Went to CirrusDesign website. I must say it is very poor. Specifically, dark letters (and too small) against a black background. Additionally, cannot read options list; pictures are too small and of poor quality; flow of info not logically laid out. Overall poor internet effort for Cirrus.
Monty
I agree with you Monty. Someone must have thought the old Cirrus site was not as sophisticated as say the Eclipse site. The problem with this thinking is that the graphics art people go crazy with a concept and make it unusable.
Please, give us back a white backgound with dark letter. Keep it simple and easy to navigate. I thought the older site fit the bill perfectly!
Want to add some cool stuff?
1- Put a form to reserve N numbers from the FAA with a lookup for existing numbers (as on AOPA.org)
2- Put some video (RealPlayer) on the site.
3- Add more factory shots - close ups showing the details of how stuff is done by your very capable staff - (don’t give away sercets but some of us are very interested in how our bird is assembled)
4- With permission, pictures of the smiling new owners and their birds.
5- Have a contest (online with viewers voting) for the coolest place an owner has flown a Cirrus (quarterly)or something similar. With pictures to prove itof course!
6- Sell Cirrus stuff on the web (hats, pens, shirts, etc (how about Scale Models? Posters?) - This is very easy to do and could pay for maintaining the web (read “profit center”)
7- Have the Garmin 430 Operating Manual (PDF file) and trainer download available on the site.
8- Work out a deal with a good simulator company to mimic the SR 20’s flight charecteristics and sell the software from the site. Hell, if I can’t fly a real one for two years then I can at least have a blast crashing the sim while I wait.
(I know you sim flyers try to barrel roll the 182 200 feet off the ground!)
9- Online financing arrangements for new owners - have a spot to calculate monthly payments and operating costs
10- Install a form for submitting complaints and comments.
Cirrus is in the enviable position of having customers who have never flown an SR20 that are passionate about the airplane and the company. They (Cirrus) are doing almost everything right! I believe the website could be better and I hope these suggestions, plus any others, are received in the positive spirit that they have been given.
Mark
Went to CirrusDesign website. I must say it is very poor. Specifically, dark letters (and too small) against a black background. Additionally, cannot read options list; pictures are too small and of poor quality; flow of info not logically laid out. Overall poor internet effort for Cirrus.
Monty
Unfortunately I have to agree. Difficult to navigate, hard to read. It seems as if they tried to copy the dark serious tone of many tri-fold three color brochuresÂ’ that companies put together.
I would suggest Cirrus try something more bright, colorful and simple to use. Have it reflect their new and innovative ideas and aircraft.
One of the employment opportunities listed on the site should be for a new web designer. Heck they should be able to trade a down payment/plane for a web designer.
Went to CirrusDesign website. I must say it is very poor. Specifically, dark letters (and too small) against a black background. Additionally, cannot read options list; pictures are too small and of poor quality; flow of info not logically laid out. Overall poor internet effort for Cirrus.
Monty
I agree 100% that the “new and improved” website is pretty bad, what works in printed brochures does not equal what works on a computer, hope they didn’t spend more than $5 to make the change!
If enough people voice an opinion hopefully they will correct their error, so speak up!
Unfortunately, I must also join the people blaming this new web sight. Sophisticated looks do not guarantee a cool web site. I mean, I really have a sharp sight, by I need binoculars to read the small stuff.
Mark’s comments are very valuable and the reason I air my complaints here is to make this list of unhappy Cirrusites long enough to make CD at least rethink their new site.
Placido
Went to CirrusDesign website. I must say it is very poor. Specifically, dark letters (and too small) against a black background. Additionally, cannot read options list; pictures are too small and of poor quality; flow of info not logically laid out. Overall poor internet effort for Cirrus.
Monty
Although I agree that the old website needed some changes to make it easier to navigate, unfortunately I must agree with the negative opinions on the new website. My biggest complaint is the fact that the “Cirrus SR20 Specification and Description” must be downloaded in order to view it.
… when I thought about the moving bar for Cirrus. We’ve had these "I hope Cirrus is paying attention and acts soon!!’ discussions about:
when would they get the plane certified;
when would they get it delivered;
when would they ramp up the production rate;
when would they get some demonstrator planes spread around – but also speed up delivery of planes to position holders;
when would they fix Clyde’s engine;
when would they get on Teledyne Continental’s case in general;
when would they get on ARNAV’s case;
when would they get the SR22 ready;
when would they fix the door hinge;
when would we declare war on Holland (no, just a joke);
when would they increase the gross weight;
and now, when will they redesign the web site.
Apart from the gross weight, which apparently is wrapped up with the SR22 certification, they’ve pretty much put out the fires one by one as they’ve erupted. This is not to minimize the point that I, too, find light text on dark background hard to read, but I did start to chuckle in thinking how this must seem to the Cirrusites: “The engine works now, so you’re unhappy about… a black web site??” Maybe they should think of it as the revolution of rising expectations that affects all successful undertakings.
Great, practical, creative ideas for making the website more valuable and compelling (to say nothing of easier to read). I hope someone from CD notices and acts. jf
(BTW I did a column in the Industry Standard a few months ago about a big-deal web conference, where the hippest young designers talked about what made web sites work. Rule number one, surprise surprise, was that a site must be CLEAR and easy to understand and navigate. That constituted hipness more than jazzy colors did:
http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,13276,00.html)
Excellent analyses, Mark. E-mail it to Cirrus and I hope,they will be responsive.
Mark—as a stock holder and positions holder, I salute you for this program idea and certainly wish to add my vote and push for its adoption. tom I agree with you Monty. Someone must have thought the old Cirrus site was not as sophisticated as say the Eclipse site. The problem with this thinking is that the graphics art people go crazy with a concept and make it unusable.
