Donatello Doors – Wrought Iron Doors – Wrought Iron Entry Doors

7 thoughts on “Donatello Doors – Wrought Iron Doors – Wrought Iron Entry Doors”

1. Feedback tasks:
    
   1) Look around the home page for about 10 seconds – is it immediately clear what the site does? What is your initial impression of what you see?
   Yes. It is very clear that Donatello Doors specializes in doors. Initial impression is that the website was not done on a huge budget. Some of the pictures of doors are slightly blurry and not in high resolution. If your homepage is your first impression, then you need to spend a little money to have it look like it is a professional site for a professional company.
    
   2) Think of something you want to learn more about or find on the website. Now try to find it. Did you find what you were looking for? Was anything confusing?
   Well. I looked for a search blank to type in “wrought iron door” but there was no search blank. The log in is located on the middle left hand side of the page, which is a little weird. This is normally at the upper right hand corner. I eventually clicked on “find your door” button. It took me to a page where doors are shown and some say “sold.”
    
   3) Imagine you are on the market looking for Fibre Glass Doors. Are you encouraged to buy from DonatelloDoors.com? Can you tell us why (or why not)?
   There was no easy or obvious way to find Fibre Glass Doors on your site. I can’t find a search button and I assumed they would be under Hurricane doors. The page for Hurricane doors showed me pictures of doors with no captions or descriptions. I would have to click on each individual door to find the details.
   This website is screaming amateur website and not very intuitive. I wish you had a search blank for typing in and searching through your inventory of doors.
    
   4) Go to Google and find one other company that offers a similar service. Compare the two companies. Which one do you prefer? Why?
   I went to Google and typed in “Wrought Iron Doors” and found Iron Doors Unlimited.com in a search. I visited their site and it looks professional. I believe they have the edge on your site.

   I would suggest that you go to their site and look at it and craft your site to look more like theirs. They have a search bar and high quality images and present their products in a professional manner.
    
   5) Please share any additional feedback/comments you may have.
   All of irondoorsunlimited.com’s photos are high quality. That is what you need. Great photos. You need a search bar. You need your inventory to all have captions.
   You need to remove the log in for people to look at doors. This is confusing. I don’t think you should have a log in unless people are committed to buying a door. No need to have it before that point because your website is not professionally done and you will be lucky if they get to the point of buying from you.
   You have a lot of typed information on your homepage. I think this would be more appropriate on a “Q&A” page. All of that information is below the fold on your homepage. People are going to glance at your site, and make an instant decision if they would want to buy from your site without scrolling down and reading all of that information.
    

2. 1) Look around the home page for about 10 seconds – is it immediately clear what the site does? What is your initial impression of what you see?
   First impression was not good at all. The page seems to be a 2000’s page. I think you should try to modernize it. I think that if you talk about quality of your works, you should give more quality to your site. I suggest you to show your work adding a Gallery with your best doors and works.
   Reading your description, I understood the purpose of your service and what do you do. I started to read the testimonials (at the right top of the page), but they moved really fast and I couldn´t read any of them in my first try. As I scroll down the page, I realized that it seems like a blog. Then, I tried the (user friendly interface) “Donatello Desing Wizard”… and I didn’t like it. I mean, I found it usable, but you cannot say that the wizard is user friendly.
   Finally, I didn’t understand the benefits to be registered in your site.
   2) Think of something you want to learn more about or find on the website. Now try to find it. Did you find what you were looking for? Was anything confusing?
   Nop, nothing confusing. I have found all the things I was looking for. The only thing I needed to search outside your site, was the definition of CAD drawings.
   3) Imagine you are on the market looking for Fibre Glass Doors. Are you encouraged to buy from DonatelloDoors.com? Can you tell us why (or why not)?
   I have found a lot of reasons to trust in DonatelloDoors. I have seen a lot of examples of your work and dedication and I probably trust you when you talk about the benefits of the iron (or steel) doors. I would probably buy one of them instead of a Fibre Glass Door.
   4) Go to Google and find one other company that offers a similar service. Compare the two companies. Which one do you prefer? Why?
   I have found two interesting sites: lemieuxdoors and artisandoorworks. I have seen a lot of beatiful things. For example, I saw a price comparison between different doors (like a price factor), that could be very important to the buyer. Also, I have seen a beautiful gallery of doors in lemieuxdoors. If I were looking for the best job, I would probably choose donatellodoors. But if I were trying to see beautiful examples of works to decide, I would probably choose a different provider.
   5) Please share any additional feedback/comments you may have.
   Please, improve your site! It seems a really old one. You should give to your users, a site as good as your the quality of your doors.

