
Ask HN: UX feedback on a website I made - alessiosantocs
Hey, I was wondering if you could give me some feedback on this website I made. It&#x27;s for a wonderful farmhouse in Tuscany, Italy. I made it because it&#x27;s a property of my wife&#x27;s family. 
Hope you don&#x27;t like it so you can give me painfully brutally honest feedback :D<p>http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.boschidimontecalvi.com<p>Alessio
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192939210
The website looks very nice. It also does a good job describing the atmosphere
of the place, which is what makes it unique.

However, its hard to tell what the options for accommodations are. The "villa"
name is confusing, since a villa is a house, but the villa is described as
being inside the farmhouse. In general, I'm not understanding how the property
is laid out - a map would be very useful, to make it clear how the different
suites are connected. In addition, its hard to tell the options apart. Without
clicking on each individual item, I can't tell how big each room is, which is
something I would want to know when picking a room.

More photos would be helpful. I would add a photo of the interior on the
homepage, and some photos of the food on the Food page.

On the "accommodations" page, I would make the entire photo of each
accommodation clickable, not just the button.

The logos of the different review sites should be clickable, so that I can
easily go and read the reviews.

Finally, I would consider adding a section about the surrounding farm, and the
pool. Reading the TripAdvisor reviews, they sound really nice, so I would want
to read about them on the website.

Edit: typo in the description: "100 ectars" should be "100 hectares"

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alessiosantocs
Thank you stranger :) It's very actionable feedback. I'll correct that typo
rightaway ;)

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DrScump
I would move the large text off the building (or choose another color) for
readability. Maybe italicize _authentic_ for emphasis.

Maybe a different color for the smaller text.

"An ancient typical farmhouse with panoramic pool on the hills of Tuscany"
sounds a bit awkward to me. I would reword as "A(n) historic Tuscany farmhouse
with modern conveniences" (assuming there _are_ any besides the pool,
otherwise "outdoor pool" or open-air pool or whatever)

"Boschi di Montecalvi" I would put in a different font or color for
emphasis... if there is a page with underlying history that is public, make it
a link.

I would say instead: " _Boschi di Montecalvi_ is set in the beautiful hills of
Tuscany, near the small medieval town of Suvereto. (perhaps a link for
Suvereto?) The estate features a swimming pool with breathtaking views and is
surrounded by a 100-hectare(?) park. Accomodations include XXX rooms _(what
kind of rooms? how do they differ from the apartments?)_ , apartments, and a
fine restaurant with typical Tuscan dishes. (and local wines, maybe?)

"Real food, real wine..." capitalize Tuscany (always, for English version) and
lose the "a" and the comma: "Come enjoy traditional Tuscan cuisine featuring
local dishes and organic produce."

"How to get here" I would change to "Planning your visit"

"A farmhouse in Tuscany for children" / A farmhouse in Tuscany near the
seaside / Last minute farmhouse in Tuscany

Maybe instead:

A welcoming locale for the whole family / Near the Tyrrhenian coast / Short-
notice visitors welcome

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alessiosantocs
that looks very helpful feedback! Thanks DrScump for taking the time!

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DrScump
the important thing is to get the _content_ you want... we native speakers can
help you with _presentation_ , but _you_ are the one who knows the attractions
of your place and what makes it special.

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skiprox
Maybe don't have the link in the last callout section ("meet us") be only
visible on hover. It doesn't match the other sections and i'm not sure it
offers much. Also you probably don't need that callout section on the "Meet
us" page.

Otherwise looks rad!

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alessiosantocs
Thanks, nice catch

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specifictso
that orange color clashes in some places, notably that blue section halfway
down the index page

higher resolution images would be nice

otherwise, looks good. straight to the point, modern, nice work.

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alessiosantocs
I didn't notice that, thanks!

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LarryMade2
Navigation isn't bad... Not sure about the washed out photos in the first
pages the concept is nice but not quite there... Seems like you are going for
italy travel poster look, maybe?

The photos and styling is upscale but the body font and background are.. well
...pretty plain. Slight parchment/aged plaster effect background and a stylish
font set.

First time you go into any of the room pages the photo catalog scrolling is
jerky (in FireFox, Linux) might want to do a browser check.

Not getting much "experience" in my mind; I think (as a customer) I'd me more
intrigued with some point-of-view shots of looking over the country side from
a spot on a porch or in a room, or maybe a POV with that scrumptious food to
get a better sense of the atmosphere. OK, some are in the accommodations -
need to have one or two out in the front.

The pictures of the food in "meet us" should at least be in the food section
as well. You have some awesome food pics on your facebook page...

    
    
      "watch a sunset..." a picture's worth a thousand words they say... hint.
    

Directions...is just a map... maybe a paragraph or two about where one could
fly in from. "enjoy a Scenic 45 minute drive from xxx airport, international
airports are yyy and zzz, or if you prefer to boat in, there is a port at
www..."

No mention on what's nearby/activities; even if no cities, are there
recreation/hiking spots? Roads to Bicycle? Old towns to explore?, festivities?
Local wines, artisans, culture?

Looking at facebook headline page... same outdoor photo - looks like it was
taken on an overcast day...

You've got some great underutilized photos on your facebook history! Print em
out and play with em... Here's some notable ones, there's a lot more (used
timeline dates to identify)

January 7 EXCURSIONS AROUND BOSCHI DI MONTECALVI (Definately needs to be in
your website, maybe with a map.); April 5, 2015 (I think this is better than
the copped "meet us", because it is one of the few that has a vista); May 3,
2013; May 27, 2013 (wow a live person smiling! I have a thing about too many
empty scenes); June 14, 2013 (wine with rose - hint toward romantic getaway);
October 18, 2013 · (local culture!); July 16, 2014 (an inviting patio);
February 10, 2015 (Nice inviting pool shot); February 20, 2015 (even better
farmhouse/pool shot); March 2, 2015 (very outdoor party friendly); June 4,
2015 (food porn); July 30, 2015 (cozy dining atmosphere);

Heh, landscape reminds me of where I live in the Sierra Nevada foothills of
California. Gets hot and dry in the Summer? Suggest day trips and relaxing
great evenings.

Hope that helps

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alessiosantocs
wow that was honest feedback ;) Thanks Larry! I will do some browser checking
these days to make sure everything works at its best.

You're right, we need to communicate what the real experience is. We need to
use facebook's photos I agree. We need sections to describe how
romantic/adventurous/breath-taking this place is.

I was thinking of adding a background video in homepage. It could be like a
drone flying over the property. People having fun. Having a romantic dinner.
Cooking pizza in the oven. What do you guys think?

Thank you again

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LarryMade2
Video - Drone flying over? I dunno, people having fun, romatic dinner,
cooking, etc. Those are good bets.

The one influential travel series comes to mind is Anthony Bourdain's No
Reservations, wherever he visits it's a mix of local music, culture, cooking,
dining, and conversation... I would look for inspiration there.

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alessiosantocs
Thanks again Larry. I really appreciated it!

