Poll

How Many People Really Think the Heresy Homepage is a Turn Off

Yes, I don't order from them cause the website is a pain
No, I find everything I need easily and don't have a problem with it
I think it needs an ovehaul but continue to use it cause of all of Andy's most awesome sculpts

Author Topic: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad  (Read 3321 times)

Offline Orctrader

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #25 on: July 28, 2010, 06:58:02 PM »
Tweaking Websites won't do that [generate income].  Only Web Designers think that it will - talking small, niche market businesses here such as...Heresy.   :wink:

I am not sure I can agree here - with no physical store, you could almost define Heresy as an 'E-commerce' operation (certainly with regards to direct sales), and as such the website is a sales and marketing tool. Whilst you cannot quantify how much of an impact it has on sales, I am left without doubt that a refresh/update would have a positive affect on the customer experience.

But you have hit the nail on the head with money in vs money out - its all about getting the balance right. Especially in a one-man band!

Hurrah! some one speaks sense!

There is usually only sense spoken/written here at FOD.  The fact that we don't all agree with each other does not alter that fact.   :D

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Offline mcfonz

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #26 on: July 28, 2010, 09:16:57 PM »
So essentially people are talking about a spring clean with some new glitter sprinkled about the place?

But I like that kind of dark and mysterious look to wargames places like the games room in Norwich, has a sort of magical feel to it, a bit like the alley in Harry Potter.

Get that across on a website and you're a winner. I kind of like the way that it doesnt change. When things keep changing every five minutes it annoys me. I like the Heresy guns, they are easy to find and I know where to click to get to them.

I guess what I am saying is if you have to change it try not to change it too much. Whilst it doesnt say vavavoom it does say miniatures and I am not sure how much more that can be done?
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Offline trueName

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #27 on: July 28, 2010, 10:01:14 PM »
I think it's fine how it is really, so I voted no.

If if wanted to be overhauled, getting rid of frames would be good, but not to replace them with tables.  You need nice simple html, with the presentation controlled by css.  And possibly an easy way to manage new content behind it.

But I don't think anything _needs_ to be done.  I particularly like the "everything in one big list" part, otherwise I'd have to think about what category I'd have to look at.

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Offline perceptionistruth

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Re: The Heresey Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #28 on: July 29, 2010, 04:49:55 PM »
Anyone who can't navigate to find what they want on that site shouldn't be allowed on the internet without supervision

While I agree the poll adds no value, I disagree fundamentally with your comment.

Andy doesn't have time / finances to update the site.
Equally, some people with money don't have the time to navigate the site to find something when another product which will meet their needs is both easier to find and purchase on another site.

It's not as black and white as 'can't navigate', it's grey around 'easier to get elsewhere'.

People are generally lazy, they'll choose the easiest option to get what they want if there's more than one route.  Not everyone buys the miniatures because they're unique, people buy them to fit a need, which can be met other ways, and Andy *might* be losing out as a result.  Whether the loss is worth an investment is a business decision (a typical cost benefit case).

On a technical level, the site uses frames, has text which is far too big, and takes up too much space in the browser.  It looks old fashioned.  The style gets in the way of the function.

Here's the landing page as it looks on my browser,



Three scroll bars before I even start, a huge logo which adds no value, and is repeated in miniature on the left, and some text telling me it's my fault for not having a big enough monitor or the right resolution for the fact that it looks huge (for reference, I have a 17" LCD running at 1280x1024 which is the native resolution).  How many people are moving to laptops and netbooks these days and away from huge monitors and desktops?

and here's how another page looks,



why would I read that text?  It's huge, in multiple confusing columns and doesn't even fit in my browser (I don't run any windows full screen, I use my screen for a lot of applications at once).

I want to say again.  I have nothing but respect for Andy and *anyone* who gets off their arse to set up their own business and try and make a living, I certainly don't have the guts or courage to do that.  In any job, you have a major skill and everything else you have to scrape by on.  Mail order / internet shops are a classic example, and I fully appreciate all the complexity (because I have been involved at all levels).  It's a cost benefit case for Andy if he thinks £X will generate £Y sales and hence £Z profit.

But claiming users are stupid if they can't use the site misses the entire point.  Let's try and be honest and constructive from both sides.

Here's my advice - don't change the whole site.  Lose the frames.  Get rid of multi-column text mixed with single column text.  Move to a site which only needs to be 800 pixels wide, move to a font size more in-line with other modern websites, and/or provide a way of changing the font size (so I don't have to keep using Firefox to reduce the text so it fits on one page).  Lose the huge logos.  Lose the instructions telling me it's my fault if the text looks big because I can't afford a 19" monitor.

Less is absolutely more.

But, don't do any of that if you feel that the cost benefit case isn't there.

