matgb | Web portfolio design 101

I bang on about usability, search optimisation and accessibility every so often in site designs, but given my strictly amateur status I still quiver at some of the godawful sites there are out there. I agree completely with this article though - How Not to Display Your Artwork on the Web:

In the thirteen years I’ve been on the web, twelve of which I’ve spent doing professional web site design, and the last two of which have sent me to hundreds of artists’ web sites, I’ve come to the inevitable conclusion that the thing artists want most when placing their art on the web is for it not to be seen.

There are millions upon millions of bad sites on the web, but artists really work at it.

As an example, I think that

jonhodgson's portfolio site is actually quite good, but even that breaks a few basic pointers; the use of a frame redirect from the domain name (http://www.jonhodgson.net/) to the actual location of the content (http://troldeskau.net/jonhodgson.net/index.htm and sub pages) means that your avarage 'net user isn't able to specifically link to the image page itself; not so useful for a potential commission to show a specific example to colleagues, etc. But compared to some of the awful designs out there (including some for my favoured artists) it scores well; brief bio, clear contact details, easy navigation, etc.

The more I trawl around,the more horrors of design I see, I'm always tempted to share them but, well... OTOH, not to my taste at all, and breaks a few UI rules, but isn't this a simply gorgeous myspace layout^[1]?

ETA: [1] there's apparently an embedded music file on that profile, hadn't noticed as embedded music on Myspace doesn't play if you've got Flashblock running.

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Argh, embeded music!!!!!! Well, at least it only had ONE embeded music track, I've seen some Myspace monstrosities with half a dozen tracks all wanting to play at once??

Has it? Sorry, better mark that - I use flashblock in Firefox at all times, and MS uses flash based players for the embeds, so they never play and never bother me.

But yeah, some profiles have far too much autoplaying, very very stupid. But then, Myspace is a 'space on the web' for anyone; including avarage types who just don't get it.

Thx for the heads up.

Good myspace layout, annoying misuse of their instead of they're. So you win some, you lose some...

Yes, basic use of English language leaves something to be desired there, but it's very pretty until you start reading it.

Precisely. I didn't actually read it at all (I may have looked at some of her pictures but's that's another matter). I was simply trawling for design ideas; there are many more good layouts than I thought, quite impressive really considering how ugly the code you need to work with is.

You'll find

xhan104 doing lj layouts too.

Ah, cool. *looks at profile*

Um, perhaps oops, seems to know Jennie and a few other friends of hers. Ah well, cool anyway. No idea how I got to her now, think I was randomly clicking.

Still not a fan, even of that one, though I suspect that may be Myspace not working with Opera. Seems slightly better in Camino, but I still find there to be too much space in it, and it still has the myspace thing that really annoys me - pictures that move with you as you scroll down.

Aye; that used to be fairly common on many many sites, especially personal sites on places like Geocities. Which means that the comment I've quoted before about Myspace being the place on the web for those that don't know better is pretty much true, it is the geocities of the moment, and it'll die just as badly at some point, while Facebook, which doesn't allow for such things, conquers all before it.

Although I didn't design the look of Jon's current site, I do maintain it am responsible for the technology behind it.

Given that I have access to hosting that it either free (I originally used my NTL world space) or paid for elsewhere (troldeskau.net is paid for because it needed a significant amount of space to host the music), how would you suggest I go about fixing the issues with the frame hosting?

troldeskau.net is hosted by re-invent.com
jonhodgson.net uses the web framing options from 123-reg.co.uk

The budget for doing this is in the order of zero (123 charge a few quid every year or two).

I'm technically competent, but know little about how to go about pointing domain names to subfolders of other hosted sites without use of third party providers.

Heh, if I'm honest, I don't know how to do it best either—I do usability because I love the web but my coding is crap, so constructive critique is something I can do.

Best bet would be to dump the frameset once they're at your site, have the domain name load up the homepage, then have base target="_top" embedded so from then on they're navigating around your site. It's slightly amateurish but it works and would be better than what you've now got.

If 123 allow for PHP redirects that's better, or when it's up for renewal switch to a registrar that can do them for you, I know they exist but I forget which ones I've used. It's something I've had done for me, but not stuff I've actually done, if that makes sense?

I know how to do some stuff, other stuff I get done. Happy to help if I can though, I like Jon's work, it was just chance that both came out at the same time.

Out of interest. Am I right in saying that your only complaint about the current solution is that the thing in the address bar does not take you to the specific current page?

I believe I could sort something that fixed that with 123. It is up for renewal at the moment, but 123 is easy and I like easy.

I don't like the simple _top solution because then you loose the "jonhodgson.net" from the address line. If people are linking to Jon's stuff, I'd like them not to use something that included "troldeskau".

The need to link to a specific page was never a requirement, but reading your blog has shown me that it'd be useful. Thanks.

It's the only real complaint as such—there are things that could be better from a usability perspective, but the linked article goes over that better than I can (actual pro in the field, and her series after that is good).

I'd like them not to use something that included "troldeskau".

That would be ideal, but better that than not being able to link at all. I dislike frames as a solution for a lot of reasons, this is one of the biggest though (bad for search optimisation as well, and Google will take people to your site not Jon's domain as is currently).

The need to link to a specific page was never a requirement, but reading your blog has shown me that it'd be useful. Thanks.

Unfortunately, most people commissioning sites (including most pro businesses with actual budgets) don't know the first thing about usability, and only appreciate it it when they're on a site that hasn't got it—if it just works, it works, etc.

But you're welcome, it's nice when things get better, and I like sharing ideas anyway.

Okay, I believe that I have a solution. All links now link explicitly to jonhodgson.net, including the slideshow (which took a little more thought).

Although nothing has changed and the site still uses framed forwarding as it used to, the link in the address bar is now quotable for a specific page.

Now...

Anything else? I really appreciate finding these comments (even if it is 6 months after they were made!) since I find it hard to find people who will give me honest and informed opinions on websites.

...this also should be okay for Search Engines. The engine will give a link to troldeskau.net, but once a user clicks on a link they will be in jonhodgson.net.

This is as close to ideal as I believe that I can get without trawling for a new domain name provider.

That seems to work. Only extra suggestion is on 'bio' it says click the contact button but that's at the top off screen on a 1024 res browser. I'd hyperlink it.

Also, if possible, set up an alias address and display "info@jonhodgson" not "jonhogsonart@aol", should be possible within 123 and looks a lot more proessional. Replies would come from Jon's address, but it appears to be a 'real' email not an ISP one.

And you're welcome—when I'm working on a site regularly (not happening currently) I set up a Google News alert for incoming links, I still get a few every so oftern, can be useful. I get them when I link to them from here, so it should pick up most stuff.

I tried to encourage Jon's use of a jonhodgson.net email address but he wasn't over keen.

I only discovered Google alerts recently (I only have one (work related) set up, but using it for what you suggest is a good idea.

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