Site review: FT.com revamp
The Financial Times began rolling out changes to its website earlier this week, with a new look and very pink homepage being the first major update.
This is the first stage of an ongoing redesign process and so far it looks like a big improvement. I've taken a closer look at the changes...
404 error pages, news sites and user experience
How should a website handle errors? What kind of information and messages should be presented to the user? And will a one-size fits all approach do the job?
Our own 404 page is pretty lame, so we’ve been thinking about the various ways in which we can improve things, as part of our year-long project to provide you with a glorious new E-consultancy website (due in early-2009).
I have also analysed the 404 pages of 10 of the most popular news sites, to see how other publishers are faring.
Is your e-commerce channel performing as well as it could?
Despite the growth in the e-commerce channel, many retailers are still unable to make truly informed decisions regarding the strategic development of e-commerce in their business, as they are unable to effectively benchmark the performance of the channel.
This is the case for both retailers who think they're performing well and those who don't.
Boots improves website (as recommended!)
I wrote a post a few months ago that listed a few criticisms of the Boots website, which contained a number of usability and design flaws.
The website has been much improved recently and we're now singing from the same hymnbook, although one or two notes remain out of tune...
How to handle checkout errors
When going through the checkout process, customers in the process of paying for items are bound to make a few mistakes here and there.
The key here is to handle these problems smoothly, enabling customers to correct any errors they make without causing unnecessary frustration.
Fast and easy - web application design tips
This past weekend, the New York Times published an interesting article.
In it, Matt Richtel and Ashlee Vance discussed the computer industry's plans to offer PCs that boot up more quickly.
Site review: Amazon Windowshop
Online retail behemoth Amazon recently launched Windowshop.com, which offers a new way to browse through items from its main site.
Other than looking quite nice, does this new tool offer any extra value to Amazon's shoppers?
Adobe CS4 is out - what's new?
Chances are that if you're a web designer or developer, you use one or more Adobe products.
Adobe's Creative Suite, which includes programs like Photoshop, Flash and Dreamweaver, is one of the most popular software suites known to web professionals because of this.
Site review: Webtogs
Webtogs is an e-commerce startup that launched in 2007 and focuses on outdoor clothing and equipment.
I've been taking a closer look at its website, as well as talking to Webtogs co-founder Philip Wilkinson about the design, and how the business is doing nearly 12 months after launch...
What is the best screen resolution to use for your website?
When reviewing new or redesigned websites, I've noticed a few that don't fill the whole screen, which has got me thinking about the best way for designers to approach the issue.
It's impossible to ensure that your website looks the same in every browser, mobile device, or screen resolution, but there are ways to deal with the problem.
Social media: the best and worst of 2009
Email marketing: six steps to improving customer engagement in 2010
Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
