and clocks on there sites. We already have these in the corner of our screen, you don’t need to tell us what time/date it is!)
- A hit counter (telling people you’ve had ’7 visits today’ only serves as negative social proof, and certainly doesn’t help your visitors).
- Your email in the bottom right corner (keep this for the contact page)
- Some of the menu links (a lot of the subpages are empty. Remove all links you can. The less the better).

No Human Element

Your website represents your community, but I don’t get any sense of community when visiting it. Generic stock photos of text arrangements is not going to entice new members to join you.

You need member examples, testimonials, reviews. You need faces and personality. Don’t hide behind an impersonal front page.

My Redesign Proposal

You can see my redesign proposal below:

Let’s look at some of my aims for the redesign:

Clarified the Website & Organization

The current site is definitely quite unclear for new visitors who need an immediate explanation of the site and organization. In my redesign proposal I used a clear heading and subtext to instantly explain the purpose of the site. I also included a bright call to action button ‘learn more’ to encourage visitors to read more about the organization.

Added More Personality

This type of organization should not have a faceless website. I used a prominent picture of a medical student to front the website and another photo of a member in the testimonial/casestudy area. I used stock photography, but of course you should use your actual member base for these areas. You could even have the photos rotate as part of a slideshow, thereby showing more of your membership base.

The testimonial/casestudy area gives a more human element to the site as visitors can instantly learn about specific people within your organization and how they are being helped.

Created a Stronger Color Palette

The logo is fairly strong in the original site design, but the rest of the website doesn’t build on this very well.

In my design I echoed the bright, eye-catching colors of the logo throughout the rest of the page. From the bright, bold blue menu to the eye-catching pink call to action button you get a much more consistent, strong color palette established throughout the page.

Suggest Your Own Site for a Redesign

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.

Today I’m going to be redesigning James Willney, a painter, photography and graphic designer.

The Original Design:

You can see the original site design below:

You can check out the original website here: James Willney

First Impressions: Strengths

Every site has some merits, and the good impressions I made here are these:

James’ Work is Prominently Displayed

With any kind of portfolio site like this it’s crucial to display your work prominently, as it is your work that sells you.

James’ does a good job of this, making his work the true centerpiece of his website’s homepage, using a large image of one of his paintings to act as a type of landing page.

This instantly sells his services to potential prospects.

Today I’m going to be redesigning Man in the Moon, a new York based bakery and cafe.

The Original Design:

You can see the original site design below:

You can check out the original website here: Man in the Moon

First Impressions: Strengths

Every site has some merits, and the good impressions I made here are these:

Great Brand/Logo

The thing that first struck me about this website was how cool the logo was. It’s really unique and memorable and helps to instantly start establishing the bakery’s brand.

The ornate golden text and illustrative logo are really well designed and have a charming, fantasy feel to them.

The logo also serves the dual purpose of clarifying what the business does.

Today I’m going to be redesigning Brusheezy, a hugely popular site offering free Photoshop brushes.

The Original Design:

You can see the original site design below:

You can check out the original website here: Brusheezy

First Impressions: Strengths

Every site has some merits, and the good impressions I made here are these:

Brusheezy is Clean and Professional

The current version of Brusheezy is actually a redesign of their original site.

It’s a great design, and so let me start this casestudy by saying that I don’t think a total overhaul is needed. In fact far from it!

Brusheezy has a clean, professional design that is for the most part fairly easy to use. The colors are soft and easy on the eyes, and there is great attention to detail (with elements such as the menu having a very ‘pixel perfect’) feel.

Elements on the homepage are well spaced, and nothing feels particularly cramped.

In fact, many of the usual issues I find with sites are avoided with Brusheezy!

Have you seen our popular series 30 minute redesigns yet?

Each week I will redesign one reader’s website, providing a free redesign, in depth analysis and exposure for them.

It’s a great breakdown of the principles of solid web design and allows everyone to learn from the real life examples.

Suggestions Needed

After 95 weeks of fantastic 30 minute redesigns, for some strange reason, this week we received no suggestions for this weeks redesign!

So… rather than a redesign today, I’m using this post to gather suggestions for next week’s redesign. I’ll host a poll next Thursday, like usual to decide which design will be redesigned. If you would like a completely FREE redesign and analysis of your site, simply leave a comment to this post with your websites address.

Today I’m going to be redesigning Simple Indian Mom, a personal blog aimed at teaching all elements of being a mother, from health, to home finances, parenting and more!

The Original Design:

You can see the original site design below:

You can check out the original website here: Simple Indian Mom

First Impressions: Strengths

Every site has some merits, and the good impressions I made here are these:

Attempt at an Explanatory Slogan

It’s good to see Simple Indian Mom using a relevant, helpful slogan in the header. This slogan ‘The Ultimate Momma Guide’ helps to define the site for new readers and let’s us know that the content will be related to being a good ‘mom’.

Today I’m going to be redesigning Advance Tech, an Australian company that deals with solar, air conditioning and electrical products and applications.

The Original Design:

You can see the original site design below:

You can check out the original website here: Advance Tech

First Impressions: Strengths

Every site has some merits, and the good impressions I made here are these:

Clean, Professional Layout

Advance Tech is certainly one of the stronger designs that I’ve had to work with. It uses a fairly conventional layout and is clean and professional.

Overall the site feels aptly corporate. The use of attractive typography, clean slideshow areas and good padding make this a reasonably solid design.