yr opinion and critics highly appreciated

[dahui]

... no I am not sadistic ;) just want the whole truth

 

there is a saying here in germany/bavaria which translates s.th. like:

"if you like it, tell it the others, if you don't tell it me"

 

for those who just wanna look without reading go for it!

 

so this is my first approach to mainly everything and I really started at ZERO. my wife has a small cosmetic studio and the website was made external by a student. after some trouble I through myself into it, the date was 1st of august and the goal a webshop to go live on 1st october. So I set up my one VPS started to learn about apache, php and all that stuff, finally decided to go with osC and here is my work now.

 

osC dev site

 

what I would really appreciated of those who might have the time 'testing' the shop to the bone is an overall technical/functional feedback as well as some special questions of mine and of cause criticism in any way.

 

my main considerations are:

 

- sessions to be kept and not lost

- not sure what if people do not accept js, as the resized pics and my CONDITIONS need it

- general functionality of the shopping process

- do you receive mails propperly

 

the ssl certificate is yet a test-one class0 only, propper one will be intalled in near future. the shop is on dev and will be moved to root for live installation. headertags are installed but not customized yet.

 

what I did not found out is to change the seo rewrite rules in .htaccess to consider the Umlaute in url as well.

 

feel free to shop around

 

dahui

 

oh, I forgott, thx for all replies!

[dahui]

UPDATE

 

I was informed that some links to 'STUDIO' do not work. Sorry not to mention this from my side, but I am aware of it.

 

As the original domain http://www.elflein-kosmetik.de is already online but yet not running on my VPS this issue will be fixed this week.

 

The domain will completely move to my VPS and than the original SSL Cert will be installed, the shop moved to root and the links to the studio will be set internal.

 

dahui

[RyanSmith]

I like the design of your site. Well, everything but the IFrame. I have never liked IFrames. They tend to be a big usability miss.

 

Why do you need to know if I'm male of female?

 

Do you actually mail out a newsletter? I would get rid of that checkbox unless your actually sending out a newsletter.

 

All in all, it's a pretty nice site. I certainly doesn't look stock osC. I would give you more feedback, but my German is non-existant at best.

[wizardsandwars]

Have to agree the whole iFrame has to go. What purpose does it serve, other thaqt to eliminate any remote possibility of ever having decent search engine rankings. Looks like you might have used the iframe as a perceived design 'shortcut' to being able to integrate the osC cart into your design. I think this is a pretty big mistake. You can easily create this same design in osC without having to use an iframe.

 

Other than that, I think the design is very nice.

[dahui]

thx for yr replys guys I really appreciated that.

 

Sorry for single language only, but at least here in the board we can all read the url and know where it leads to, sorry for inconvenience I had foreseen small response due to that.

 

@ ryan

 

do you mean the "Herr/Frau" in create_accout? that shoudn't be prob in Germany, people are used to it and makes it easier in my ERP backend instead of valuating firstnames, but thx for the hint

 

newsletter is a very good advice, I will remove that unless we really send them out at least monthly, thx again

 

Iframe, see below please

 

thx for the compliments on design, was a bit work to learn to know the code and how it ticks but then really easy (not at least due to help here in the board)

 

@wizardsandwars

Looks like you might have used the iframe as a perceived design 'shortcut' to being able to integrate the osC cart into your design. I think this is a pretty big mistake. You can easily create this same design in osC without having to use an iframe.

I would be really interested in any help/assintance to that

 

If I do understand you right, you could achive the same design but only without I frame? that wouldbe great to learn.

 

may I contact you on pm?

 

I give it a try.

 

thx sofar, hopefully more to come ... from the whole community ;)

dahui

[dahui]

Looks like you might have used the iframe as a perceived design 'shortcut' to being able to integrate the osC cart into your design. I think this is a pretty big mistake. You can easily create this same design in osC without having to use an iframe.

 

I am very impacient and wizardsandwars for sure has better todo than takecare of my iframes. to be honest before he mentioned i did not even knew what iframes are, I looked itup now, and maybe I am still on the wrong way, but I do not use iframes, everything is 'constructed' by css, the scrollable main frame results from the given website elflein-kosmetik.de but is rebuild completely in osC I know this scrolling thing is bad, but I would have to rlaunch osc and the cms contenido design of studio aswell.

 

dahui

[RyanSmith]

Wow, in this business, you learn something new everyday. I thought that had to be an IFrame, and I didn't think that there was anyway to create that effect without using an IFrame tag. It turns out that your were right, it is done with CSS. I have never seen this done before, but what's going on is that you have a DIV tag that holds your content that as a class definition of:

.positionmid_right_main {position:absolute;  /* für column_left.php */
   top: 22px;
   left: 8px;
   height: 316px;
   width: 555px;
   background-color: transparent;
   z-index: 5;
   overflow: auto}

overflow being the key to the IFrame effect.

