But still, I would like to know the conversion rate of your newly re-designed website.

It’s just plain as beauty.

Maybe your audience doesn’t mind, in which case best of luck. But yeah. A lot of aspects of it, but particularly the ‘buy now’ and ‘try now download’ buttons, are really jarring. The spacing is cramped, awkward and out-of-whack, and the typography is pretty awful.

I’m from CBC radio.
I was wondering if you’d be willing to do an interview for the pop culture show DNTO. Our show is all about outsourcing. I was thinking you could talk about all the work that is involved with outsourcing work – something some may perceive as an easy task.
Let me know!

Thanks

I have a quick point on your web site redesign experience.

I graduated from an art school here in the US. Done all types of art and web projects from murals in Hollywood, to corporate logos, to wine lables and antique designs and signs, to now web design and development. Ive done allot of website designs for corporate clients over the years and familiar with CSS and all that Web Standards “stuff”. Ive since moved on and now software engineer. I still do web design when I have to, but my focus is on the biz web application tier now. Anyway, Ive done my share of site designs, and have some perspective. Basically its this…..you get what you pay for! And, unfortunately, I think you got what you paid for, which sadly, isnt that great.

I think the site design and CSS is “ok” and Im sure your very happy with what you got as far as what youn tried to achieve. But to me, to pay someone so little for a site design that took almost two weeks, and turned out so mediocre, (not good or great, to be honest) says something about offshoring or outsourcing work like this. Im not against your site architecture….I think, like your information on mISV’s, its stellar and second to none! But the site design leaves me stuck wanting more for you. It seems its is very “1990′s” when we all used to use those clunky bevelled buttons and giant tabs. The greens make me think “green peas” or of my kids sippy cup colors (bullfrog green!)….not something harmonious or elegant and even integrated with your brand or “corporate colors”. To place those designs and colors next to your logo colors is a little strange. Maybe those were your choices, but even then, a good web designer should be able to offer to a web palette of choices that match those colors.

So, not to be harsh, but I think this is a great case in point about offshoring these types of tasks. You get what you pay for. And what you got was not that great. I think if you look at allot of the really nice web site designs online you will find allot of dollars were spent to hire really talented, trained artists, designs, and developers….people university trained and experienced…and whats more, people who CARE about you, your company and its customer-base online. I dont think you really got that and to be honest, didnt even get $100 worth of work. Maybe you can say “hey, I aint got that kind of money”. But then you have to ask yourself, how much do you value your business proposition to others, your business’s success, and IT in general? Thats like saying, anyone in India can build a Bingo Card Creator just like yours and with a site designed like yours. Maybe you have the edge in SEO, but hey man, you are seriously selling yourself short then.

Sorry if thats a bit harsh. I just hope this makes the case out there that you get what you pay for in terms of IT and web designs and offshoring. If you outsource or offshore IT to people who dont know you, whom you never see, and whom dont really care about your business, or you, or your business, you will get a product that reflects that, unfortunately. IT and IT quality in web design is not a commodity you can outsource, especially when its your company brand and your product selling point thats at stake. In other words, if everyone did what you did, what would make me choose your product from someone else with the same exact product, and website design, and brand?

My point is that online, the Web is huge….and the ONLY thing left any company has to differentiate itself from others (other than SEO) is quality of the product and the hard work of talented people that built it, designed it, and whose design quality supports that brand. In other words, if we all lower ourselves to the “cheapest” solution in IT rather than the talent, you get what you pay for.

In the end, your company brand looks like it was created somewhere else, and there is nothing truly differentiating your company and its product from any other company or product overseas. I hope that makes sense. Like I said, Im a big fan of your work Patrick. Im just sad as an experienced designer and developer to see someone who seems to care so much about their products, take two steps back when it comes to their site.

My recommendation…consider spending a little money, and hiring someone locally, where you live, who knows about web design, to come work with you on your site and brand. Pay a little more, but I bet you’ll get allot better experience. Having someone you know, who halfway cares about your goals, and can come meet with you face to face, and who has been trained in web design, you will get a much better web site design.

Thanks for the mention. Good to hear you’re enjoying Stylizer!