3. 1) Look around the home page for about 10 seconds – is it immediately clear what the site does? What is your initial impression of what you see?
    
   I love wrought iron, so you won me over without having to do very much and . . .
    
   I’m not certain if it is clear or not. It is Donatello Doors, but it looks like you also do windows. I don’t see any internal doors or windows, so I am assuming they are all exterior. It doesn’t say wrought iron, but I don’t see any other kinds of doors and windows.
    
   I have heard that a visitor to a website stays on a page for an average of just six seconds. If their attention isn’t caught immediately, you lose them.
    
   Therefore, I would be more explicit in the language and not just in the pictures of beautiful doors and windows. Say exactly what you do as succinctly and clearly as possible.
    
   You might be asking: Where? Given the organization of the home page, I’d say to put them alongside the photos and I’d then move the quotes down further on the home page. I love recommendations. Having a few on the home page is great. And, again, people are in a rush these days. These quotes are long. Most people won’t stay on the page long enough to read them.
    
   If, in a few words, you briefly explained exactly what you do that would be excellent. And, if there’s enough room, I might include one recommendation . . . a short one.
    
   For instance, I have my own product—a collection of articles—that I’m preparing to sell soon. A few people have read it ahead of time so they could give me recommendations, if they desired to. One of the quotes is: “Love, love, love them.” It is short, simple, and makes the point. That is the kind of quote I would have on top. And the short description of what you do . . . or what problem you solve . . . is far more important.
    
   2) Think of something you want to learn more about or find on the website. Now try to find it. Did you find what you were looking for? Was anything confusing?
    
   I wanted to see your double doors. They were easy to find using the navigation bar. I also viewed the different kinds of glass and saw that there was a video where I could watch how the doors are produced.
    
   It might be helpful to have a tab on the navigation bar for the videos, so people would know that these videos existed without spotting them haphazardly. Or space might be made on the home page for a couple of these videos. (I did see the one that is on the home page, but I mean others that may be interspersed throughout the site.) By the way, it would be helpful for the video to be embedded on the home page and for it to much shorter—2 minutes max.
    
   3) Imagine you are on the market looking for Fibre Glass Doors. Are you encouraged to buy from DonatelloDoors.com? Can you tell us why (or why not)?
    
   Fibre (Fiber) Glass Doors? Do you make fiber glass doors, as well?
    
   I very well might be encouraged to come to you for wrought iron doors. They are quite lovely. And I would check out several other companies, as well; ask friends, etc.
    
   4) Go to Google and find one other company that offers a similar service. Compare the two companies. Which one do you prefer? Why?
    
   I went to MonacoDoors.com. I don’t particularly appreciate their home page. It took me a bit to realize that the photo in the center was smelting. (Is that the right word, where hot metal is being poured?) It isn’t nearly as good a use of space as yours.
    
   Once I clicked on the photo of the door on the home page, I was taken to examples of their work. They have their own styles of doors, as do you. Excellent. If I were interested in buying a wrought iron door, I would stay on and explore.
    
   And, I believe, that your site does a much better job of capturing my interest—the interest of a casual observer.
    
   5) Please share any additional feedback/comments you may have.
    
   Since I was only asked to spend 10 seconds on the home page, I did not stop to read the information on the home page. However, it does look very lengthy.
    
    
   I am seeing many sites these days having less information on the home page, with more photos, videos, and links to more detailed information. It makes for a cleaner and easier to follow home page.

