Your opinion about the new Leica website - Page 5

kameraguy · 02/25/08, 05:59 AM

For a company with a hallmark for simple design, the new website is terrible IMHO. Very flash-heavy to the point of being frustrating.

If they utilize flash, hopefully they do so to enhance, not frustrate the user. And from what the end result was, I don't think it really added anything to the Leica web experience. The flash content was thin. I'm sure those who don't have a fast internet connection felt it was a waste of time.

I found myself trying to get out of the "fluff" and on to the real content. Once I was there, I just bookmarked that index to skip the introduction.

Exactly what you DON'T want a user to do.

I hope they can go back to their previous design. It's OK to use flash, but hopefully they can do so as a means to complement the information, not overwhelm it.

Stuart Richardson · 02/25/08, 08:59 AM

Honestly, it is a disaster. It is vapid, difficult to navigate, slow to load, the photography is like any other generic "luxury brand" jewelry, clothing or perfume company and completely antithetical to the traditional Leica aesthetic. And frankly, who cares? If I go to the Leica website, I would like concrete information...I quite like the second layer of the site...the one the first page links to, but the fact that I have to wade through the tripe to get to the content is annoying.

There were so many ways they could have improved this. In their brochures they were using photographs from people like Ragnar Axelsson and Alex Webb...people who are superb photographers who actually use Leicas to make great photos. Instead they probably paid a lot more to use a guy who used 100,000 dollars worth of medium format digital and profoto strobes to turn out generic euro-chic commercial photography -- as boring as it is flashy.
I am guessing that this might have been the brainchild of Steven Lee? Perhaps that was one of the reasons he got the axe....

Oh, and my demographic: I am a late 20s male photographer, live in the US and Europe.

Speenth · 02/25/08, 08:24 PM

Awful and irritating in equal measure.

Please can we have the simple, understated elegance of the older pages back on the front screen where it belongs? Elegant understatement says a lot more about the values of the Leica brand than this movie trashiness ever will.

View Poll Results: How do you like the new Leica Website? http://www.leica-camera.com
Great - finally a up-to-date website!	19	11.05%
I like it - but I don't think I'm the target group	20	11.63%
The intro isn't interesting for me - I click directly to the information I'm interested in	49	28.49%
Annoying - I can't find my way any more.	28	16.28%
Doesn't work for me - doesn't show up	14	8.14%
I just don't like it - too "zeitgeisty"	35	20.35%
Doesn't bother me	7	4.07%
Voters: 172. You may not vote on this poll

02/25/08, 05:59 AM	#81 (permalink)
kameraguy Benutzer Join Date: 01/27/06 Location: Santa Clara Posts: 61	Re: Your opinion about the new Leica website For a company with a hallmark for simple design, the new website is terrible IMHO. Very flash-heavy to the point of being frustrating. If they utilize flash, hopefully they do so to enhance, not frustrate the user. And from what the end result was, I don't think it really added anything to the Leica web experience. The flash content was thin. I'm sure those who don't have a fast internet connection felt it was a waste of time. I found myself trying to get out of the "fluff" and on to the real content. Once I was there, I just bookmarked that index to skip the introduction. Exactly what you DON'T want a user to do. I hope they can go back to their previous design. It's OK to use flash, but hopefully they can do so as a means to complement the information, not overwhelm it.

02/25/08, 08:59 AM	#82 (permalink)
Stuart Richardson Benutzer Join Date: 09/14/06 Posts: 57	Re: Your opinion about the new Leica website Honestly, it is a disaster. It is vapid, difficult to navigate, slow to load, the photography is like any other generic "luxury brand" jewelry, clothing or perfume company and completely antithetical to the traditional Leica aesthetic. And frankly, who cares? If I go to the Leica website, I would like concrete information...I quite like the second layer of the site...the one the first page links to, but the fact that I have to wade through the tripe to get to the content is annoying. There were so many ways they could have improved this. In their brochures they were using photographs from people like Ragnar Axelsson and Alex Webb...people who are superb photographers who actually use Leicas to make great photos. Instead they probably paid a lot more to use a guy who used 100,000 dollars worth of medium format digital and profoto strobes to turn out generic euro-chic commercial photography -- as boring as it is flashy. I am guessing that this might have been the brainchild of Steven Lee? Perhaps that was one of the reasons he got the axe.... Oh, and my demographic: I am a late 20s male photographer, live in the US and Europe. Last edited by Stuart Richardson : 02/25/08 at 09:02 AM.

02/25/08, 08:24 PM	#83 (permalink)
Speenth Erfahrener Benutzer Join Date: 06/20/07 Location: Hemley and Vienna Posts: 311	Re: Your opinion about the new Leica website Awful and irritating in equal measure. Please can we have the simple, understated elegance of the older pages back on the front screen where it belongs? Elegant understatement says a lot more about the values of the Leica brand than this movie trashiness ever will.

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