Client Testing
The American Philharmonic is an all volunteer full sized symphonic orchestra whose members are committed to bring the great music of our cultural heritage to those who either can’t afford to attend regular concerts or who wouldn’t attend because they might feel uncomfortable in the conventional setting of a symphony concert.
They play with an authentic spirit of community, possess an esprit de corp exuding energy, and perform from a base of creativity and passion!
The representative of the orchestra whom we worked with Krisha Montmorency, was very helpful and easy to work with.
Here are the results of the testing that was done by a representitive of the client
You've done a wonderful job! Here's my feedback.
Lynn
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First some questions about the computer and internet connection you have.
Type of computer you are using: PC
Operating System: Windows XP
Screen Size: 1280 x 1024
Browser Used: Internet Explorer 7
Internet Connection: Comcast Cable
Now questions about the new American Philharmonic website.
1. Does the site convey a clear sense of its intended audience?
Yes. I love the graphics, style and presentation of the web site.
2. Does it use language in a way that is familiar to and comfortable for its readers?
In general, I think the tone is upscale and smart.
I think the sentence structure in the “About the Orchestra” section is too academic for the average reader. I would keep the intellectual concepts, but I would rewrite that section in a more warm and engaging style.
3. Does this website match the expectations and experiences you've had for American Philharmonic?
Yes, the site is sophisticated and friendly.
4. Is the site easy to read and access?
The web site comes up quickly and navigates easily.
5. Do you feel the design (color, layout, tone, feel) is appropriate for the material?
Yes. I think it’s more sophisticated than the London Philharmonic! See for yourself, the LP is located at: http://www.lpo.org.uk/
6. Are the links obvious in their intent and destination?
The majority of hyperlinks are fast and easy to use and let me know in advance what information that I will find on the coming page.
a. My only real concern was on the Support Our Mission page, located at:
http://student.santarosa.edu/~mfoote/ap_test_site/html/support.html
I would make sure the action items are crystal clear. Become a Member is great and links off to the page explaining how to become a member. The others should be as obvious.
How about?
* Become a Member
* Make a Donation (I would put an asterisk at the end of this action item and put the paypal information at the bottom of the page. If that’s not possible, then switch this item into the last position on the page where it doesn’t interrupt the flow of information.)
* Volunteer (hyperlink to the Audition and Volunteer page)
b. The title on the Plaudits page should be Plaudits and Reviews to match the hyperlink of the same name in the left navigation bar.
http://www.apsonoma.org/html/plaudits2.php
7. Is the navigation easy to use and do you always know where you are in the site?
The only confusing moment was the handoff from the AP site to Network for Good. The button on the Network for Good site says Donate Now and the form is for donations not membership.
The button needs to say “Become a Member” and the form that opens should be specific to becoming an AP member. If this can’t be changed, then I would delete this link and have users print off the membership form and send it in, or they can fill out a membership form at one of the concerts and drop it into the donation basket.
8. If you loved classical music and wanted to attend a concert would you easily find the information you needed to attend a concert?
Yes. And there’s lots of additional information to read about the guest artists as well as internesting articles about past concerts.
9. If you were excited about the concert you just attended would you easily find the necessary information and means to make a donation to the American Philharmonic on the site?
If the user’s goal is to donate money to the organization, I would make it really easy for them. I would add “Donations” to the left navigation bar and link it directly to a donations form. Currently, it’s too long a path. They have to find Support our Mission on the top navigation bar (not the first place most people go), then select donations, then go to paypal and fill out the donation form.
10. Does the site make effective use of hyperlinks to tie related items together?
Yes. The exceptions were noted above.
11. Are there dead links? Broken CGI scripts? Functionless forms?
Dead links:
a. Press Releases with Links to Hi Reolution Photos, located at:
http://www.apsonoma.org/html/plaudits2.php?subaction=showfull&id=1177965017&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2&
Bio of Rosylyn Jones doesn’t open in a popup window like the others
http://www.apsonoma.org/jones_popup.html
b. There is also a broken link in the articles listed at the bottom of the page:
Community Voice – October 2006
http://www.apsonoma.org/html/plaudits2.php?subaction=showfull&id=1202680902&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&
12. Is page length appropriate to site content?
Yes.
13. What did you like best about the site?
The graphics, color choices and layout of the homepage look very professional.
14. What suggestions for improvement do you have?
a. I would arrange the hyperlinks in the left navigation bar alphabetically.
b. I would like to know more about the volunteer musicians. In the future, I would add “guest artist” style bios for them, so the audience can learn more about them.
15. Any other comments?
AP has a number of Corporate Partners, located at:
http://student.santarosa.edu/~mfoote/ap_test_site/html/corporate_partners.html
and a reference to KRCB, located at:
http://student.santarosa.edu/~mfoote/ap_test_site/html/media.html
I would ask each company if they would like to have their logos clickable, so that you can pass AP users to their corporate web sites. If they would like this feature, have them select the page on their web site that they would like AP users to see. If they’re not sure which page to select, I suggest their “Products or Services”, ”About” or “Corporate Giving” page.
Summary
The client Is very pleased with our redesign of their site. Our contact for the orchestra was very helpful and a pleasure to work with. It was a good experience working on a site that was live and continually being updated.
We were able to fix almost everything that came up in the testing phase.
There are still a few things that could be improved but they mostly involve content management and electronic payment services that we don't have control over. Krisha and I agreed to make the final changes regarding the donation and membership pages the client training and do it after the official handoff.