Relaxation Nation

 Hey everyone! Welcome back to this week's UXploration!

Up to this point, I've been alternating physical examples with web design examples, but I'm sticking with web design this week because I've got something very, very special planned.

Look, this week has been hard on everyone I know. We could all use a chance to decompress and relax, and I can think of no better way than with a massage.

I know what you're thinking: Really, Shay? A massage? In the middle of a pandemic?

Okay not really, this is a UX blog for crying out loud, we're just looking at websites. Maybe some of the relaxation will drift through the screen and soothe our souls.

The Good: In Step Massage

In Step Massage is a small business near me. In happier times, I'd frequent their establishment because massages magically made my fibromyalgia subside enough that I was physically capable of working full shifts in winter (If you're reading this, ISM, I miss you so. much.).

In Step Massage is not a fancy corporation with several chains open, but they have an online presence (facilitated by Weebly), and it is very user-friendly!

Deep breaths, now. Yes, feel the tranquility of the white floral background.

As one might expect, pandemic safety is at the forefront of everyone's mind. Scrolling down from this banner, a guest would find a list of In Step Massage's COVID protocols. Their home page also shows their phone number in multiple places, as well as their hours of operation. While the header at the top of their site is not fixed, it does appear whenever the user scrolls up. The link names are clear, all the links are functional, and the user does not need to navigate beyond one or two pages to find any information, including COVID policies, services available, and how to contact the business in multiple ways. If a website is an experience, this one is sitting in a bungalow over white sands, listening to the surf roll in and out.

Doesn't that feel better already?

Needs Improvement: Serene Naturist

I'm going to be honest with you, the horror of this site is best experienced, not explained, so just click that link and pop over to the home page for a second. I'll wait.

...

Hey, welcome back! Again, my job here is at UXploration is not to talk about people's personal choices. If you want to be...unencumbered...during your massage, then hey, that's a choice you get to make. But this website is a UX nightmare.

Look, Serene Naturist, if I'm seeking a massage, I need to relax. I do NOT need to be bombarded with gifs: glittery butterflies, fluttering butterflies, flying pixel birds, they all need to go. Even the "faq" on the side is spinning. It's visually overwhelming and not at all inviting. Fun fact: I'm writing this with a migraine (I get one at least once a week), and dropping onto the SN website made my headache instantly worse. That's never a good sign! The color scheme is not unpleasant, but there is not enough contrast between the text and the background, not to mention the awkward boxes (windows?) of text shoved between gifs and images.

Let's talk links: they don't all work. The "faq" spinner is not a link. Neither is the large "LINKS", but the last "Links" is a link? Are you already lost? I am. I've taken a web design course, so I know what "Index" is, at least, but that certainly isn't helpful for every user. "Visit Naturist" is either a dead link or brings me back to this page. Also, every new page the user visits, a sound or video file automatically downloads onto the computer. No user wants that! If this website was an experience, it would be the last seconds of "Pink Elephants on Parade" from Dumbo.

Please, Serene Naturist, let a designer help you create something....serene!

Thanks again for joining me on this UXploration. Only two left until the end of the semester. Personally, I can't wait to get back to jewelry making and essential oils on Sunday nights, but I'll miss sharing my insights with everyone. What about you? What have UXplored this week? Let me know in the comments, and I'll see you soon!