Well that's useful to know. CSS can drive me crazy with all the subtle effects and differences in browsers. Once again, nice site design. I would still get rid of the IFrame effect.

[dahui]

I would still get rid of the IFrame effect.

 

so if I understand it right inmy poor knowledge I do NOT use iframes but i looks like beacuase of this scrolly center.

 

I would like to optimize that, but (maybe I am already blind and did not unrestand anything sofar) that would mean changig the complete layout, which would mean change the studio cms site as well :( or do I have a big brain block

 

what du you all mean by get rid of it ???

 

thx for yr comments

dahui

[RyanSmith]

Generally, from a web usability point of view, you only want one scrollable area, that being the main browser area. When you have IFrames (or in this case, clipped DIV tags), certain browsers won't know how to display it properly, search engines won't index it correctly, and brower alternatives (such as speach browsers for the disabled) won't know how to handle them.

 

I'm guessing that since it is done with CSS rather than an IFrame, it will be better handled by these systems than an plain old IFrame would. But you still have the usability issue to deal with. I understand that you have this integrated into a CMS that has a layout that you like, but you may want to spend some time redesigning the layout to avoid having to use the overflow.

 

One suggestion may be to get rid of two of the bottom boxes (IE Angebote and Bewertungen), and just let the content flow down however far it wants to. This would be relatively simple to do. You may have some better ideas, I'm not a designer, just a lowly coder, but I do know a little about usabilty.

 

Anyway, good luck with it. The CSS should make the use of the IFrame effect less of an impact than a traditional IFrame, but you still may want to consider getting rid of it.

[dahui]

One suggestion may be to get rid of two of the bottom boxes (IE Angebote and Bewertungen), and just let the content flow down however far it wants to.  This would be relatively simple to do.  You may have some better ideas, I'm not a designer, just a lowly coder, but I do know a little about usabilty.

 

and yr comments are really constructive and helpfull! thx a lot. as described above I started from zero a few weeks ago.

 

so the idea to simply change design between studio and shop and make shop with no boxes above footer but a looooooooooong(or self adjusting in lenght) mainscreen, include the boxes benaeth the cats-box on the left and it would look similar but avoid the scrolly main. GOOD IDEA thx a lot

 

I will keep my goal 1st of october and launch it. afterwards I immediately start on redesign amybe for both shop and studio. thx a lot again

 

dahui

 

lowly coder? I wish I ould be even that ;)

[Tekken8]

Personally I don't like IFrames like some of the others here. But I think they suit in this particular case.

 

Nice website :)

[Wendy James]

I like the framed area on this site. Many people use this effect be it with css or an iframe and have no idea how to incorporate it in a way that is pleasing to the eye... or when there is no real need for it. I personally think it works well on this particular site.

As for search engine rankings and so on... no clue. I never stress over those so I have no idea if it makes it harder to rank or not. If I was a customer though, I personally wouldn't find it annoying because of how expertly it was integrated. Plus it is large enough height wise that it clear what is going on.

 

I think if the site did not have the layout that it does that the frame could be too much or not nice but I really do like it for this layout.

Good job :)

[dahui]

I think if the site did not have the layout that it does that the frame could be too much or not nice but I really do like it for this layout.

Good job :)

 

oil to my soul!!! thx a lot wendy

 

as said to often I am a real noob and involved only because no external coder met my expectations.

 

I try always to do things at my very best (beeing a little perfectionist comes from my fathers side, he is 100% 'prussian' maybe you know over ther the king of prussia called FRITZ) and was already heavily googleing on iframes div css and dis/advantages beeing really frightened all those hard nightshifts where for nothing.

 

When you look yourself that damn often o a site developing it there wher so many times where I was not satisfied with the layout at all, but all other options came always closer to osC standard and away from studio design.

 

I think I will give it a try as described befor and see how handy the design will be in live action. Always having the relaunch in mind. besides that I planned the last 10 days a bit testing with about 60 ladies who represent our classic clients and see how they get along.

 

thx again to all of you for your 2cents, I still appreciate more to come ;) and even thoe I do really respect all the comments here and take the seriuosly it is a the biggest pleasure to read yr statement Wendy!

1st yr female (they view things obviuosly different)

2nd to be honest I only now saw yr signature, to have compliments from a member of LiveShop team really flatters me - gettingredallover -

 

thx again to all and keep on osC-ing (wonderfull masterpiece of SW)

dahui

[♥toyicebear]

First let me say, overall a very nice design and implementation of osc....

