|
|
Scan launches new website
Author: Tim SmalleyPublished: 16th June 2008
Scan has unveiled its new website design this morning. Please leave your feedback for Scan's staff in the support forum!
Features wise, not a lot has changed, but categorisation looks to have improved and the site's existing features are more prominent. However, there's one thing missing above all - the ability to filter by manufacturer when looking through product listings.
Additionally, Today Only and Shop Offers are both down at the moment given the changeover, but they'll be back tomorrow according to the messages left on the two pages.
Requests for Today Only and Shop Offer deals are still open though - you can still contact TheManWhoCan (Today Only) and MixIt4Me (Shop Offers).
If you've got any feedback on the new design, or if you find any issues, please don't hesitate to let Scan's staff know in the Scan Support Forum.
Comments (61)
While I appreciate the more simple filtering (tbh the old system was pretty bad) this isn't really all that much better as there is now now filtering my manufacturer. As with Mushky I like to jump straight to a brand in a specific hardware type, for instance when buying a mainboard I know I want to buy a Gigabyte/Asus/Abit/Foxconn/whatever and want to jump straight to that not trawl through all the options of possibilities for 775 socket boards.
Big dirty drop shadows are definitely not cheesecake!
Messy, confusing layout. Terrible, seriously terrible!
This looks like it's either an old template that's been hacked together to work with the new system or like it's been designed by a programmer who knows how to photoshop effects.
How can such a big popular shop get such a massive part of their business so completely wrong? I don't get it!
I'd start over to be honest.
Ebuyer have done a great job with their new website actually. They were all about the generic crappy template for a long time but then someone must have given them a kick because it works really well now. It's nothing too exciting, but you know it's ebuyer and everything is pretty easy to use. Also, one of the few shops to realise that widescreens make all 100% fluid layouts far to huge to use.
Go away with your fickle BS - I genuinely like it, it's cleaner and newer and it just takes some getting used to that's all. I agree with what people have said on the navigation side, but I respect that constructive critisism is better than just poo-pooing something because it's new. Scan have said that they are in the process of changing things and if stuff like manufacturer searching isn't put in (it needs it) when the final cut happens then we have the right to moan :p
Not to moo like a sheep, but I'm not liking it as it is.
* Frontpage - Eyes are greeted with a list rather than a header image. There's no focal point and I find that I'm searching for all navigation options before clicking on something.
* Navigation system - Is strange, clicking on notebooks then filtering by screen size feels unnatural. I used the Firefox search option to find 'eee' then '900'. I think non-tech people like my mum would find this a little daunting.
Having said that, I like the fact that the design is simple, clean white and blue. Drop shadow needs to be offset a bit and the main navigation menu could be brought in line with the lower columns. Overclockers and Aria have good nav systems, with aria's product tab bringing up a list of icons for components. I love the component icons, it makes it so much quicker to find stuff.
That's completely fair as long as the feedback is constructive not "OMFG start again" ;)
I do agree completely with the notes you've pointed out, but I found the old design very cluttered and messy whereas this one is a much fresher. :)
And I wasn't being non-constructive, I have made genuine comments. I just think that sometimes you cannot make tweaks to fix a fundamentally broken design. Starting again with a website doesn't have to mean back-end development has to start again, it could even be a case of a new stylesheet on the existing html, but in my opinion it does need it!
Will be good once you can view old orders again, I was told this feature has been requested when I rang to ask!
That's cool, I saw you were in a huff :p
Amazon's new one is atrocious - I can't find anything now.
Yeh same, I wanted to find a samsung monitor, but had to scroll 200 miles down the page before I could even see the results! Then realised you can't search by brand :(, so I don't like it.
1: Variety of style. The top area, the sidebars, the central area and the bottom area all seem to jar. It would perhaps be less of a problem if the design was prettier, but as it is, I think it's an issue - I'd suggest either improving the aesthetics of these areas or bringing them more into line style wise.
