The website of Dr. Frances M Jones promotes her Houston, TX dental practice, and provides many details about the level of her expertise. We ran the site through our initial feedback test to see how well the site connects to with first-time visitors. This is how the site looked at the time of the test:

What Does This Website Do?

1. The website is providing information about Dr. Jones and advertising her practice. The site provides information about the services provided as well as the days and hours the dentist is available.
2. This website is about General & Cosmetic Dentistry, Get all the information to book appointment or to clear any query from the data given at the end. Dr. Frances M. Jones, DDS, MAGD is in General & Cosmetic Dentistry Downtown for over 18 years, this website is by her for people who want to get treatment in the given area.
3. This website gives very specific information for cosmetic and general dentistry procedures at the office of Dr. Frances M. Jones, in Houston TX.
4. It is a web site for general dentistry and cosmetic dentistry performed by Dr. Frances Jones.
5. It is the site of a dentist who gives basic details of dentistry and also ways she can be contacted. It promotes her professional service.
6. It promotes the dental services of Dr. Frances Jones.
7. The website promotes the services of Dr. Frances M. Jones, a dentist who practices general and cosmetic dentistry.
8. This website explains what Dr. Frances M. Jones offers at her practice.
9. It tells all the services that this particular dentist offers. The website also offers contact information and office hours.
10. Gives the viewer information about a professional and skilled dentist and how to become a dentist.

 

Best Current Feature

1. I would consider the best feature the list of services that are provided and the way they are displayed. Having a heading and then some bullets under the heading provides the reader with additional information.
2. I like the fact sheet, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
3. I think that the best feature is that the types of pain prevention are listed. It is also extremely helpful to have the office hours available on the front page.
4. It has a lot of examples of the types of dentistry and related work she performs.
5. The fact sheet was actually quite interesting. I haven’t seen much of stuff like that on other sites. Nice piece of information!
6. The tab labeled “super dentists” is a great feature because it introduces possible clients to the dentists and their accomplishments.
7. I like the fact that the home page provides all the information that new patients will want to know about Dr. Jones: what sorts of procedures she can perform, what methods she uses, where she’s located, special “perks” that her office can provide (e.g. headphones, laughing gas, Invisaline, etc.), and her office hours. It’s very useful and spares visitors the bother of hunting for information.
8. The presentation explaining various facts, like the clear way to straighten your teeth, etc., are fabulous.
9. The best feature is that the list of services appear to “higher end” dentistry. The Meeting Your Needs section would make me call this dentist.
10. The fact sheet is displayed very nicely and is extremely informative. 

1-Thing to Improve

1. I would either remove the picture or make it smaller. I am not sure if it is a picture of the dentist or a happy client. Either way the page would appear more professional if the picture was removed.
2. Add in a little bit graphics and some work samples will make this website more attractive and catch more visitors.
3. Change the background of the main page; it is a bit sterile (boring).
4. The one thing that would be important for me to know that I could not find, is the type of dental insurance coverage that the practice accepts.
5. If you minimize the picture somewhat and then add some before and after pictures of cosmetic dentistry outcomes she had I think it would have more impact.
6. The site needs a better look. It is not bad even now. But choosing a better background, font and color will definitely help improve.
7. Make the photograph of the doctor less prominent. It seems to be promoting her head shot instead of the actual services provided.
8. Maybe offer some price lists. A lot of people don’t have insurance and need to save up to go.
9. The one thing would be to put a smaller picture of the dentist on the site. It is all I see at first glance. Maybe a picture of a clean, friendly looking interior office would be better. After all, I am worried about pain & the cost more than what the dentist looks like.
10. The template and web design is a bit dull and done unprofessionally. A new, smoother template would make the web page much more valuable.

I had a pretty good idea that people would suggest a smoother, more professional design, one with less focus on the large photo of Dr. Jones. Your website’s first impression can be everything to a visitor; an outdated design can give the impression that the information provided may also be out of date, so it’s important to maintain an updated design.

Dr. Jones’ experience and focus on cosmetic dentistry should be paired with a website that’s as professional and as polished as her offline services.

Other valuable suggestions include adding pricing and insurance information.

Making a few upgrades to this website and then re-testing with 3rd Party Feedback could confirm the value of those changes.

