

Ask HN:Landing page feedback - Edmond

http://appynote.com/<p>Is it too busy?
Does it convey a clear message?
Does it make you want to try it out?
======
omgmog
Yep, it's too busy. There's too little contrast, too much positioning/layout
inconsistency.

Take a look at this infographic for some tips:
[http://blog.kissmetrics.com/landing-page-design-
infographic/...](http://blog.kissmetrics.com/landing-page-design-
infographic/?wide=1)

And maybe look at some of the landing pages featured on this blog post:
[http://unbounce.com/landing-page-examples/built-using-
unboun...](http://unbounce.com/landing-page-examples/built-using-
unbounce/landing-page-design-showcase/)

~~~
Edmond
New & Improved: <http://www.appynote.com>

Verdict?

------
theceka
I think you'd see immediate improvements doing the following;

\- Changing the font from (what I think is) Arial bold to pretty much anything
else. A lot of nice web fonts out there nowadays.

\- Using simpler visual codes for text: every letter of 'APPs' doesn't have to
be a different color and bigger font sized. The MSN messenger icon right in
the middle of text is another example of complicated visual code - you could
mention in a more appropriate place with text only.

\- Decreasing the amount of text and try to explain 'why' I need this.

\- It fits my screen, but it could be large for others. Having a vertical
layout where you have the text at the top and screenshot(s) at the bottom
might free up the cluttered feeling.

\- The vertical setup will help with the currently 'floating in space' feeling
of some elements, like Supported browsers. I know they are aligned, but they
feel isolated and floating.

\- A couple of more screenshots of what 'this is' with their relevant
explanations. I wanted to see more to understand more.

\- More streamlined buttons for Try It, Login and "I want Appynote..." Login
and Try it should be the main buttons here, but with its size, "I want
Appynote..." steals all the attention.

I hope these help.

~~~
Edmond
I agree with your point about the prominence of the "I want APPYnote..."
button.

My problem is that I am trying to appeal to both individual users and people
who may want the software for an organization-wide deployment.

I know there are a lot cool fonts out there especially the Google fonts, but I
am not really a designer, I do have my own taste which probably isn't the same
for most people.

I choose the Arial font because I saw it used on Fogcreek software's page.
Maybe I should hire a designer:)

Anyway I really appreciate the feedback and would definitely incorporate it
into further improvements.

------
helen842000
I have to admit, when the page loaded it did make me go 'whoa!'. It's like all
of your sentences are vying for my attention simultaneously! :)

The bullet point text is almost the same size as your header text. That can be
scaled down. A different font might also help the flow of the page more.

The gradient on the words APPS and NOTES doesn't really work.

I would try to include a higher res screen shot too as I was getting closer to
the screen to see what it was you were showing me.

Also the Y and N in the logo being grey on the patterned background make it a
bit hard to read. I'd say the name needs to be very distinct and clear.

I was a bit reluctant to hit the Try It button as I wasn't sure of the
benefits of the app and I didn't know if it was paid, free etc.

I probably would have clicked through to a page showing more screenshots. A
demo video would probably get people trying it too!

Hope that helps!

~~~
Edmond
Thank you!!

I couldn't tell if the "It's like all of your sentences are vying for my
attention simultaneously" is a good or bad thing:)

Do you mean it was hard to follow from one sentence to the next? Or was the
bulleted list effective in grabbing your attention?

I really appreciate these feedbacks guys:)

~~~
helen842000
I think with the headers and bullet points being the same size it was hard to
tell what to read first.

Like 5 people talking to you at once, each saying I'm important - listen to
me! :D

You need to guide the user through the flow of information and font size plays
a big part in that.

------
ColinWright
Clickable: <http://appynote.com/>

Feedback:

Be warned, I have a highly idiosyncratic point of view that lots of people
don't agree with.

However ...

It tells me what it does, it doesn't tell me what problem it solves. I don't
want to try to map your features to my problems, I want to see that you know
what problems are, and that your app fixes them.

It also doesn't fit on my screen.

~~~
Edmond
I used some dynamic pixel calculations to size things which is probably why it
doesn't fit on your screen...Can you tell me your screen specs?

About solving problems: I thought the tag line saying your APPs and your notes
together, conveys the fact that students want a single point of access for all
their work, both content and APPs.

~~~
ColinWright
1024x768

    
    
      > I thought the tag line saying your APPs and your notes
      > together, conveys the fact that students want a single
      > point of access for all their work, ...
    

That's you telling me your solution to what you think my problem is, it's not
stating clearly what my problem is. There's a difference. To most people I
expect the difference is negligible or irrelevant, but to me it's telling me
what you're going to do, and making me work out how what you do can solve some
problem you think I have, but haven't articulated.

It's a point of view - you could consider it, then ignore it.

Or you could say:

    
    
        "With notes and APPs spread everywhere, APPynote
         can provide a single port of call to get them
         organized!"
    

Or something.

~~~
Edmond
Point taken...I would add that to my improvement Todo list...Thanks again for
the feedback, really appreciate it.

~~~
ColinWright
You're welcome, but I meant what I said about my opinion being unusual. You
need to do some A/B testing.

------
pkamb
Best advice: buy a pre-built theme on <http://www.woothemes.com/> or
<http://themeforest.net/> or etc.

~~~
Edmond
thanks for the links, I often try to use existing themes, unfortunately they
never quite deliver exactly what I want and I find myself having to modify
them...

New & Improved: <http://www.appynote.com>

Verdict?