2: Not highlighting key areas - I didn't notice the search box for a long time after loading the site. That's awful - search is where it's at people! If I were starting an online shop of any kind at this point, my site's start page would be a simple Google-style search page, perhaps with a combo box to allow me to jump to a category page.
3: The top area. Talking of combo boxes, why are you listing out each category of product by default? It's taking up a hell of a lot of space, which all could easily be replaced by a combo box, which initiates a refresh to produce a combo box next to it containing sub-categories (and just by the by, it's 2008 - you should be doing these sorts of refreshes in AJAX by now :P). I actually find combo-boxes to be more usable than big long lists, mainly because the combo-boxes are more intuitively alphabetical - you don't automatically assume a multi-column list will be sorted alphabetically, so you spend more time searching through it than you do a combo box, which you would typically assume to be alphabetically sorted.
4: Branding. You haven't really got a brand identity on this site. The logo is far, far too small (and needs refreshing IMO), and the colours are used too sparsely, so you don't have a colour identity. Fixing any one of these issues (logo size, logo quality, or colour identity) would be a big improvement, if you were to fix the second two you'd be on to a winner.
One last minor point - I would say that at this point in the evolution of e-business there are certain design conventions that people like to see sites adhere to. One of those is the positioning of particular elements. In my opinion the "Basket" and "Recently Viewed" sidebar widgets should be at the top right of the window - it may just be me, but these days that's just where I expect to see them - can anyone back me up on this?
I hope that you see this as a constructive post. Despite problems I've had shopping with you guys in the past I'm keen for you to succeed, so it saddens me to see your site design take (what I see as) a wrong turn. As will said, I strongly suggest switching back to the old site and starting again with the redesign.
Good luck,
Mike
I quite like Amazon's new layout. Bought a Mordaunt Short MS308 Subwoofer from there last week, found it fine.
OcUK have decent customer service. I got a faulty 24" Monitor from them in April (a singe blue line of lazy pixels 2/3s of the way up the right side of the screen which ended with a single red lazy pixel), and the return process was fairly straight forward, I got an RMA and they (contracted parcel service) came and picked it up, took it back and delivered a new one within a week.
I've had better service from OcUK than I have from Scan to be honest, and I'd estimate I've used OcUK around 15-20 times, whereas I've only used Scan around 5 times. Having said that, I do realise that the overwhelming majority of people will have had the opposite experience. I'd agree that from a usability perspective OcUK's site is the clear winner, but it's very 90's style wise. Scan's old site whupped it's ass on the style front.
Just as an aside, do you reckon Scan are trying to pull a New Coke on us? ;)
Mike
I just did the same with a Gigabyte GA-EP45-DQ6 :( I was just thinking my 17" TFT doesn't cut it anymore
You need to upgrade! As I said, I upgraded from a 17" CRT to a 24" Widescreen 1920x1200 TFT in April..
Now I see ALL.
There seems to be far too much white space, especially on the homepage
Today Only and MixIT aren't at the top which is where I expect categories like them to be
Lots of bugs with menu's overlaying each other (FF 3.0), site is also very slow
Far too much shadowing making it seem in-cohesive, looks like someone just found the shadow tool in Photoshop
And finally for this post (I'm sure I can find more but I'll stop here), you have the least clear search box ever
My concern, however, is the fact that this article even exists... Are we sponsored by Scan these days? Does free postage mean we must respond with free advertising? Or are we going to cast an eye over competitor sites.
Don't get me wrong; Scan are great, and I'd use them even without free delivery via BT. But I think this is an editorial faux pas, especially in the light of alleged advertisers interference at sites like GameSpot.
It also took a good couple of minutes to even find the today only section Why isn't it in a tab at the top?
Do scan really think this is how a website should be laid out?
however i do like the layout but the shading is defiantly way over the top, it should only come from two sides of the shape at the very most.
Some of you continue to amaze me, especially in light of the fact we've always been very open in the way we separate the church from the state. Nothing has changed on that front and to be honest I don't even know why I'm responding to you.