Please, give us back a white backgound with dark letter. Keep it simple and easy to navigate. I thought the older site fit the bill perfectly!
Want to add some cool stuff?
1- Put a form to reserve N numbers from the FAA with a lookup for existing numbers (as on AOPA.org)
2- Put some video (RealPlayer) on the site.
3- Add more factory shots - close ups showing the details of how stuff is done by your very capable staff - (don’t give away sercets but some of us are very interested in how our bird is assembled)
4- With permission, pictures of the smiling new owners and their birds.
5- Have a contest (online with viewers voting) for the coolest place an owner has flown a Cirrus (quarterly)or something similar. With pictures to prove itof course!
6- Sell Cirrus stuff on the web (hats, pens, shirts, etc (how about Scale Models? Posters?) - This is very easy to do and could pay for maintaining the web (read “profit center”)
- sub out the order fullfillment to another company to keep your staff free to build planes
7- Have the Garmin 430 Operating Manual (PDF file) and trainer download available on the site.
8- Work out a deal with a good simulator company to mimic the SR 20’s flight charecteristics and sell the software from the site. Hell, if I can’t fly a real one for two years then I can at least have a blast crashing the sim while I wait.
(I know you sim flyers try to barrel roll the 182 200 feet off the ground!)
9- Online financing arrangements for new owners - have a spot to calculate monthly payments and operating costs
10- Install a form for submitting complaints and comments.
Cirrus is in the enviable position of having customers who have never flown an SR20 that are passionate about the airplane and the company. They (Cirrus) are doing almost everything right! I believe the website could be better and I hope these suggestions, plus any others, are received in the positive spirit that they have been given.
Mark
Went to CirrusDesign website. I must say it is very poor. Specifically, dark letters (and too small) against a black background. Additionally, cannot read options list; pictures are too small and of poor quality; flow of info not logically laid out. Overall poor internet effort for Cirrus.
Monty
Good Morning for all.
Mark, you have my vote.
Cirrus, make it happen…
Have a great Cirrus day
Woor #324
Mark has got it figured out! Great ideas. Cirrus should retain you as a web consultant!
Great ideas. I work at an automobile manufacturing plant and do a lot of manufacturing to web integration. It would be interesting to go online and see the progress of aircraft down the production line, click on a build/reservation number and see where it is, est time to completion that kind of stuff. We do all kinds of interesting things with our production line data.
Great, practical, creative ideas for making the website more valuable and compelling (to say nothing of easier to read). I hope someone from CD notices and acts. jf
(BTW I did a column in the Industry Standard a few months ago about a big-deal web conference, where the hippest young designers talked about what made web sites work. Rule number one, surprise surprise, was that a site must be CLEAR and easy to understand and navigate. That constituted hipness more than jazzy colors did:
http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,13276,00.html)
Mark, great suggestions for Cirrus’ website! CD’s website should be commensurate with the quality of their product. Thanks to all for your comments which hopefully will filter down to the folks at Cirrus.
Monty
Amen, brother. So whaddya want, folks? Great
airplanes or a perfect website? Of course, pilots want both!
… (pithy recap of past complaints deleted)
- and now, when will they redesign the web site.
This is not to minimize the point that I, too, find light text on dark background hard to read, but I did start to chuckle in thinking how this must seem to the Cirrusites: “The engine works now, so you’re unhappy about… a black web site??” Maybe they should think of it as the revolution of rising expectations that affects all successful undertakings.
If we declare war on Holland (and actually win, which is not a slam dunk given the fortitude of the people), I want the following “spoils” of war.
1- A nice canal boat
2- The Red Light District (at least half!)
3- Breda (sp?) (a nice little town before Belgium)
4- The restaurant in Rotterdam with the Radar dome on top.
I would hate it if war changed the people though. I truly love the Netherlands and especially the people. Smart as a whip, easy going, yet hard working!
On second thought, maybe we should declare war on Canada. It’s all their fault anyhow
(no flames please…I am (like Jim) just joking!)
Mark
… when I thought about the moving bar for Cirrus. We’ve had these "I hope Cirrus is paying attention and acts soon!!’ discussions about:
- when would they get the plane certified;
- when would they get it delivered;
- when would they ramp up the production rate;
- when would they get some demonstrator planes spread around – but also speed up delivery of planes to position holders;
- when would they fix Clyde’s engine;
- when would they get on Teledyne Continental’s case in general;
- when would they get on ARNAV’s case;
- when would they get the SR22 ready;
- when would they fix the door hinge;
- when would we declare war on Holland (no, just a joke);
- when would they increase the gross weight;
- and now, when will they redesign the web site.
Apart from the gross weight, which apparently is wrapped up with the SR22 certification, they’ve pretty much put out the fires one by one as they’ve erupted. This is not to minimize the point that I, too, find light text on dark background hard to read, but I did start to chuckle in thinking how this must seem to the Cirrusites: “The engine works now, so you’re unhappy about… a black web site??” Maybe they should think of it as the revolution of rising expectations that affects all successful undertakings.
While msg-board attention was distracted elsewhere – pireps, 2-vs-3 blade props, parachutes, and so on – Cirrus actually made the web site design far more legible. Mainly differences in font size and color. A step in the right direction, IMHO.
Amen, brother. So whaddya want, folks? Great
airplanes or a perfect website? Of course, pilots want both!
Of course. I guess the thing is, that only a small (albeit growing) number of pilots have an SR20, the rest have to wait, and a good web site would ease the frustration.
I have been told that Cirrus recognize some of the issues with the new site, and at the very least the font sizes will be increased.
My analysis of the situation is that no-one at Cirrus is really Internet-savvy, and they’ve contracted out the redesign to someone who unfortunately has more graphic art than communication skills.