CD's New Website:

[Martin]

It has been about a week since Cemetery Dance launched their new website. I decided I would share some of my thoughts on the new site:

Technical aspects:
* Site response appears to be improved, pages load fast.
* Order history is no longer visible. (I believe Brian has said this is being worked on.)

Usability:
* Although navigating the site has changed I have been able to find things with little effort. I consider that a big success as even illogical acts become logical with repetition. I knew the old site so well and this is taking an adjustment but I have been able to find everything I have looked for.
* The overall look and feel of the site is improved. I like the new color schemes and the new fonts being used.
* New Hover over features are helpful in finding key details quickly.
* Cover images are much better than just thumbnails.

Shopping Cart:
* I did experience a few issues placing an order. This may be due, in part, to the fact that it is different
from what I am used to.
* I had issues entering my CDCC discount code and in trying again did not realize that the shipping choice changed back to another choice. I actually ended up selecting the wrong shipping option and did not notice until after the order was placed. No big deal and I am sure Mind would fix things if asked but it shows that the shopping cart portion of the cart has some usability issues.

Overall:
I am pleased with the new website. I see a couple of issues and am sure there are others they are working on that I cant see but overall it has only caused a minor disruption to how I interact with the site.

[Brian861]

I'll admit I don't navigate the site too often. The CDCC emails guide me where to make my next deposit into the CD coffers .

[TJCams]

I poked around a bit and like the new look. It has a much more refined look to it I think. I did not have any issues placing an order either, so...that's good!

[Dan Hocker]

The shipping thing was a thing the old site did as well. My guess is that the site software just isn't capable of remembering your shipping choice in that particular instance. I think my favorite new feature of the site is just that the search functionality is actually functional.

[ruderabbit]

I have a technical issue. I think Mindy is on it, but I don't believe she totally grasped my email concern I sent.

On attempting to sign into the new site, it asks for your email address.

I didn't use an email address to sign in.

I used a username.

When trying to access account, I am faced with a response that says email must have a "@".

My username doesn't have an "@".

Access denied.

Sad face, I missed out on the special prize because I couldn't get in my order.

~Mark

[Martin]

I have a technical issue. I think Mindy is on it, but I don't believe she totally grasped my email concern I sent.

On attempting to sign into the new site, it asks for your email address.

I didn't use an email address to sign in.

I used a username.

When trying to access account, I am faced with a response that says email must have a "@".

My username doesn't have an "@".

Access denied.

Sad face, I missed out on the special prize because I couldn't get in my order.

~Mark

The old user name appears to no longer be available. I now must log on using the email I registered with.

[Martin]

The shipping thing was a thing the old site did as well. My guess is that the site software just isn't capable of remembering your shipping choice in that particular instance. I think my favorite new feature of the site is just that the search functionality is actually functional.

I was able to order today without an issue on the shipping. Just learning a different sequence and knowing what to look for.

[Brian James Freeman]

I have a technical issue. I think Mindy is on it, but I don't believe she totally grasped my email concern I sent.

On attempting to sign into the new site, it asks for your email address.

I didn't use an email address to sign in.

I used a username.

When trying to access account, I am faced with a response that says email must have a "@".

My username doesn't have an "@".

Access denied.

Sad face, I missed out on the special prize because I couldn't get in my order.

~Mark

It's entirely possible Mindy didn't quite "get" your question because a lot of people are having a specific log-in problem related to passwords. If you're still having trouble, send me an email or PM and I'll help you out!

[Brian James Freeman]

* Order history is no longer visible. (I believe Brian has said this is being worked on.)

Yep! It may be a few weeks, unfortunately. Even though we're still using the same software as before, there is SOMETHING SOMETHING SOMETHING they need to do to the data to move it to the "new" site. Yeah, I didn't quite follow, but they seem to know their stuff!

* Although navigating the site has changed I have been able to find things with little effort.

Like Dan, I absolutely LOVE that the search feature actually works now... and I think it works really well, too. If you start to type in CARRIE, it usually has the links to the book and the artwork portfolio ready-to-click right below the search bar before you hit the I.

* Cover images are much better than just thumbnails.

I also like the new image features. More to come there, too. Right now we're just using what we had on the old site, but we'll be adding more images for new books in the months to come.

* I had issues entering my CDCC discount code and in trying again did not realize that the shipping choice changed back to another choice. I actually ended up selecting the wrong shipping option and did not notice until after the order was placed.

If it makes you feel better, I'm having crazy problems MAKING coupon codes. It used to be one easy step and now it's three complicated steps. Somehow, they see that as an improvement. Actually, there are some neat things we can do now (like Buy 1, Get 1 codes), but it just means everything is more complicated for that part of the back-end.

Definitely feel free to email or PM me with any issues, glitches, or illogicalness you run into. The website is still a work in progress!

One fun feature we were able to add to the site is that you can now load your Gift Certificate onto your account ONCE and your account will remember your credit balance for you for future orders. No need to hold onto the Gift Certificate codes for every return trip to the store!

Brian

[Martin]

Yep! It may be a few weeks, unfortunately. Even though we're still using the same software as before, there is SOMETHING SOMETHING SOMETHING they need to do to the data to move it to the "new" site. Yeah, I didn't quite follow, but they seem to know their stuff!



Like Dan, I absolutely LOVE that the search feature actually works now... and I think it works really well, too. If you start to type in CARRIE, it usually has the links to the book and the artwork portfolio ready-to-click right below the search bar before you hit the I.



I also like the new image features. More to come there, too. Right now we're just using what we had on the old site, but we'll be adding more images for new books in the months to come.



If it makes you feel better, I'm having crazy problems MAKING coupon codes. It used to be one easy step and now it's three complicated steps. Somehow, they see that as an improvement. Actually, there are some neat things we can do now (like Buy 1, Get 1 codes), but it just means everything is more complicated for that part of the back-end.

Definitely feel free to email or PM me with any issues, glitches, or illogicalness you run into. The website is still a work in progress!

One fun feature we were able to add to the site is that you can now load your Gift Certificate onto your account ONCE and your account will remember your credit balance for you for future orders. No need to hold onto the Gift Certificate codes for every return trip to the store!

Brian

Loading the gift certificates is a nice feature. I keep mine on a spreadsheet currently.

[bookworm 1]

So far no issues with the site. I did place an order for six stories and can't wait to see what the surprise freebie is. I also like th one time enter gift code. Easier to keep track of.

[Martin]

Yep! It may be a few weeks, unfortunately. Even though we're still using the same software as before, there is SOMETHING SOMETHING SOMETHING they need to do to the data to move it to the "new" site. Yeah, I didn't quite follow, but they seem to know their stuff!



Like Dan, I absolutely LOVE that the search feature actually works now... and I think it works really well, too. If you start to type in CARRIE, it usually has the links to the book and the artwork portfolio ready-to-click right below the search bar before you hit the I.



I also like the new image features. More to come there, too. Right now we're just using what we had on the old site, but we'll be adding more images for new books in the months to come.



If it makes you feel better, I'm having crazy problems MAKING coupon codes. It used to be one easy step and now it's three complicated steps. Somehow, they see that as an improvement. Actually, there are some neat things we can do now (like Buy 1, Get 1 codes), but it just means everything is more complicated for that part of the back-end.

Definitely feel free to email or PM me with any issues, glitches, or illogicalness you run into. The website is still a work in progress!

One fun feature we were able to add to the site is that you can now load your Gift Certificate onto your account ONCE and your account will remember your credit balance for you for future orders. No need to hold onto the Gift Certificate codes for every return trip to the store!

Brian

Brian,

Any update on seeing order history on the new site?