UKNM: The Travel Inn Cacophany

[Tom Hume]

Hi Steve - me again ;)


>Someone tell me quick, that the Travel Inn site I have just been to at:

>http://www.travelinn.co.uk/ 

>is *not* the new one referred to in the NMA despatch.


Erm... would that be the same NMA that said "Work on the new site is due

to begin in January"? The site currently at www.travelinn.co.uk is the

existing Travel Inn site which we developed for them 2.5 years ago.


>I cannot believe what a disaster my first experience has been. Broken 

>links, inappropriate survey demands, forced unusual plug-in prompts that 

>don't go anywhere. The bits of the site I could be bothered to struggle 

>through are an embarrasment.


I'd be interested to hear more specific details about the broken links. As

for inappropriate survey demands - we have for the last week been running

a survey on the site to get some more feedback from users in preparation

for the redevelopment. This is only a temporary arrangement, the survey is

short (if you do feel like filling it out) and in a separate window (easy

to close if you don't). There's also a cookie set there so you won't be

bothered by the survey again - whether you fill it out or not.


Unusual plug-in prompts? When we developed the site there were 2 ways of

doing 3D VR rooms - Quicktime and SurroundMovie. There was little means

then of telling which would emerge as the better. Next time round we'll

select the technologies we use with the benefit of hindsight (and avoid

all that ActiveX stuff).


The only other plugin used on the site is Macromedia Flash - perhaps

you've heard of it, I believe it's quite popular these days... 


FWIW the vast majority of feedback from users has been overwhelmingly

positive, and we'll be taking it (and any constructive, specific comments

you or anyone else on this list can give us) into account when we do the

redevelopment.


Which bits of the site did you struggle through to btw? Real users of the

site (as opposed to fired up righteous media types) overwhelmingly look

for specific inns, and Travel Inn have done a great deal of business as a

result of contacts made through the site.


>I hope there is more for the real punter, if they can be bothered to 

>struggle through it that is. Perhaps it was a 'three figure sum' afterall, 

>it's about the only excuse that would make sense.

>Oh and its that Good Technology lot again. Jesus. Why do I find myself on 


>your case again?


I think perhaps you've been a tad trigger happy this time Steve... why not

take a look when the site's redone and give us our richly deserved

slagging then eh? ;)


Ta

Tom


PS The marketing department at Travel Inn will be getting back to you

regarding the comments you posted in your survey entry...


---

tomgoodtech [dot] co [dot] uk

Good Technology ltd.                           http://www.goodtech.co.uk/


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