4. 1) Look around the home page for about 10 seconds – is it immediately clear what the site does? What is your initial impression of what you see?
   I went to the Donatello Doors website and the first thing i noticed was that the website is very professionally made with proper headings and information therewith. i also noticed long list of testimonials. Although i understood that the website was related to doors from the name of the website itself, i would suggest that you move the testimonials portion to the bottom of the page instead of the top. The first thing that i customer should see is what is being offered by the website owner. Testimonials are important however, not as important as the main essentials of a company.
   As i scrolled down, i saw that there was a lot of information. Excess in my opinion. I prefer the homepages that are more simple and more catching to the eye. Maybe you could have increased the space allotted for the video.
   I also noticed the social networking links which is a necessity in these times, so good job on that. The continuously changing photos of work previously done are a plus too in my opinion.
   2) Think of something you want to learn more about or find on the website. Now try to find it. Did you find what you were looking for? Was anything confusing?
   The first thing that came to my mind was a double door since I’ve been planning to change mine. So, as i go to the webpage i conveniently find a tab which reads, ‘ find a door.’ As i put my cursor on the tab i get the option for double doors. This process was really quick so i’m impressed so far. Then as i browse through the different doors i notice the that although you provide various options, the price has not been highlighted. I would suggest that you put words such as SIENA VENEZIA etc in bold along with its prices. The fact that you offer custom made doors impressed me too. Then as i clicked on the custom pages, i was getting the various requirements to help me make the door which was impressive as well. Hence, i tried to find a door and i found i pretty easy as i got the direct link to the page i had desired.
   3) Imagine you are on the market looking for Fibre Glass Doors. Are you encouraged to buy from DonatelloDoors.com? Can you tell us why (or why not)?
   Ok so i didn’t really know what a fibre glass door was so i had to spend time looking through the  find your door tab and the options tab. however, as i clicked on the faq tab i found information regarding the fibreglass door
   Now as i look over the page i can see a full page of information and i clearly helps me understand what i fibre glass door is, however i would’ve preferred if there were more graphic information or images of such doors as that builds interest. only text decreases the information somewhat.
   i would definitely like to buy from donatello doors on account of the numerous testimonials that i saw and the information which have been provided as i clearly suggests that you know what you are doing.
   4) Go to Google and find one other company that offers a similar service. Compare the two companies. Which one do you prefer? Why?
   I went to google and  searched for a company that makes doors and the first company that on the results page was a ‘Simpsons door company.’
   Ok. The first thing that i notice about the website is how neat it is. The information and the options offered by the company is really neatly and tidily put. They have used colours very smartly and are offering the chance to speak to them via a  direct link to them regarding any queries, an option which i couldn’t see on the first impression. Checked again, couldn’t find such an option.
    The second thing that i noticed was that the Simpson Door company have written that they have been in such a business for 100 years now, so that does put things into their advantage.
   Now, on the question of choosing between the two companies i would choose the Simpsons simply because of how well made and impressive their website looks and the fact that they have a goodwill of 100 years. By the number of testimonials you have it  certainly puts a great impression however there is no competing with a 100 year old company with a very expertly made website. 
   5) Please share any additional feedback/comments you may have.
   Yeah so to round up i would like to congratulate you on being so helpful and providing so much information.
   But, if you would change the basic outline of the webpage, include more colour and filtre a bit of information then the appeal would increase more. it definitely looks like a website and a company that you trust but i would like you to try and make it more appealing . adding help coloum for the customers and writing a brief intro for the customers on the webpage would be the priority.
   Thank You. 🙂

5. 1) Look around the home page for about 10 seconds – is it immediately clear what the site does? What is your initial impression of what you see?
   My initial impression of the website is that the website looks very professional and means all business. It has a very serous feel to it. I like the orange tone used on the website. 10 seconds was enough to figure out what the website is for because all the information on the homepage is clearly sorted with headings which have been highlighted. This helps find the exact information easily. As the name suggests, the website is about artisans who make beautiful and sturdy doors i.e. the website is all about doors. I like that a slide show has been put up on the website giving pictures of works previously done. This grabbed my attention and will help gain customers because the works speaks for itself. I also like the testimonials placed beside the slide show is also constantly moving. This gives a lot of information and at the same time saves a lot of space on the website as it is using the same space but the information is constantly changing. Also, putting up so many testimonials on the homepage is clear because it will definitely increase the trust of potential customers. So the space on the homepage has been very well used.
    