Tumblr.com, launched in 2007, aims to provide a really simple and quick way to blog, and connect with other bloggers. We ran the site through our initial test to see if it reaches that goal. This is what the site looked like at the time of the test:

What Does This Website Do?

1. This website seems to host people’s blogs on various subjects. Click on any “bubble” on the homepage to view a blog.
   
2. It provides a simple way to blog.
   
3. On Tumblr, anyone can post anything, pictures, opinions, reviews, etc. The posting can be customized any way one wants.
   
4. This website allows users to create an account and blog with ease. It seems to have templates or a simple way to customize.
   
5. It allows you to host a blog and enables you to talk to friends and meet new people. It lets you share art, photography, music and humor.
   
6. Provides a place for individuals to post blogs.
   
7. This website appears to be a user-based blog page. I associated it with Twitter, Facebook, MySpace etc.
   
8. It is a blogging platform. A easier way to blog.
   
9. The site is a blog for just about anything or any topic for anybody.
   
10. This website is like Blogspot where you can sign up for a webpage and post your blog.

Everyone knows right away it’s a blogging platform, but that’s not surprising considering the size of the font that greets you on the page. It’s eye catching, short and simple.

What did they really like about Tumblr.com?

Best Current Feature

1. I like reading blogs and the homepage provides easy access to a wide variety. The simple, uncluttered layout/design of the page is unassuming and is a nice change from the busy designs of other pages.
   
2. The simplicity of the interface is the best feature.
   
3. The postings placed right upfront on this web page makes this site look friendly and inviting. I feel welcome to become a member and make postings of my own right away.
   
4. The site looks interesting and inviting. The directory allows users to quickly locate blogs of interest. Help page seems to be pretty thorough.
   
5. The well constructed directory and search engine. The fact that you can talk to friends and meet new people.
   
6. It appears to be user-friendly and accessible. It also appears to actually have users.
   
7. The directory tab on the web page is excellent. To be very specific, the categorization according to country is very useful.
   
8. The popular blogs from the Tumblr network shown on the main page is the best current feature.
   
9. The variety of submissions helps make the site match various interests. Some of the submissions were funny.
   
10. iChat. That feature is not available on Blogspot.

The things they like are the two tasks Tumblr needs to execute well; the simplicity in the design, and the categorized directory of blogs from interesting people. That’s good news.

What are the some of the suggestions people have for improving the site?

1-Thing to Improve

1. It could have a breakdown of blogs by category–fashion, poetry, art, cars, etc. This would make it easier to find a blog that one would be interested in.
   
2. Have more information about how it works on the home page, instead of so many blog entries that most users probably won’t care about.
   
3. There doesn’t seem to be a simple way of navigating back to the homepage from a blog. (I wound up hitting the back button.) As a first time visitor, I really had to dig around to find “about” info. Would be cool to have that link at the top. I don’t sign up for things until I know a bit about them.
   
4. The one thing that could possibly make the site more interesting is if the background were to contain some images or colors or something along those lines. The dark blue makes the site look a bit bland or ordinary.
   
5. I don’t like the way the blogs are listed working down the page. There is no rhyme or reason to the list. I’m sure these are not the only blogs available. But no themes, categories, or other manner of organization.
   
6. The website needs a little more explicit information on how it is actually supposed to be used. What sets it apart from any other website that provides a user-based forum and if this is not it’s purpose, what is?
   
7. The design and the layout of the web page is quite simple/ordinary. A better layout and a better design would make this web page look more pleasant.
   
8. Give a better description of the process and what Tumblr is on the main page so that users will be drawn in.
   
9. It would be nice because of the various topics submitted or being talked about to have a grouping by subject. Doing this would allow a person to pick the blogs that interest them.
   
10. I don’t like the home page. I don’t like how there’s random blogs that doesn’t make any sense.

So, it looks like the design might be too simple and plain for some people, while others aren’t immediately sure how to sign up or what to do if they did sign up. A couple people pointed out a lack of categorization of the blogs, but this has been done on the Directory page, so I don’t consider that indicative of the website design or layout.

There are some good suggestions in there that could improve Tumblr’s first impression and usability, and the solutions would be very easy. Implementing some of these changes and then running a new test through 3rd Party Feedback could provide input on the success of those changes.