 

Then the now famous scrolling areas....

 

For the product info..it works...looks nice and the buy button is visible without having to use the scrolling bar...

 

But......

 

The scrolling for the categories box and for the category/sub-category listings is just plain annoying........

 

But in the end, the customer is always right..so the ones you should really listen to is the 60 test clients you mentioned.....

[dahui]

hey nick, thx 4 yr comments, there we meet again, you might not rmemebr but helped me out at the veryvery start with how to begin in header column_left ...

 

The scrolling for the categories box

 

well I can avoid that maybe with a conrib that lets thet subcats fly out (if I express myself well like dropdown to the left the more I look at it the more I think that for the cats it is really not good

 

category/sub-category listings

 

waht do you mean by that the mainframe in index when listing the subcats?

 

again thx a lot

dahui

[♥toyicebear]

Now that you do mention it, i do remeber seing the design before... :-)

 

well I can avoid that maybe with a conrib that lets thet subcats fly out (if I express myself well like dropdown to the left the more I look at it the more I think that for the cats it is really not good

 

A very nice cat box you might want to have a look at... osC_JCSSMenu MS2-2.2

 

waht do you mean by that the mainframe in index when listing the subcats?

 

Yes.....

[dahui]

... search engines won't index it correctly, and brower alternatives (such as speach browsers for the disabled) won't know how to handle them

I checked ma privacy site wich is quite long with lynx-viewer and ... dadada surprise other than iframes the solution with divs wokrz means the linx puts out the site as follows:

 

  Elflein Kosmetik

 

                                                zum Studio  [exit.jpg]

 

    INFORMATION Start |  Bestseller |  Angebote |  Bewertungen |  mein

  Konto |  Warenkorb |  Kasse        login

 

            Start ? Information ? Privatsph?re und Datenschutz

 

  BOX_HEADING_ADVSEARCH  __________

 

  Produkt Katalog

 

 

  Pflege

  Reinigen

  Peeling

  Masken

  Ampullen

  Anti-Ageing

  Sets

  Sonnenschutz

  f?r den Herrn

 

                        Privatsph?re und Datenschutz

 

  Privacy Policy Privacy Policy

    Der Schutz Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten ist uns wichtig! Sie sollen

  wissen, wann wir welche Daten speichern und wie diese verwendet

  werden. Wir unterliegen den Bestimmungen des Bundesdatenschutzgesetzes

  (BDSG), und haben technische und organisatorische Massnahmen

  getroffen, die sicherstellen, dass die Vorschriften ?ber den

  Datenschutz sowohl von uns als auch von externen Dienstleistern

  eingehalten werden.

  Unser Onlineshop vef?gt ?ber ein SSL-Zetifikat. Weitere Informationen

  unter

  sicheres OnlineShopping

 

.

.

.

complete text from top to bottom (shorted for convenience in board)

.

.

.

 

    Rechtlicher Hinweis:

    Alle Angaben auf unseren Internet-Seiten sind freibleibend und

  erfolgen ohne Gew?hr. F?r Sch?den, die durch Dateien verursacht

  werden, die ?ber unsere Internet-Server geladen und/oder installiert

  werden, ?bernehmen wir keinerlei Haftung. Zwar pr?fen wir alle Dateien

  vor dem Upload auf Viren, k?nnen aber nicht garantieren, dass diese

  virenfrei sind. Sollten Sie einen Virus entdecken, nehmen Sie bitte

  umgehend Kontakt mit uns auf, damit wir schnellstm?glich reagieren

  k?nnen.

 

  Information Weiter

  Neue Artikel

  Clarifiying Cleansing Bar

  Clarifiying Cleansing Bar

  25,50EUR

  Angebote

  A New Age Creme

  A New Age Creme

  [DEL: 31,00EUR :DEL]

  23,25EUR

  Bewertungen

  A New Age Creme

  testkommentar zu diesem produkt 1234567890asdfg-

  h asdfgh asdf ..

  4 von 5 Sternen!

 

  AGB |  Lieferbedingungen & Versandkosten |  Datenschutz |  Kontakt |

  Impressum |  Suche |  Sitemap

 

    06.09.2005

 

          Copyright ? Elflein Kosmetik 2005 - all rights reserved.

 

                                                    powered by osCommerce 

 

which means, that the page will be fully indexed by ranking machines and read by voice speech browsers as well.

