Embedded Files
The header image on the page has no effect as it is being covered up by text. Also the image itself has no relevance to the website anyway as it does not relate to housing and it does not relate to customer experience. This could be improved by using a image with a better composition so that the main focus of the image is either off to the left or the right of the shot and if they want the image to be based around the client it should still be relevant, and therefore it could be a client inside their own home.
The phone number and the text on the image is unclear and hard to read so therefore also does not have the desired effect and decreases user experience. This is due with the white colour clashing with the background, there needs to be a box around the text or the text needs to be positioned somewhere else on the page, as I can understand why they wouldn't change the colour as it needs to stay on brand and correlate with the rest of the page.
The red and white theme is consistent throughout the website so it therefore stays on brand and does help the flow of the website. This will increase user experience as when they are moving across the pages, they will know they are still on the same website as the same layout and colouring is used showing the brand.
The navigation bar at the top of the screen is clear to see and simple to use to find what you are looking for, it also consists of drop down menus if the user is looking for a more narrow search.
The next area of the home page seems to be structural and clear, the composition of the images and the white backgrounds draws the viewers eye down the page. The last image is also a interactive slide show which adds another element to the website to keep the viewers attention and them interested.
The latest news sections shows the user that there is more to Andrew Grant than just selling houses. However these could have a better format as they have very small images and smaller text, with a lot of white space. In order for them to be more effective and draw attention to them the images should be bigger with the text compositeness better, such as just above or within/ on top of the image. I do like the option to see more though, as it makes sure you don't have too much information on the page at once as that would be too overwhelming for the user, but they are able to look at more information if they choose to.
There is an index at the bottom of the home page so that if anyone who hasn't found what they are looking for they could find it here but i think this is too much information on the page and also the user should have been able to find everything they wanted anyway further up and through the navigation of the page.
The property search page is very generic and like many other estate agents websites, however this does make it easier to use as more users should have experience with this kind of set up before. There is also a good amount of house images advertised per page so that the user doesn't feel like they are just going through pages before finding anything.
The property page itself once one is clicked has a good bold header with a what is suspected to be the best image of the house, but it also gives all the relevant information such as the location, price and how many bedrooms/bathrooms. This is enough information for the viewer to decide wether or not they want to carry on reading for more information or not.
There is then a slideshow of the images of the house allowing the viewer to gain a good first impression of the house before reading more. There is also the option for them to view the full gallery of images so they can spend as much time as they want looking at each image.
There is then the description of the house, this is concise and not too much information, with the most important information in bullet points first. Then there is a more detailed description underneath where they can get the full picture of what the house is like and wether it is something they are interested in. There is also the enquiry option on the side of this, which I think is a really nice touch as they will be able to make an enquiry which wouldn't hurt even if they weren't completely sure on the house, it is quick and easy to do in the moment.
There is also the chat option where they can ask questions in general and get a reply hopefully while they are still on the sire, but it would not be good if the reply aren't quick as the user will not wait around on the website for a reply.
There are also options for the user to get in touch with the company, and also put a face to the company, although as he is the senior partner it is unlikely that he deals with customers, therefore I don't believe that he is the right person to be using on the website, it should be someone that the user may actually interact with in real life.
I also believe the rest of the site has a lot of information on it, something that I don't believe will be read or those on the site may be put of by this amount of information and not be interested in the company anymore. Therefore even though a lot of this information is useful it could be condensed or used in a more interactive way in which the user will actually be interested in a read.
Mobile version
The mobile version of the website is very similar to the pc version, it has the same problems as well, as the header image is not visible and therefore not effective. The menu bar does seem to be a little less crowed on this version which make make it easier for people to find what they want and not just leave the site when presented with too much information. Further due to the much narrower screen space on the property pages there is only one in view at a time, which means the user would have to spend much longer scrolling which also means they will get bored and then the site not be as effective.
The twitter page and the other social media elements such as facebook and instagram are not effective either I don't think. This is because the amount of followers that they have are not the numbers you would expect to see from a company this large with this many customers. This may be because they are unaware of their social media presence or they are not effective enough with what they are posting. As you can see from their twitter page they have an advert for one house, which may help the viewing and the selling of that house, but only for those of their small amount of followers that are looking for something of that description in the location in that is, so that would most likely be next to none. Which means something about the social media campaign needs to change in order to gain more followers and get noticed. Which the competition which they have also posted could be effective at drawing attention.
Facebook is in exactly the same situation as twitter, however on their page those who follow or visit are offered with more information. such as the most local estate agents office to you and the link to the website and contact details, which are all very useful information.
Instagram I think is more difficult for the company to use as you can only post images, however this may be a good idea to share images of the houses and then a small description as often when someone is scrolling through their phones or even looking for a property, it is the first image that will capture their attention and decide wether they want to read more. Therefore instagram could be effective if they post the best images. However I do think they should have multiple different profiles for different areas, as if they had a 'Andrew Grant Worcestershire' and then those who follow the page are interested in that area and then when the images are posted they are in the area that the followers are interested in and they don't have to cover such a wide area and they could get more interest in the houses.
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