   2) Think of something you want to learn more about or find on the website. Now try to find it. Did you find what you were looking for? Was anything confusing?
   I looked for the type of doors available and it was extremely easy to find because like I said before, the information on the website has been excellently arranged. I opened the gallery but it was taking too much time like the page said, so I skipped to Find Your Door page. I page has large images, that I liked. Prices have been clearly given too and also if something is not in stock, it has been watermarked as SOLD. But what I think is missing is a Add To Cart option. We can find this option when we further open a page by selecting a door, but I think it would be nice to provide one next to the prices also because it will save time for the customer. That way they won’t have to open each product they like and then add it, they can easily add all the products they like and then compare in the end. No, I did not find anything confusing about the website. Everything is very easy to find.
    
   3) Imagine you are on the market looking for Fibre Glass Doors. Are you encouraged to buy from DonatelloDoors.com? Can you tell us why (or why not)?
   The first thing I did after reading the question is that I looked for information on the website about Fibre Glass Doors, which I  found in like 2 seconds. Then I read the information given, I liked that the page sounded like it was giving us the required information and was not a sales pitch. I also liked that a different color and font size has been used for the first two lines. Thats catches your eye and gives us a gist of what the page contains. What I liked best is the report which has been provided in the second last paragraph. When I read that, I instantly wanted to buy it. What I did not like is that instead of  line that says ” Let us compare quality, durability, security, maintenance and cost.”, it would be better if the matter is divided using these headings, because if a person landed on the website looking for a particular kind of door, there are chances he knows about it already and would not like to read about it again and so would skip lines, and in doing that might miss some important information or maybe leave the page. One more thing is that at one place it has been mentioned that look at our ___ page for more details, instead of that a link could be provided so that the customer doesn’t have to look for it. Other than that, as far as trust and matter go, the website is great. I would not think twice before buying a product because the amount of testimonials from happy customers, the quality of product promised and some great designs are definitely an encouragement. 
    
   4) Go to Google and find one other company that offers a similar service. Compare the two companies. Which one do you prefer? Why?
   I looked at Masonite.com and liked the site. I love that they have a slide on the homepage and I liked that slide better than the one on DonatelloDoors.com because more than one picture can be seen on that. The website has a much more modern look than DonatelloDoors. The two options that grabbed my attention was “Create your own door’ and “Help me Choose”. But overall I like DD better as I could not find Masonite trustworthy. Although they too have provided a lot of information and pictures, but I liked DD better. The DD website definitely better because it is much easier to browse and the website gives a impression that the people involved are very experienced and know their craft, whereas Masonite looks like a new and inexperienced company. I did not find any testimonials to vouch for their work. So, I prefer DonatelloDoors.
    
   5) Please share any additional feedback/comments you may have.
   I think the website is great. I would like to thank you for providing me the opportunity to help you. Great job on the website. Good Luck!

6. Feedback Provider: Dgirl
   
   1) Look around the home page for about 10 seconds – is it immediately clear what the site does? What is your initial impression of what you see?
   My first impression was that it is a simple website that clearly demonstrates the company is in the business of selling doors for houses. It is not too flashy and gives the feel of a Mom and Pop business, which I like. I was very excited to see that I have the option to design my own door. Even though I’m not currently in the market for a door, the designing process got my creative juices flowing and now I’m actually considering buying one.
    
