It is an impressive achievement to have put so much content online, but there are a few issues with the web site and it would be a pity to let a handful of simple things get in the way of visitors' access to the resource.
1. I'm not sure what the point of the frameset is. A frameset with no meaningful <noframes> content is not a good idea, as you end up with all your wonderful content being hidden from a significant proportion of visitors (including search engine robots, I believe), particularly when...
2. ...the navigation relies on javascript - a very bad idea. Not only do some of the seeming links do nothing because they use the 'javascript:' pseudo-protocol, but visitors without javascript are locked out, for no good reason. See (2) below for a better way to do this, if you must do it.
3. The style sheet defines font-sizes in px, which comes up against a well-known problem in Internet Explorer in that users cannot re-size the text if required, unless they are technically savvy enough to know how to override your style sheet.
Three instant improvements would therefore be:
1. to lose the frameset (and use php includes - or equivalent - for your header and footer);
2. either to lose the javascript menus and popup windows altogether, or provide a fallback for the js-less (eg something like <a href="go_somewhere.html" onclick="do_something_fancy();return false">);
3. and change the style sheet font-sizes from px to % or em.
Hope this helps.
Best wishes
Pete
--
Peter M Gray
Museums Officer
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
> Sally MacDonald
> Sent: 11 June 2004 11:45
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Petrie Museum website launch
>
>
> The Petrie Museum website has just been relaunched:
> www.petrie.ucl.ac.uk
>
> The new site includes:
>
> - Arabic translation of the top pages
> - all 80,000 objects online with images (one of the largest
> illustrated
> online museum catalogues available)
> - improved catalogue search facilities, with browse option for non-
> specialist users
> - direct access to Digital Egypt for Universities: a 3000
> page learning and
> teaching resource based on the collection
> - downloadable resources for teachers and students
> - online opinion polls on topical issues
>
> We know there are many ways in which the site can be improved
> and welcome
> feedback on all aspects of it. Please contact [log in to unmask]
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
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