Visit Lake Street is a newly launched website designed to promote a vibrant inner-city business district that’s chock full of immigrant run businesses. I’ve run the site through the intro tests on 3rd Party Feedback to see what first time visitors to the site would think. Here is what the site looked like at the time of the tests:

I have a special interest in seeing this site succeed since I’m a Minneapolis resident who lives along Lake Street a few miles from this business district. Let’s take a look at what the reviewers had to say:

What Does This Website Do?

1. This website promotes a street with many restaraunts and businesses in Minneapolis. It is trying to promote tourism and explain the unique aspects of the place, and why it is worth visiting.
2. It is a site for Lake Street in Minneapolis Minn, it tells events and lodging info.
3. This is a visitor information site, describing the things to do on Lake Street. The businesses would like visitors to come to their shops and restaurants.
4. It is a tourism page for Lake Street in Minneapolis.
5. This website appears to be aimed to tourists who wish to know more about Lake Street in Minneapolis. It provides information on where to find a hotel, a place to eat, and other places of interest on Lake Street.
6. it is a website showcasing a certain area, Lake Street. It highlights many things to do there-shopping, dining, entertainment, nearby parkk and bike trail.
7. The purpose of the site is to promote businesses and events on Lake Street in Minneapolis.
8. This web site provides visitors’ information about the Lake Street district of Minneapolis, with historical information, events, activities, guides to hotels, restaurants, shops, and nightlife, and how to get around.
9. This website promotes the Lake Street area in Minneapolis, Minnesota, providing visitors with an overview of what to do, where to stay and where to eat while there.
10. This web site serves to encourage visit Lake Street by illustrating the attractions and activities available to them.

It sounds like people get the concept right away. That’s a very good sign. If people aren’t sure what your website’s purpose is, there is no reason for them to stick around. This leads to high bounce rates (visits where people hit the back button after landing on your site, thus generating a single page view during their short visit).

What Is the Site’s Best Current Feature?

1. My favorite part of the website was definitely the pictures, because they are intriguing and encouraging. However, as far as features go I like that the website has the option to view businesses by area or feature, which allows one to find exactly what they are looking for without being the least bit confusing.
2. I like the smiling older couple on the left. They have a very warm, friendly look about them.
3. The pictures are great – The food looks great (I must be hungry)
4. It is easy to navigate and looks professional.
5. I believe the best feature is the calendar on the right side of the page which is very useful for those seeking upcoming events on Lake Street.
6. The pictures of the people on the first page is very warm and welcoming and encouraged me to take a further look at what was being offered. The lay-out also was attractive and easy to navigate.
7. I think it’s great that it’s really easy to find the category of attraction I’m interested in. Each subcategory is just two clicks from the homepage.
8. The best feature is the organization. It is very logical, and seems to have pretty comprehensive information.
9. I like the lists of places to stay and dining, which look very helpful for visitors looking to go to Lake Street.
10. I think the variety of energetic-looking photos on the website help promote the energy and vitality of the Lake Street area. There is good diversity in the age, sex and race of the individuals in the photos, which illustrates that Lake Street has something for everyone.

Are pictures valuable for this type of website? Based on the recurring theme within the above feedback, it seems quite clear that they help tell the story of Lake Street. Pictures are often the biggest draw on a website, such as on Facebook, retail, and real estate sites.

What Is One Thing This Site Could Do Better?

1. The only suggestion I have is that they could be more specific about the unique and amazing features. For instance they could say something like “a French boutique and a Mexican restaurant right next door!” Anything to be a little more descriptive about the area itself.
2. The blank space at top, to the left of search option isn’t so great and if it really has hundreds of great shops and interesting things to do there really should be more than three on the home page.
3. I’m not sure if Lake Street is an actual street or a shopping district. It would be helpful to mention Minneapolis on the banner part of the site. I had no idea what or where I was seeing when I first looked at the site. I thought Minneapolis was cold–is there anything to do on Lake Street in the winter?
4. Adding a seasonal weather map would allow tourist to know what to expect at different times of the year.
5. It would be better if Lake Street was more properly described on the front page instead of hunting for more information about it through the “About Lake Street” link.
6. Maybe an idea of the costs of events and hotel stays so someone on a budget could figure out what they could afford to do.
7. It would be great if each business listed in the business lists under each subcategory had a short description describing in detail what distinguishes it from similar businesses.
8. I’m always looking for nightlife, but this site doesn’t make it as easy as it could be. I’m two clicks deep before I see any club names, and then they’re just in alphabetical order. While I can look at places to eat based on very specific categories (e.g. Italian or Japanese) the nightlife is just one huge category with 350 total businesses in it. I see no way to sort it based on any criteria other than the name of the business and the general location. My main suggestion, then, is to add some sub-categories into nightlife!
9. I would like to see a map that situates Lake Street within the city of Minneapolis. I would also like to see a map that outlines the various areas of Lake Street (East Lake, West Lake, Midtown). I think these would provide a better orientation for out-of-town visitors. If there are such maps, then a more prominent link to them would be helpful, on the “About Lake Street” page and/or the “Getting Around” page.
10. I would like to see some “specials” or “coupons” from selected businesses or restaurants on Lake Street. That would draw more people in, especially in these tough economic times. Maybe something like “buy one dinner, get a second for 50% off” at a local restaurant, or “Redeem this coupon for a free ice cream cone when you buy one at regular price.”

A variety of excellent suggestions were provided by reviewers. Since the site does seem to be targeting tourists, addressing the weather question is a legitimate concern. Hopefully, the site will be expanded to provide more information than basic directory listings. People are asking for guidance on what’s worth visiting during the time they spend on Lake Street. The people behind this site clearly have more knowledge they could share with potential visitors, leading to more visits and richer experiences.

A few technical issues not mentioned by the reviewers that I consider important are site subscription options for the site’s content and calendar. This would make it easier for interested in the area to stay up to date on changes.

Overall, the site is off to a good start. Implementing some of the above suggestions should allow the site to continue to improve over time.