   2) Think of something you want to learn more about or find on the website. Now try to find it. Did you find what you were looking for? Was anything confusing?
   I wanted to know if the shipping and installation of the door is included in the quoted price. I initially clicked on FAQ’s – Shopping FAQ’s and read that shipping is included in the quoted price but that installation is not. Donatello Doors will refer you to a contractor if you contact them, but there is no indication of approximate cost.
   After revisiting the home page, I scrolled down and discovered that this information regarding the shipping is there, but it was below my laptop screen’s fold so I did not initially see it.
   3) Imagine you are on the market looking for Fibre Glass Doors. Are you encouraged to buy from DonatelloDoors.com? Can you tell us why (or why not)?
   If I were in the market for a Fibre Glass Door I would be encouraged to purchase from DonatelloDoors.com because their FAQ page about this type of door assuaged the initial fears that I had regarding their quality and strength/security. The story about the customer who had a Fibre Glass Door that survived a flood and that the Fire Department couldn’t even break down was a very persuasive testimonial.
    
   4) Go to Google and find one other company that offers a similar service. Compare the two companies. Which one do you prefer? Why?
   I Googled “doors for homes” and came across Masonite’s website. This company’s site is a little sleeker than DonatelloDoors.com but the font is too small and the site is more difficult to navigate. Masonite also does not allow you to order online (they direct you to a local merchant who sells the doors), and I was unable to design my own door from start to finish. 
   I prefer DontatelloDoors.com because the website font is easy to read, I can easily design my own door, there are more unique door options, I can order online and there are great customer testimonials.
    
   5) Please share any additional feedback/comments you may have.
   I would suggest possibly adding the contractor referral feature to the website so the customer does not need to call Dontatello Doors for the referral if they don’t want to. A customer can input the type of door they are ordering and their address and get a list of contractors that they can call to compare installation quotes immediately.

7. 1) Look around the home page for about 10 seconds – is it immediately clear what the site does? What is your initial impression of what you see?
   Yes it is very clear what the site does from the title of the site Donatello Doors and the changing images of doors that is on show on the home page, it looks like the site is aimed at high end users as the doors look very grand and on impressive looking properties.
   2) Think of something you want to learn more about or find on the website. Now try to find it. Did you find what you were looking for? Was anything confusing?
   I decided to look and see how much delivery charges were, I clicked on the tabs along the top It wasn’t instantly clear what would be the best tab to try. When I clicked on ‘Contact’ it took me to a page where you could email and ask questions, on this page was a hyperlink ‘How to order’ so I thought that would give me the information I required, however this took me to a ‘404’ page telling me that the page I requested didn’t exist. I subsequently found the delivery information I was looking for under the FAQ’s. After all that when I went back to the home page the shipping information was staring me in the face on the ‘Home’ page. I think it might help having ‘Delivery cost’ listed under one of the menus as I think it’s a great selling point that delivery is included in the price and there are no hidden extras.
   3) Imagine you are on the market looking for Fibre Glass Doors. Are you encouraged to buy from DonatelloDoors.com? Can you tell us why (or why not)?
   No not at all as that is not what Donatello Doors does! They sell hand crafted ironwork doors made mostly in the traditional methods of Blacksmiths from 200 years ago, but if I wanted a unique metal door or indeed if I wanted to design my own and have it made up I certainly would consider using Donatello doors.
   4) Go to Google and find one other company that offers a similar service. Compare the two companies. Which one do you prefer? Why?
   I found Handcraftedirondoors.com they seem to be a similiar company, I prefer the home page of Donatello as I like that I can see a selection of the doors that you have to offer, with the changing images, it makes me want to investigate more the other site didn’t hold my interest it just had one static door image. I like that Donatello gives me the prices of the doors and delivery information I know there are no hidden charges, I like that I can design my door and that I can see reviews of satisfied customers, the other site had none of these things. I would need to ring them to find out more.
   5) Please share any additional feedback/comments you may have
   Although I loved the changing images of the doors there were too many moving images on the home page. The door images moving from side to side with the customer reviews next to that scrolling up and down, special offers ticker just underneath these two (the yellow highlight clashed with your scheme somewhat too) the information video on the left and a small scrolling bar in the bottom right hand corner. I felt it was too much and my eyes didn’t know where to go first, I think this is why I missed the delivery/shipping information on the home page initially. Whilst there was all the information I could possibly want to know about the product the majority was on the home page, which was a lot to take in. I think your page tabs could be more descriptive or rethought out, Options and Technical just looking at these two I wouldn’t have a clue what to expect was underneath them.

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