OUGD504 - Design for Web: Igloo Hotel

I have decided to look at the existing website for the Igloo Hotel in Lapland, Hotel Kakslauttanen, as this is what I have decided to create my website for. I want to look at the content that is included now, and how to make the website more user friendly, engaging and professional.

Home Page

• Different language options - these appeal to international customers, and widens audience
• Logo is in typical place on website, but it isn't very appealing and doesn't give a representation of the unique, luxury hotels
• There are three images at the top of the page, but they are very small, and the user can't get a good view of the hotel and surroundings. I think that they should be on a slider, and bigger so that people can see it more clearly and it can be a focal point of the site.
• The background image is hidden through the large content area, so it seems very pointless. As it is a photograph, it cuts out a lot of what is trying to be shown rather than a pattern, so it is very pointless and doesn't add anything to the viewer.
• The navigation bar is very small, and isn't something you immediately notice which could put users off as they can't see it straight away, and users are lazy and like everything in front of them
• The use of the cartoon map makes the website seem quite cheap which reflects badly onto the hotels. It is childish, and reminds me of something you see in a primary school. I would get rid of the map, and if one was needed I would use a google maps embedded into the site to show where it is, and it would also be more interactive.
• There is a lot of justified text, and I think there is too much of it to be easy to read without any headings etc
• There are 6 images on the right, but they are untitled and so the user doesn't know what they are for. They also don't fill space very well, as there is a lot of white space underneath. This is a waste, and I think the layout needs to be changed so that all space is filled width wise, and this could shorten the height which would be better so users don't have to scroll as much.
• Overall,  a very unappealing home page. I wouldn't want to book a holiday on here because it seems very untrustworthy.

Accommodation Page

• There is a faded background image on this, which doesn't fit in with the page and looks out of place. It also makes the website look cheap, and doesn't make it look like a high end hotel.
• The layout and order of the accommodation is very unappealing, default and looks as though the designer hasn't cared about the layout, but just put everything on the page. I think it would be better to have a accommodation page with options to click further onto certain rooms and read more details, availability etc
• It doesn't allow you to look for available prices, or book the hotel which is what the user would go onto the site to do, so I think it defeats the point of the website, as users can't act upon what they see until they get to the contact page.
• When you click on the ground plan link, it is a very amateur and dated plan that you get, and I think that could be improved.
• I think the virtual tour is a great idea, and much better at showing the user what the room looks like than just images, but unfortunately they aren't very high quality which reflects on the quality of the hotel.

Resort Page

• Again, like the accommodation page the layout doesn't work well and is an uninspiring list. It doesn't use space wisely, and you have to click on small arrows which aren't very clear to find out more about the resort sections.
• I think they could use images in a better way, which showcase the resort and accommodation a lot more, as they don't really stand out right now.

Resort Sub Pages

• The pages are very predictable as they use the standard layout which has been used for all pages, and although this has a sense of continuity, it doesn't necessarily fit the information and images.

FAQS

• There is some really interesting information on the FAQS page, but it isn't laid out in a engaging, attractive way. Default colours for links are used, headings don't stand out and the use of image is chaotic.

Contact

• There is just a simple enquiry form on this page. This is how you enquire about bookings, but I don't think this is very clear to the user as there is no link or option for this on the accommodation page, therefore users won't realise that it is here.

There are other pages, such as Weddings and Services, but I won't delve into those because they follow the same layout and problems as the other pages.