MacYoung Coastal Properties

Website Usability Report

(08/08/2008)

Website Objectives

The objective of the website is to advertise real estate and to persuade buyers to make use of this agency. In order to achieve these objectives, the website must:

The Design and Functionality

The website follows a conventional header with three / two column layout, built with tables. The header contains the company name, logo and the user menu. The left column appears to be the actual menu of the website, with first a search form, then a list of locations and lastly a list of property types (sorted by location). On the home page, the centre column contains some text about the company and the area where they work. The right column is a list of properties recently added to the website. On the “search” page, the centre and right columns are merged into a single column to display a list of relevent properties.

On the “property details” page, the layout reverts to three columns. However, the search form and menus in the left column are replaced with (mostly) a picture of the agent handling this property and his/her details. The centre column contains the property details and a contact form; and the right column the pictures.

Specific Points about the Design

MacYoung Coastal Properties – Homepage<br />(8 August 2008)

MacYoung Coastal Properties – Homepage
(8 August 2008)

Enlarge

  1. The header displays the corporate logo and name of the business in a very stylish manner. No problems here;
  2. The menu bar is very prominent and cannot be missed by the user. Unfortuanately that’s about all it has going for itself, as the options presented to the user is mostly of little value, mislabeled or both:
    • Home – The function of this option is obvious and its presence required;
    • Property Search – This option serves absolutely no function, as there is already a search form at the top of the left column. This is further emphasised by the fact that when the user selects this option, he is simply instructed to use the search form in the left column. Rather exaspirating and somewhat insulting;
    • Contacts – Expecting to see contact details for the company, like telephone numbers and a postal address? Instead we get a list of agents. Betcha the top of the list gets all the calls and needs to redirect. Why didn’t they just call it Agents?
    • Backoffice – I must admit this one had me for a minute or three. What the heck is a backoffice? Contacts wasn’t what I thought it was, so perhaps this is some real estate jargon for how to contact the office. Nope. Apparently this is the link for the administration part of the website, which the agents use to upload, edit and remove property listings. So what is it doing on the user menu? This link should either not be on the page or it should be tucked away somewhere where no normal visitor will register its presence, i.e. at the bottom of the page in a really small font size;

  3. Next we have a marquee of what appears to be the latest properties added, same as displayed in the right column of the home page (thankfully sans photographs). Marquees are bad. End of story;
  4. Confronting the user with a search form as the first option in finding a property is not very good practice. Not only must the user think about what to do, but it also removes the option to simply browse around. This is akin to entering a clothing store and being confronted by a salesperson demanding: “What do you want? Sorry, no browsing allowed. You have to tell me what you are looking for or leave the shop.” This functionality should be on a dedicated page, which you arrive at by clicking on Property Search in the menu bar;
  5. Ah, finally the real menu of the website. Here we are presented with two lists of property categorisation. This is what I want to use when browsing around looking at properties available. Good, although the fact that the main category is not selectable (you must choose show all) detracts a bit from the functionality;
  6. The usual copy telling us something about the agency and the general area. It looks like it was added just to fill some empty space in the design. Spelling mistakes, grammar errors and just pure blandness makes this a waste of space. Tell me again exactly why I should be dealing with this agency?
  7. A list of recently added properties. This is a repeat of the marquee (3), only with photographs. They should filter them a bit, i.e. select which properties are showcased. As it is, this only clutters the layout with useless information.

What’s Missing?

The website lacks the most important element of a small-business website: contact information displayed prominently on each and every page. Clicking on Contacts in the user menu bar is of little hope, as we are then presented with a list of agents. Not very useful.

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