Like I'm sure many of you do, I happen to check Today Only on a daily basis to see what the latest offers are and this morning when I checked I noticed there wasn't anything on Today Only... I wasn't particularly awake at the time - I hadn't had my morning coffee. But I then saw Chris P's post in the forum, added two and two together to make four and felt it was worth letting people know.
My email address and PM box is always open if anyone wants to suggest news to me and the same goes to the rest of my team as well.
We don't EXPECT you to post, we are simply asking for you feedback, which you of course have the rigt not to provide. This is the SCAN forum so logical to post a change to the SCAN site, within OUR forum and why shouldn't we !.
Of course you don't complain about the FREE carriage but do so when we ask for some feedback :/ - Your feedback is also FREE and we are not charging you for it !
Most of the feedback received has been positive, but we are also listening closely to all the feedback provided, even the negative. As explained at the start of the thread this site is brand new so there will be teething problems - Just like with the last update to the site around 4 Years ago, but we will iron out all of the issue eventually - We won't be able to please every single person using the site, however we will get as close as possible to keep all of our Customer's happy.
Regards
Meh, I find 3x 17s easier than one large one
I'm not claiming to be some genius web design master or anything like that. I do however think I've got a pretty good eye for design, usability and a thing for simple, clean code. Recently I've been so surprised by a few companies so-called re-designs that it actually has started to annoy me. Not necessarily because I use the website in question or because I just love to pick a fight, but simply because I get pissed off at work when we do a pitch and our offering is so very clearly better than the competition but because we are a little bit more expensive they go with the cheaper option. In a lot of situations that would be a perfectly normal thing to do, but for some companies who's living is based on their website I just don't get why this happens!
Amazon was the most recent one. They are probably all in house, but really, that menu is the most dog ugly thing I have ever seen. It's become bloated and unrefined.
I don't know who did the work on this new scan website but I don't think they have done a good job. I think the design belongs in a period about 2 - 3 years ago. I think the layout is confusing and complicated. At first glance are it looks broken! Those huge banners half way down the page! What are they doing? On the homepage of your website that sells parts for computers, you only have 3 items, and they are way below the fold.
Here are my thoughts on the new design:
Good:
Bad:
I know, the bad list by far outweighs the good, but in my honest opinion the only thing that has changed from the old to the new is that it's 100% width, the colours, some design elements and there is some new and confusing functionality. I don't think it's a step forward. Some people may claim that this is a site for techies and as such doesn't need to be mum friendly, but I think you'll just end up relying on regular customers. If I didn't know what scan was I would probably leave this website, or at least treat it with caution. I'd be suspicious of your reputation. Do you ship things on time? Is there good customer service? I think you do both those things brilliantly, but someone new might see the site, compare it to a site like ebuyer and choose the more solid looking of the two. Judging the book by it's cover!
Sorry to be an arse :(
will
Generally I think it's an improvement over the previous site though, certainly the design appeals to me more. Contrary to what other people have said, the filters are easier to use than previously too.
Still won't be buying from Scan..
Scan's direct competitors throughout Ireland, the UK and the rest of Europe continue to get my custom in their stead, almost a year after I was told in the Scan forum that they're "working on it".
They had the time to redesign their site from the ground up, but not enough time to significantly expand their market and seize a golden opportunity?..
I don't mean to be an arse about it, but I'm sorry guys, having to make an international phonecall to place an order and pay a excessive premium for delivery just doesn't cut it with so many competitors out there offering better in those regards.
If I've missed something on the new site in that respect, tell me and I'll sign up on the spot..
The sceen does fit my 1440:900 19" monitor fine.
I have been using scan for 6 years and seen the website change loads, this is a big change.
Its nice to have items listed in price order, or A to Z etc options
I hope the site will speed up over the next few days, its a little slow, and yes the Ebuyer site is faster....
Yeah, why is the search box there, and why isn't there a 'refine' search box at all?