Offline Big Boris

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #29 on: July 29, 2010, 06:27:06 PM »
Lose the bit where you assume I know how to do all of that and you're onto a winner...
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Offline DRAGON

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #30 on: July 29, 2010, 06:30:55 PM »
Is this becoming a one man obsession ?  :roll:
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Offline Orctrader

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #31 on: July 29, 2010, 07:32:52 PM »
You're right, the site is crap.

I just tried it out.  Landing page.  Clicked on the Sci-Fi button, realized I never did buy those Nerdlord's so ordered, went through the checkout and bought them.

Never intended to.  But it was so tempting once I saw the Nerds and so damn easy to complete the purchase.   :wink:

(Andy - not waiting for them, so no need to rush them out.)

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Offline Mrephunk

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #32 on: July 30, 2010, 05:19:46 AM »
Im starting to feel bad about opening this poll. My intention was to prove to Andy that things are just fine and that he shouldn't worry about the site. I'm all for a good discussion/argument but I don't want people to get bent out of shape about this and start flaming on one another.
Here we are again bro... Just you and me. Same kind of moon same kind of jungle. Real number 10 remember... Whole platoon, 32 men chopped into meat... We walk out just you and me, nobody else. Right on top huh? Not a scratch... Not a feckin' scratch. You know who ever got you. They'll come back again. And when he does I'm gonna cut your name right into him... I'M GONNA CUT YOUR NAME RIGHT INTO HIM!

Offline Orctrader

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #33 on: July 30, 2010, 06:59:11 AM »
...I don't want people to get bent out of shape about this and start flaming on one another.

 :shrug: Don't see any of that.  Will run out of steam soon anyway.  :wink:

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Offline Bergil

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #34 on: July 30, 2010, 12:11:53 PM »
*chucks some coal in the boiler* muahahahaha

Offline Avicenna

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #35 on: July 30, 2010, 12:49:01 PM »
I think its best to read this thread with the love that was intended - people have only commented out of care for Heresy as a Business as well as for Andy as a person.
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Offline Bergil

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #36 on: July 30, 2010, 03:57:52 PM »
Oh I care very much. I for one can't fault Heresy or Andy at all.

That last post was a vile attempt at humor.

Offline hawkins

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #37 on: July 30, 2010, 05:43:00 PM »
I voted the site, was just fine. ive always found everything quickly, and if ive ever had a question ive mailed andy directly for the answer.
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Offline weareblind

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #38 on: July 30, 2010, 08:55:19 PM »
IMHO the site is not the best in the world but makes good its work.
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Offline Ishil

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #39 on: July 30, 2010, 10:29:59 PM »
Basically, the people who use the site regularly and are familiar with it think it's fine how it is. It's the people who come here for the first time (potential customers) who see a somewhat awkward, dated website and are much more likely to be put off by it. First impressions are important.

The issue of how much time and money Andy has to fix it is a different matter.

Offline joshuaslater

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #40 on: August 01, 2010, 03:32:17 PM »
I voted for the overhaul, even though it was misspelled.   :angel:


Let's get to the crux of the biscuit.  Is there anyone on this forum, preferably living close to Andy, with the computer knowledge to clean up the site, and maybe rock a search feature?

Let's assume you're a minis whore who would do this for a few pieces from Andy, and get things done??

We all love Heresy.  We all order and support Andy's business.  Maybe a little help is in order on this front.

The poll is constructive criticism in line with the love of Heretics worldwide.
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Offline Wyrmypops

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #41 on: October 06, 2011, 02:20:04 PM »
I might be being dense, but I can't see a FoD link anywhere on the revamped site. A"forum" link under "contacts" could be groovy.

Offline Revtrev

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #42 on: May 12, 2013, 07:43:07 PM »
The website is not terrible - but the menus with small red text on a black background are very hard to read on an iPad ... It wouldn't cost a lot of money to make the text a bit brighter ... But if is a choice between putting energy into more minis or putting it into the website, then please, please, please make more minis (new poses for Sharclons & more Dr. Hugh...)

Offline Tasker

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #43 on: May 12, 2013, 09:35:22 PM »
The website is not terrible - but the menus with small red text on a black background are very hard to read on an iPad ... It wouldn't cost a lot of money to make the text a bit brighter ... But if is a choice between putting energy into more minis or putting it into the website, then please, please, please make more minis (new poses for Sharclons & more Dr. Hugh...)

Holy crap.  Way to threadomance.  :blink:

I didn't even realise this thread was still pinned.
« Last Edit: May 12, 2013, 09:36:00 PM by Tasker »
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Offline leadhead

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Re: The Heresy Homepage - Good or Bad
« Reply #44 on: May 13, 2013, 05:04:34 AM »
 :lmao
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