UX Booth

Matthew’s Review of Wapple.net

Author Avatar

Author

Matthew Kammerer

Published

May 3rd, 2009

Popularity

Share

Labels

Full Reviews

0 Comments

Initial Impressions

The first thing I look for as I open Wapple is a tagline. Even though the title of the website speaks to what Wapple is all about it is commonly overlooked by users. A tagline reiterating what exactly this site is about in one to two sentences would be a great addition.

As I look over the home page it is not clear as to where I should go next. I am drawn to the content slider in the middle top of the page and browse what is offered here. If a viewer is not drawn to one of these slides they may be off to the next site. I decide to press on and go deeper into the website.

What Confuses Us

Wapple.net’s multi layer navigation

The navigation on Wapple is interesting and unique. Navigation should be simple and intuitive, or else users will not be able to easily work your website. It took me some time to figure out what the second level of navigation actually was and how it worked. This is a red flag. Here are some quick ways I think you could improve what you currently have:

• Move about us to your level one navigation. I think that About Us is a key component of the website. If it is removed from the top of the page navigation it would also leave the three links with less meaning to themselves. These three fit in a category that I feel About Us does not.
• Add a description right before your second level of navigation. This description could be fun, such as ‘Dive In:’, or it could be more informative such as ‘Learn More:”. This will allow users to easily flow through these pages.
• Add a symbol to denote which page is being viewed. On pages that have two pages in the second tier of navigation it is not intuitive which page is selected based on the shades of gray. Consider using a different color or adding a small arrow of sorts, pointing to the page you’re currently viewing.

What we like

I like how the Services page presents it’s content. What I am looking for is clear, easy to find, and presented in a length which is easily manageable for a quick look over.

I also like your call-to-action button for Sign Up. I think it is a good example of what a sign up button call-to-action button should be for your site.

Conclusion and Suggestions

Overall Wapple is easy to navigate once the user understands the navigation levels.

• Show package comparison when users click sign up. This chart compairing features reminds me of a hosting sales page, such as HostGator. It allows users to clearly see what features they are getting for their money. This will avoid the confusion of multiple boxes taking up so much room, such as on the current Sign Up page.
• Simplify your navigation as I described in What Confuses Us. Currently your navigation is not intuitive and could lead to frustration.
• Consider resizing parts of text based on their importance. One thing I noticed while browsing Wapple was a consistent text size. It was hard to scan to find what parts of the page I should focus on or what parts were more important than others.