 

and by chance it is even displaying the content in a nice order for barrier-free compliancy (e.g. when you listen to the site read by a browser reader for blind it will read it exactly the way diplayed above). hehe osc roxx

 

dahui

[dahui]

osC_JCSSMenu MS2-2.2

 

I will surely have a look at that immediately, you don't know in case a demo runnning somewhere ;) so curious so impationed LOL

 

I will think about optimization of the cat subcat listing, maybe a plain 4x4 bigger pics without the "top offers in septmeber" below optimized on a size that no scrolls appear would suite better the overall apperance.

 

and as usual thx for all of yr comments.

 

dahui

 

(feels good to be in this community)

[wizardsandwars]

Been a busy day, but I wanted to get a quick comment in before I went ot bed.

 

For the product info..it works...looks nice and the buy button is visible without having to use the scrolling bar...

 

Not in the resolution I use.

[dahui]

Been a busy day, but I wanted to get a quick comment in before I went ot bed.

Not in the resolution I use.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

sorry 1024x768 is minimum, our studio site is running 7 month now and there is less than 6% using smaller than 1024x768 thats why we went with fixed witdh in this size

 

wrote you pm on iframes, just trash it, we already came further ;) but thx as ususal for you 2cents

 

@toyicebear

 

I took out quickly the top offers from cat subcat, and already looks better, will resize the pics and align them nicely to fill the space

 

and again one little step forward thx nick

 

dahui

[dahui]

osC_JCSSMenu MS2-2.2

 

thx for the clue Nick. implemented the contirb and wlooks much better, no more scrolling for cats

 

now the pics in cat/subcat on index will be enlarged

 

dahui

[Guest]

hey mike, nice work few things

 

1. http://funjumping.de/images/exit.jpg shows not found. should appear on the upper-right corner of the screen.

 

2. On the left nav categories box if there are sub-categories the popup goes under the main layer and I dont see them (Tried it when I was on the contact us page)

 

3. Also in the same box there is a rather long latency with the >

 

4. I also got an error when I went back to the index page

Warning: main(includes/modules/FILENAME_NEW_PRODUCTS): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/httpd/vhosts/funjumping.de/httpdocs/shop/index.php on line 329

 

Warning: main(): Failed opening 'includes/modules/FILENAME_NEW_PRODUCTS' for inclusion (include_path='.:') in /home/httpd/vhosts/funjumping.de/httpdocs/shop/index.php on line 329

 

5. The side scroll bars you could put a color instead of the white kinda hard to see it. as the scrollbar bkgnd is also white.

 

good luck with your store.

[dahui]

hello Mark

 

first of all thx a lot, yr comment are very appreciated, honestly.

 

thethingy is, that I forgot to post, thet funjumping.de was changed from dev-plattform to playground some 2-3 days ago and is not the actual state. my new dev is now reachable by the original domain

 

http://elflein-kosmetik.de/index.php

 

http://elflein-kosmetik.de/

 

itself will not work as there is still a pre-site to lead to the studio which is not yet moved.

 

but by the ulr you can already see, that I moved the catalog to root and the cerificate is not class 0 but 2 now, should worksmoothly as well.

 

If you still have issues with the menu, please let me know as I assume you browsed it by IE ;) and the menu is s.th. that I am nor really satisfied with.

the colours of the scroll I will change to standard light green thx for advise! but unfortunately workz only in IE

Some links might not point yet to the right sites outside the catalog and some not to right SSL or NONSSL that I am aware of but would appreciate any post on found broken links'

 

as usual all advices and commentswill be evaluated and mostly ;) transformed as in the past. any other comments areappreciated as well of course, Imean not only by you Mark. Thx again, my shop getsbetter every day. Even managed crons for google-sitemap and froogle-merchants!

 

dahui

[dahui]

hello @ll

 

my store is right about to go live beginning of this week, adn I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of you for the support here I achieved.

 

Very special thx go to enigma1 and Vger !!!

 

I have appreciated all comments and corrected or applied nearly everything mentioned, as far as I can see the only thing remained is the 'fake-css-frame' due to given design.

 

the last issue I seem to have is the JCSSmenu for the categories box

 

I cannot find the logic what makes IE react strange. It displays the 'flyout-to-right' of the subcats on first main cat sometimes too far right. It seems to fail only on first use, after 2 - 3 clicks the error seems away for ever. I cleared cache cookies offline files, even cache and session in db I cannot reproduce the error. but on a computer with IE that has never ever entered my site before it seems to appear on first siteentrance and the goes away for ever ???

 

let me please know yr final thoughts!

 

I know the siteis in german only, but I think all of you could use it ;) as we can read the URLs at least.

 

I would as well appreciate a feedback of 'mac' users as I have no chnace to see/test the site in e.g. safari

 

thx again for all yr support here so far,

dahui

 

http://elflein-kosmetik.de/index.php