I’m applying for a UI/UX position at a company that makes software for landlords, apartments, property managers, etc. After the interview the hiring manager gave me a project to work on. These are the instructions:
As an exercise I would like for you to create an updated look and feel of this properties website. The only requirements are for you to keep their existing logo. But feel free to change up the layout structure along with typography, color scheme etc. If you can work on the landing / home page design and integrate this page using bootstrap to create the HTML / CSS and email me the jpg and your HTML / CSS files.
To answer your last question first: Yes, it is very normal for companies to do this kind of thing. I’ve never seen a coding project put into production, but I guess it’s possible. These are a much better gauge of your skill set than being interrogated and hammered with tech questions that they googled before the interview.
About your project: Personally, I feel like the jpg you linked looks more modern than what you created. I think you focused really hard in trying to make it feel different, but I think it misses the mark a little. Maybe try googling similar websites and taking ideas from several examples.
Also, just at a quick glance, I wouldn’t include your javascript event binding embedded in your HTML. Also, you’re using jQuery, you should just wrap your entire javascript file in a document.ready block. I also notice the logo gets very distorted when resizing the page.
56% of website visits are now from mobile devices. (http://marketingland.com/mobile-top-sites-165725) Even I am on a mobile device right now! Your website currently, does not look good on a mobile device. I bet that the interviewer will take this into their grading.
The site needs to be functional and pretty - the existing page is quite functional - the picture gives a first impression of the community right away - the address is prominent along with a map - there’s a form for quick interaction - there are big links to many other types of info like floor plans and reviews - there are smaller duplicate links in the navigation bar
On the whole I like the page as a renter - it does not waste my time and there’s no mystery about how to get more details
I suggest to understand the primary goals of the redesign - they clearly ask to update the look and feel - everything else is left open but no specific changes to functional features is asked - it mainly sounds like a restyling project - keep all or most of the main components on the page and make it look more modern
I agree - the gray theme is kind of blah throughout and does affect usability in the footer - the footer could be improved to have a more uniform set of links - it’s the place I go to when I can’t figure out how to do something in the main body or navbar - I like having a simple list of clearly titled links in the footer - I like the new video - I would not mind a carousel slideshow for the banner image
Thank you guys so much for the feedback. I feel like I dodged a bullet lol. I had an idea and I got a little carried away. It really help to get a second opinion. I’m going to just start over from scratch.
Just keep ease of navigation and functionality in mind as you rebuild. You know what helps me? Imagining I’m visiting the site for the first time. Can I access the information I’m looking for easily or do I have to hunt it down? Is it obvious where things are? Does the functionality I’ve added make sense or is it just fancy to be fancy? What if I’m visiting the site on my phone? Is it easy to use there?
Sometimes simple is better. But that doesn’t mean simple has to be boring. Try taking a look at one page designs for ideas. You’ll find some modern, easy to read, easy to navigate presentations. And they have to be because there’s only one page to pull the entire site off, a good one page design needs to be tight and on point.
Really the key thing to ask yourself is: Am I presenting the content in the best way possible that fits its purpose?
