Well, to begin with, the domain name says it all which is a good thing. You know from first hearing the name to visiting this site that it is a website for children who love Formula One. So we’re off to an excellent start and in pole position already.
The landing page has a look and feel of F1 about it with use of black and white colours to match the F1 chequered flag and there is a video clip of Jensen Button on there. The video clip is a great idea as it adds another dimension to the site and makes it immediately interactive. The site actually has a look of the official F1 site which is in keeping with the overall image.
The site is not sending out ambiguous messages and it is clear so far. It is laid out well and it has a simple look about it with clean lines. However, should it be more childlike on first glance or is it just about the right pitch for today’s sophisticated youth?
The menu options are very clear and it is immediately obvious where to go for everything that you need, although the font size of all the text is quite small. An option to increase font size if required might not be a bad idea. Another plus point is that the visitor is not bamboozled by ‘walls of words’ on the home page which is a great thing for any site. Having said that, perhaps the page is a little too ‘cold’ at the moment and not quite as inviting as it could be.
The potential for the pages to be filled with detail and activity is huge and the site certainly functions well. It possesses all the key features of any other website and is what one would expect, with the option of adding on extras if required. Some of the pages do obviously still need some work on them as the text looks a little sparse and not as easy to read as it could be with the scroll down action; such as on the F1 history page.
It is always good to have a forum area these days, especially for kids, because they love to interact and chat with one another – fill this page with lots of topics to choose from and make it a hive of activity. The forum page could benefit from being a little more visual with added graphics to bring it to life.
It is a crisp, clean looking site which fits in well with F1 but it is designed for children and so perhaps needs a few more flashing images and a bit more excitement adding to it. Apart from the home page, it is all quite static.
In terms of business potential, one would have to ask where a child would go if they wanted some F1 fun. Are they more likely to go straight to the F1 official website to begin with or do they want their own site? For the F1ForKidz.com site and for business to grow, the site needs to become far busier. Children are very sophisticated nowadays but they still thrive on fun and they need to feel that this site is a place where they can go to that grown ups can’t! It should have an exclusive feel for children about it; like a club or a gang. Once children are in that gang, they will almost certainly want to stay and chat with other F1 lovers.
What do you think? What are you views on how to make this website a place for serious young petrol heads to visit and catch up on all the latest Lewis Hamilton gossip? What features would you like to see on there if anything was possible? How could this site become the children’s Number One for F1?
Copyright © Peter Moore 2009 - Co-Founder of EzWeb123.com
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