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.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created a page centered around the H1N1 Flu, otherwise known as Swine Flu. We’ve run this portion of the CDC website through our introductory test to see how people feel about it.

What Does This Site Do?

1. This site explains CDC’s actions concerning H1N1 flu, what individuals can do to stay healthy, and where the flu has been found in the US to date. There are links that provide additional information depending on who you are and how you may be infected.
2. The website CDC as its title suggests is a site dedicated for Disease Control and Prevention. The site is primarily meant as a resource center for credible health information. The contents on the site can be used as a guidance for professionals and ordinary folk alike.
3. This website is for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) the specific page has to do with the H1N1 flu or also known as the swine flu. It gives info on the virus and info on the spread of the infection.
4. It provides information and resources about the H1N1 flu (Swine flu).
5. This website provides an excellent source for all your health related inquiries. This website provides the latest health information and the widespread infections in the world.
6. It’s a site about health, diseases, precautions. It also keeps the public updated about latest health concerns. Its basically for people of US by the US government.
7. Keeps you informed about the H1N1 (also known as Swine Flu) virus.
8. This webpage provides information about the swine flu, such as number of cases and deaths per state. Good, descriptive information about swine flu is provided as well as informational updates. It also provides tips on staying healthy.
9. The general public can look at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website covering health issues to get updates, data, and guidance. Health professions can also download specific guidelines related to the treatment/prevention of certain outbreaks.
10. This website provides the most currently known facts about the new H1N1, or “Swine”, flu virus.

People understand the purpose of the site, but the flu has been very public, so it’s not surprising.

What is This Website’s Best Feature?

1. The chart really stands out. It provides information immediately. For example, you can quickly scan and see just how many cases are in your state.
2. The contents are not only useful for the professionals but are equally useful for the man on the street. The subject is presented in a simple and easy to read format which can be understood even by a layman. Clinical guidance together with treatment, travel, laboratory and emergency personal guidance are the strong points of the site.
3. Easy to read and understand information is given in layman terms and is divided so that one can find information at a glance.
4. RSS is used by many people. Twitter is comparatively new but many people especially youngsters use Twitter. I think its good that the site also has Twitter.
5. The best feature is probably the Flu Chart by the States. It is the 1st thing you see when you get to the website which is what people want.
6. I like the chart that displays cases and deaths per state. The chart will allow people to see how much the area they live in is being impacted. The chart is just the right size to grab your attention and make an impact.
7. The menu down the left side of the page makes the page user-friendly. The links are comprehensive so someone can quickly find what they want.
8. My favorite feature was the chart of cases per state. I liked this because it really showed where the danger zones of the country are.
9. Information is easy to access and laid out in a logical fashion. The appearance of the webpage is plain and dignified in keeping with the seriousness of the subject, which inspires confidence in the validity of the info.
10. I think that the best part of this webpage is that they tell us about the precautions and measures to be taken from preventing ourselves from the swine flu.

The big hit appears to be the chart showing the cases per state, which is also not that surprising. But it’s front and center, so they definitely know what people want to see right away.

What is 1 Thing This Site Could Do Better?

1. The information on protecting yourself is not front and center and that is just as important as the chart. The information on what CDC is doing to respond is not as important, yet it is the first thing that grabs your attention.
2. The site needs to be made more attractive. Color combination of headlines and fonts may be changed to make the site really attractive.
3. Only one thing comes to mind that in my opinion would make the page more appealing is perhaps some contrast in color. Have the boxed info stand out a little more with a contrasting color.
4. Provide a little perspective about this flu. For example, 35,000 people died from the regular flu last year. People should be more concerned about washing their hands during the regular flu season.
5. I did not like the links provided to various alphabets. They take a very long time in opening. Instead a link to separate page can be provided in which all the information is arranged alphabetically.
6. I would recommend making the title “Swine Flu” a little bigger font.  That is the term everyone is hearing about and is concerned about, so it should be more prominent.  The medical name is important as well, but Swine Flu needs to be a little bigger and bolder.
7. I’d like to look up my geographical area to find out if/what anything is going on that I need to worry about.  There could be a map of the US where I could link on the Southeast, or I could put in my zip code.
8. Well, I’ve always been a fan of the CDC’s layout.  It’s always been informative to me whenever I needed, however I think they could add in some user-interactive content for people who aren’t medically inclined and need extra immersion into the material.
9. As a near-sighted person I like when the default type is a little larger but I can adjust it so this is a small matter.
10. I think the symptoms of the flu should be mentioned there. Also the emergency contact number should also be provided there.

