RATING: 5/10
Our testers appreciated the effort EYO's Webmaster has taken to inform their customers of "What's new" and their detailed "support" link, as articles are dated and hyperlinks are incorporated appropriately. The product listing presents a short one-line description with several external links available to provide greater information.
The other features that caused some interest were the "Message board" forums where customers could leave comments and get technical advice, and swap DVDs and other PC stuff.
Hits
- There is excellent information regarding their company. This provides a personal touch to the site.
- A great online community created through the use of the "Message board" forum.
- Excellent scalability of the Web site.
- The build-your-own system feature is well positioned for their Do-it-yourself target market.
Misses
- We were disappointed with the inconsistent navigation options, as the left-hand navigation bar disappears within the product category.
- Greater explanation of icons in the buying process is required.
- We noted poor use of language with grammatical errors.
- We found insufficient feedback relating to search results and product links.
Purchasing process
- The shopping cart needs a greater presence on each page, as the only information given to customers is their current total.
- Unfortunately, customers are required to enter their shipping details before they can view the contents in their shopping cart. This process should be completed later in the purchasing process.
- E-mail confirmation is provided.
Members Benefits
- There is no mention of membership available, however there is the facility to receive an updated price list via e-mail if requested.
Search facility
- The search function is not located on the homepage. Only by browsing the "product list" is it evident that searching is available.
- The search function needs developing. When "no-results" were available no feedback was given, and it was not obvious that the search procedure had occurred.
General Usability
- Inconsistent navigation caused concern for our testers, especially within the "Product list" as there was no "Home" link available.
- A slow downloading product list became frustrating, as browsing was the only productive way of locating products.
- The poorly ordered purchasing procedure is quite off-putting for first time buyers.
- The homepage complies with W3C accessibility guidelines, with only five out of 16 pages failing our test. This is a real plus for people with a disability and, unfortunately, still a rarity among Web pages nowadays.
However, the site was still not entirely accessible--this should not be an option.
15%
7%