But 3 x 24" would be even better. ;)
The good
- Brighter, makes my slightly happier when I see it than the old site.
- Much easier to navigate with a laptop touchpad, trying to get the right menu on the old site was a pain. The text was very small, and I am always in a rush.
- Makes the site look more reputable
- The main menu is easier to see now that they text is bigger and more seperated
- Filtering works pretty well
- Icons look nice
The Bad- Individual product pages, I am swamped with info. The idea of having the menu on the side to related to a section further down the page is nice. But not as nice as tabbing. As both are mixed, its a bit confusing. I say stick to just tabs. Or keep the current layout, but instead of all the sections being expanded by default, there should be an expand option. So when the page loads it is significantly shorter (in length). While this won't add or take anyway away, it is just less distracting.
- Page should load below the filter. When you select a product or view all products after filtering, you cannot actually see any products untill you scroll down. It would be good if the page loaded so that the first product was at the top of the screen.
The UglyOther than the few bad points, its a thumbs up from me ;) <---- See I told you.
OcUK is a hit or miss with customer services (in my opinion), brilliant technical support though. Their cheeky use of exc. VAT prices as their forefront for the price of products is a big no-no. I use to be a regular with OcUK (since 2001 along with dabs) but gradually moved away when it took OcUK over a month to replace a faulty item and when their prices were no longer competitive (not to mention their rather steep delivery prices). In fact, I never came across Scan until the last year or two. Scan has always been pleasant to deal with online or over the phone.
The new site is a nice change but there are flaws, many of them already addressed by previous posters. On a web developing aspect, I do feel that this web-site has become far more complex than it should be.
One thing to mention is that the alternative delivery address option is now completely missing on this new site. I can't find it in the Accounts section and had to place an order to my London home address and send a separate web query to get the delivery address changed.
E.g. under the old site, I looked for internal hard drive, then clicked on SATA 400-1000GB, then could filter that list by selected manufacturers (e.g. seagate and WD), then filter that further with a keyword, all very quickly and effortlessly . . . . I haven't worked out how to do the same on the new site. And for me function comes first over form . . . although I think the old sites form was what made it's function so good.
But I'm still looking around the new site, so haven't made my mind up completely yet.
But you like useless filters :p
safari 3 in Mac OS X Tiger.
also, i honestly really don't like the design - it's far from neat, my eye doesn't know where to be drawn, information doesn't seem to be partitioned at all sensibly. your old design was both more usable and more attractive.
2. Potential Bug - When clicking on Bit_Tech free scan post link, the next link fails to find the relevent page on Scans secure website, specifically; the click here link https://secure.scan.co.uk/MyAccount/BitTechFreeCarriage.asp?uname=3dHeli&uid=XXXUID_hiddenby3dHeli_in_postXXX (found on this page; http://forums.bit-tech.net/scanfd/), which redirects to https://secure.scan.co.uk/aspnet/404.aspx?aspxerrorpath=/aspnet/MyAccount/BiTechFreeCarriage.aspx, and fails with a error; Server Error in '/aspnet' Application.. - The resource cannot be found. - Requested URL: /aspnet/404.aspx.
I informed them the bit-tech forums still promoted the offer and SCAN told me they didn't know this. Obvious next question was when the offer stopped, and SCAN said they didn't know . . . . or perhaps didn't want to say (as that could be an ommission for how long the failure to withdraw the offer from the forums had exisited).
Just posting so others are aware.
Taken from http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=135466&page=8
That said ive been using the site for years and am pretty used to it, looks better but no easier to use really. Still a top site :)
And all those MOANING geeky nothing better to do than moan moan and moan muppets need to cop on to the fact that scan give alot to this community so at least give a bit of constructive feedback instead of "its ****" or whatever else comes into your head before thinking.
Surprised to find this today, and it's an AWESOME feature. Manufacturer searching is in too - good job! ;)
I saw it when I was ordering my stuff too...
Shame CityLink have their usual crap delivery making me wait.