The suggestions vary, but a few of them indicate people would like to have more basic, high level information about the flu right out on the front page, without having to dig for what they consider to be most important; symptoms, emergency contact information, how to prevent it.

Over the first few months of 3rd Party Feedback’s short existence, we offered a primary test called the 3-Pack where website owners could review their site (or their competitor’s sites) against three questions:

- What does the site do?
- What’s the best feature?
- What is one thing the site could do better?

This has proven to be a very popular service; especially for the price. People can’t believe the quality of the feedback they receive for $25. That’s clearly our goal.

Over time, we found clients ordering the 3-pack report over and over again as they made recommended changes to their site in order so see if they had solved their previous problems and/or to identify what to work on next. We appreciate the ongoing sales, but figured there was probably a better way to handle this.

Thus, the introduction of new test options under the More Tests tab.

You can now order responses to individual questions that matter to you most. Responses cost only $1 per response in batches of 25. You can order as many as 100 responses to each question.

The most popular question people continue to chip away at is the “1-thing to improve” test. This is an excellent tool for surveying what needs attention most, troubleshoot website usability issues, find out what you may be missing, and verifying the effectiveness of updates.

New Test

We have also created a new “Website Competitor’s Test” where reviewers will study your site, then find three sites they consider to be your online competitors. Online and offline competition don’t necessarily overlap so you may not realize who visitors to your website consider to be your competition. This can be a real eye opener.

Additional tests will be rolled out over time based on customer feedback. If there is something you’d like to cost-effectively test against real visitors to your website, shoot us an email or give us a call to discuss your testing needs.

At Minnesota’s most recent tech mixer, MinneDemo, I had a chance to explain 3rd Party Feedback to a video crew from Minnov8 in around 5 seconds. The video gives a great taste of the various startups doing interesting work in Minnesota today. If you want to jump ahead to see me drink beer and talk about 3rd Party Feedback, click to 3:00.

Another great video from 612 Authentic.

According to the Chief Marketing Officer for Dairy Queen, one of the challenges the restaurant chain faces offline is that they’re turnaround is slow compared to that of competitors. This makes it a tough choice for people during lunch where time is tight.

However, it’s not just the stores that are slow (see screenshot of the slow loading Flash animation). Their website is too.

Below is feedback from 10 visitors to DairyQueen.com who seem to like the site overall but consistently complain that the site is much too slow – even on fact Internet connections.

What does this website do?

1. The website is about Dairy Queen. Where you can learn more about their menu items, featured items and find the closest Dairy Queen to you. You can also shop for Dairy Queen gift cards or buy a Dairy Queen inspired shirt. If you ever dreamed about owning a Dairy Queen, you can find out information about owning your own store.
2. Provides you with information about dairy queen.
3. It is a company based website for Dairy Queen. It was made to update you on everything related to DQ. You can use this website to find everything from menu items to updates on recalls.
4. The web site tells you about Dairy Queen, their products, etc.
5. Introduces you to the Dairy Queen product line and online games.
6. This website is a fun and interactive way to view what Dairy Queen has to offer you; whether that is hot eats and cool treats starting your own franchise.
7. This website allows you to explore various parts fo the Dairy Queen chain: looking at the menu, finding a location, play games, etc.
8. It promotes everything related to Dairy Queen from the food products to franchise opportunities, etc.
9. Based on the first few minutes spent on the web page, it seems to be the official website for promoting Dairy Queen products and company.
10. This is the official website of the Dairy Queen company, which operates the ice cream restaurant chain of the same name.

Great. It’s very clear what the website does.

What is the site’s best feature?

1. The best feature on the website is the blizzard fan club, a place where you can sign up to receive emails about the featured flavor of the month and to get some great coupon deals.
2. Ability to locate the closest location as well as be able to review the menu.
3. The fact that they had the link that let everyone know that they were not involved with the peanut butter recall was my favorite feature.
4. The pictures of the food.
5. The “Birds Eye View” feature is very cool.
6. The simple easy layout and fun interactive graphics are the best things on this page. Nothing is too complicated to find and the site is fun to navigate!
7. The interactive nature of the webstie makes it interesting to explore.
8. The nutrition calculator. I like when food places offer this on the menu. Having it online is the next best thing, I guess.
9. I think the best feature of this site is the nutritional calculator. This allows you to plan your meal ahead of time. Especially helpful for those following a diet plan.
10. The best current feature on the Dairy Queen site is the DQ Store Locator, which allows users to find a restaurant near them, and even print out a map and directions to it from wherever they are.

