Brewhouse.net is the site designed to promote Fitger’s Brewhouse Brewery & Grille in Duluth, Minnesota. We’ve run this site through the initial feedback test to see if visitors thought it accomplished what it was meant to. This is what the site looked like at the time of the test:

What Does This Website Do?

1. The website is an interactive advertisement for Fitger’s Brewhouse Brewery and Grille. There are links to the menu and local brewery. Very interesting web page with all kinds of information about Fitger’s Brewhouse. Looks like a really fun place to grab a beer and some food!
   
2. This website gives information about the “Fitger’s Brewhouse”; what beer they brew, their menu, as well as the activities associated with their brewpub.
   
3. This gives the details of the place where someone can enjoy handcrafted beer, good food and entertainment. It also provides the working hours information along with a link to contact them over phone, e-mail. It also has the address and the link for bookings.
   
4. The website is the homepage and advertising center for ‘The Brewhouse’. It has information about products, bands performing, the venue, and upcoming events.
   
5. This website has been designed for the BrewHouse Brewery and Grille. The website lists Music Events that are happening around town and it also displays a variety of beers for tasting.
   
6. This website informs the potential customer about events and food & drinks served. I love the graphics and the colors of your website.
   
7. It is the website for a brewhouse. It serves to tell patrons of the bar’s music schedule, drinks, and menu.
   
8. It is a brewery and grill restaurant business web site.
   
9. This website provides an event calendar as well as menu information for a brewhouse. It clearly describes the brew that are on tap and available for purchase. It provides general contact information and the hours of operation.
   
10. It’s a page allowing people to vote for their favorite type of beer at a microbrewery. it also allows them to sign up for an RSS feed with news from the brewpub.

None of the reviewers were confused about what the site is promoting, which is a good sign. If you don’t capture your intended audience within the first few moments, you’ll lose them. Locals who comes across this site while searching for a place to grab a beer, and maybe catch a live band, will know they’re in the right place right away.

Now let’s see what the reviewers really like about it.

Best Current Feature

1. I really enjoy the pop-up and movement of the different web site tabs. I don’t know the technical terms for what they are called but it makes navigating through the page a lot more fun and interesting for the user opposed to clicking through a web page that does nothing. I think this keeps the browsers attention and gives them more reason to look around, if for no other reason than to cure the curiosity.
   
2. Fitger’s history page is quite interesting.And the sliding/switching over of pages was nicely done.
   
3. The best feature is the music schedule. I like how it slides.
   
4. I LOVE the flash animations, they are great. The page is very interactive, which kept me viewing the page longer. The site is clean, organized, and flows very well.
   
5. I consider the Music Schedule area on the homepage to be the best current feature on this webpage because it will give the visitors to the site something interesting to know about the town besides what the BrewHouse has to offer.
   
6. One of the best features of your website is that it is action oriented. You feel like you are being entertained and informed at the same time.
   
7. I think the animation is really good, and I like the toned-down colors. There is also a lot of valuable information contained on the main page alone.
   
8. Flat out the flash presentation is awesome. The interactive pop up tabs, the look and feel of the site are extremely inviting and very professional. Nice color scheme, great background textures. Also seems there is the most important info out in the open with no interaction needed.
   
9. Though everything in this site is really good, but for me the music part of the site is considered to be the best current feature of this webpage.
   
10. I like that it is compact and to the point. Doesn’t spread out over the page. The colors are good and go with the theme.

Two things immediately stick out to the reviewers: the flash animation and the music event information. They love the flash menus because they feel interactive, and it allows the design to remain centered, compact and organized. 

There are some risks to keep in mind when designing an all-flash site. There’s the possibility of limiting your site’s visibility within search engines, so while it might be more interesting, it could be reaching a smaller audience. Additionally, there’s load time to consider for viewers on slower connections or older browsers. If you don’t offer an HTML version of your site, you could be losing visitors.

What did the reviewers think could be improved?

1-Thing to Improve

1. The two pop-ups on either side of the main page are a little low for my liking. If they were elevated to a point where more of the words were shown (especially on the left) it would be less frustrating. People want good visual effects and ease. Nothing too challenging or frustrating.
   
2. Below the street address I would add the city so if you find the side randomly you can quickly locate it physically.
   
3. May be it could have had a provision for customers to review the place.
   
4. I would like the site to be a little brighter.
   
5. I would like the hours, contact info, and location to be more noticeable.The “weekly” events tab could stick out more as well.
   
6. This webpage seems to be unfinished so in order to make the webpage better, it would be a good idea to catch up and fill in information where it is needed.
   
7. Overall this is an awesome website design. The only thing I would add would possibly be pictures of the food along with the description.
   
8. I’m not a huge fan of the links all being at the top…maybe make them a little easier to find?
   
9. In my opinion you need a basic HTML version of the site also. You need to be able to select it upon going to the site. I did not see that. I have great bandwidth so the site loaded almost instant, but it seems it could really slow somebody down to the point of leaving before loading. Otherwise the site is fantastic. Throw in a mutable background soundtrack and you are golden.
   
10. The weekly events tab text is hard to see, as it is obscured.

They seemed to pick up on a few of the things I noticed upon visiting. The location of the brewery isn’t immediately clear, one of the animated link tabs on the bottom of the page drops down lower than my task bar when moused over, and there isn’t an HTML version of the site to select from the front page. Flash can be very eye catching and appealing, but many people prefer HTML sites and like to have the option.

Flash sites are currently unusable by mobile users, including iPhone, Treo, and Blackberry visitors. Providing a usable interface for that crowd could get more people in the door who are already out and about.

The overall impression seems to be a positive one, with some room for improvement. Addressing the areas for improvement, then re-testing the site on 3rdPartyFeedback.com would help confirm the value of changes.