People love the information they find on the site.

What is 1-thing this site could do better?

1. One thing that could make this web page better would be for Dairy Queen to actually list their menu items and prices.
2. Something other than a black screen as it loads. It takes WAY too long to load.
3. I would put specials and coupons like a web-based only offer. That would get more people using you site!!!

4. The animation loads kind of slow on a 1MB DSL connection. Make this load faster.
5. When I load the page the lady talking seems to freeze and just doesn’t seem right. When I click on her to try to get her to talk again it’s like she isn’t even on the screen as I end up clicking on the hamburger flipping activity which is “behind” her.
6. I would like to hear a sound based description of what I’m hovering over.
7. Have pull down tabs at the top of the page where for the 4 categories at the top to see what they feature.
8. I would like to be able to turn the sound off if I don’t want to hear the music and sound effects while navigating.
9. Get rid of the very slow loading and seemingly pointless smiling mouth introduction.
10. I think that the pictures and animations could be better optimized because it takes ages for each page to load. I have a quite good connection (2Mbs) but it doesn’t help a lot.

Oh my. This is a problem. A slow loading website frustrates people, and takes away the eager anticipation they had of looking up the location of their nearest DQ. Hopefully, DQ’s customers are patient enough to put up with the delays. However, a better solution would be to solve the load time issue.

3rd Party Feedback has a new radio spot that will start running in select markets later this week.

Give it a listen.

There are many forms of online usability testing available today that attack this issue from as many perspectives as their are companies.

One new one that’s doing some interesting work is Userfly.com. Their service works by installing a piece of code on every page of your site. Once in place, it logs all of the actions conducted by users on a website.

This may sound similar to what Google Analytics does, but it’s goes much further. It shows you page by page where a user goes, where the user moved their mouse, what actions they took with forms, and what they typed into form fields. For example, in the screenshot below from Userfly’s demo video, the user typed in their zip code, then clicked to the search field and started typing the word motorcycle. Each of the keystrokes and clicks is being logged near the top of the page:

This can provide some enlightening data, since you can replay how actual visitors of your site interacted with it. However, it also raises some privacy concerns for me. For example, wouldn’t the the keystroke logging feature also log any usernames and passwords typed into a site? A password may be obscured on the page, but if each of the keystrokes used to type it are logged, you’ve basically turned over the keys to the castle.

Logging Your Thoughts?

In general, I think consumers understand that websites are able to track that their visits and probably keep a log of searches conducted on a site. However, it may come as a surprise for people to find out that things they typed into a search box but never submitted could also be logged.

For example, what if a customer to an online bookstore purchased a NY Times bestseller, but during their time on the site considered searching for something related to diabetes but thought twice before submitting the query. Since the user typed “diabetes” into the search box but never submitted the query, has the user shared information or not?

A reasonable question to consider before using a service like Userfly.com is, “What would a visitor to your website’s reaction be to knowing that every keystroke is being logged?”

via MicroPersuasion

Mahalo.com launched in May 2007 as a human edited search engine where actual humans hand-edited search results for popular search terms. The site then back-filled remaining results with Google powered search results.

As is often the case with start-ups, the product has evolved over the past 19 months. Today, the site offers a mix of features rather than a singular focus. Is that good or bad? That’s for Mahalo.com to decide.

Below is feedback from ten of 3rd Party Feedback’s reviewers based on what the site looked like yesterday.

Mahalo.com – January 17, 2009

Let’s see what they had to say:

What Does This Website Do?

1. It’s a site for questions & answers. Members ask questions other answer. You get points which is great, you start with 50 points. There is also a live blog.
2. A search engine with local (Mahalo) results & Google results. Includes news service and “answers” service.
3. This website seems to be a comprehensive source of news and information and also provides answers to queries. I have also heard that this site functions as a search engine, though this was not readily apparent.
4. This is a website that offers stories and blogs for everything that is news and entertainment.
5. Offers various news stories in a “Yahoo style” kind of way.
6. Mahalo provides news, blogs updates, and answers to questions.
7. Gives up-to-date news, celebrity gossip etc. Has running blog with continuous story feeds. Has ask a question section where you can pay to have questions answered. And has feature stories section
8. Its a current news page with a live blog sections.
9. Its a news website, and post live blogs
10. The website has news information, how to information, answers to questions, and much more.

What’s interesting to me about the above feedback is the inconsistency of the results. People have different ideas what problem Mahalo.com is designed to solve. This isn’t necessarily a problem as long as people visiting the site find something of value. However, it could be a problem if the lack of focus confuses people, thus causing them to lunge for their browser’s back button.

Best Current Feature

1. The answer and questions feature is definitely the best feature.
2. The current news viewer mid-page is really nice. Javascript is the way to go. The headlines are current & accurate. Dependable!
3. The “Mahalo News” feature is well-designed and easy to navigate and browse.
4. I think the best feature on the page is the tabs at the top, for the biggest top stories available. It’s easy to find and I like the format of it.
5. The “Mahalo answers” feature is mildly interesting. Otherwise the offerings are average. Nothing else stands out.
6. The running blog is neat,something new constantly.
7. It has up to date news
8. I liked the news information on the homepage. I also liked the design of the homepage.’
9. I like the colors and the design of the website.
10. I personally like the LiveBlog, it’s neat to have news coming in like that on an immediate basis, I like that a lot. I don’t like having to search for my news and having all the current stuff there in one convenient place is great.

The freshness of news on the homepage is a definite standout. That’s good news is that’s the primary goal of the site. Originally, I believe the goal was to create a powerful search experience that allowed the company to serve up high margin pay per click ads against those search results. If that’s where the real money is, the news content may be a distraction. On the other hand, if the news aggregation feature keeps people coming back to the site, it may be the draw that leads to more searches.

1-Thing to Improve

1. A description of some sort. It’s just a blob-page that once you click around you find out what it is. Not a description I guess as much as an “introduction” or something like that.
2. This website could be improved by making clear its function. It would be more valuable to me if I knew exactly how it is “there to help” and what makes it unique.
3. I would change the way the Live Blog looks. It’s too big and bulky looking.
4. Find a feature or offering that really stands out. Perhaps a way to personalize the information.
5. When clicking on the tabs, there is no back button. This is somewhat annoying.
6. Have you considered a travel section?
7. I found the Ask a Question section to be the most valuable, but it is hidden lower in the page. With so many news sections, it kinds of gets lost.
8. A little too much going on. Was interested in the Mahalo answers, read FAQ’s but it is still confusing. Maybe not have all of the website features going on at once on the homepage?
9. Have an ‘About’ button on the top so people know what the page’s purpose is and who puts it out, there’s so much information on the page that it took a while to figure out what thewebpage does.
10. The pictures need to be bigger. There is too much text and not enough pictures

In aggregate, it sounds like the biggest problem new users of the site have is figuring out what the site is about. Why is Mahalo.com a good choice for news? For answers? For search? CNN and Google are both a click away, so why should someone invest their precious time on Mahalo.com?

Let’s assume for a second that Mahalo’s biggest revenue comes from people running searches on the site. Having done that myself, I can say that the quality of Mahalo’s results are impressive. That being the case, streamlining the homepage to encourage searching could train people how to use the site in the most profitable way.

However, if the site is more of a wiki than a search engine – with 231,000 pages indexed in Google, that appears to be the case – then tactics that help increase the site’s link popularity may do more to improve the site’s revenue than actual on-site searching. Based on Mahalo’s founder Jason Calacanis‘ regular peppering of Twitter with current news link-drops to Mahalo pages, I have a feeling this is where the site is seeing the biggest success today:

I’m surprised Fondue and Taurus haven’t been more involved in plugging Mahalo from their twitter accounts.

Unsolicited Advice: If link building is the current strategic goal, make it easier, and encourage, people to link to Mahalo pages. For example, this page about John McEnroe doesn’t include any options for social bookmarking or reblogging. Even something near the footer that says, “Did you find this page valuable? Consider sharing it with your friends.” may help organically increase the site’s deep inbound links.