It is pretty rare that a website makes me angry. Maybe I'm not the sharpest knife in drawer but trying to bike info off the Kona site is terrible. I was trying to look up the explosif but I couldn't tell if is a mtn bike, xc hardtail, out of bounds hardtail, clydesdale, or they just don't make it anymore.:madman: I found the frame in the frame shop but no geometery info. I try not to come onto a forum and complain, but I couldn't find a "contact us" link on the kona site to tell them their wesite sucks. Maybe they read this forum.
Wow! Kona's website is awful
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Yeh some of their links don't work either. I sent an e-mail to "joe" at konaworld for some info on a couple of things and i got an automated e-mail with some links to check and they don't work! (and no it's not my computer as the one at work wont work either)
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In fairness, this website design represents a major rework from what went before, and it has added a ton more complexity. Since Kona doesn't have boatloads of people working on it, some occasional slip ups are pretty much inevitable.
Having said that, when you're in business to sell, it's incumbent upon you to put the right information into the customer's hands. Hopefully Kona will step up quickly to remedy this.
Although the UK site lacks the flashy eye candy of the North American site, I've found that it holds onto the tech info longer and in a more readily accessible format than KonaWorld N.A. For the 2006 specs of the Explosif, try this URL:
http://www.konaworld.uk.com/kona2u/kona2u.php
Good Luck, and Good Dirt! :thumbsup:
Having said that, when you're in business to sell, it's incumbent upon you to put the right information into the customer's hands. Hopefully Kona will step up quickly to remedy this.
Although the UK site lacks the flashy eye candy of the North American site, I've found that it holds onto the tech info longer and in a more readily accessible format than KonaWorld N.A. For the 2006 specs of the Explosif, try this URL:
http://www.konaworld.uk.com/kona2u/kona2u.php
Good Luck, and Good Dirt! :thumbsup:
thats why you iron out all the flaws before publishing it to the public.
I agree in general. I really thought the old site was great, but the new one is frankenstien and seemingly pasted together rather sloppy. I wish they just kept the old one and updated the info.
also, the new webstore is down more then 50% of the time I attempt to visit it.
Hi All,
I just came across this forum topic and wanted to give you some info from Kona and also get feedback from you all.
Of course our main reason for having a web site is to promote our products and also support product we have sold, via tech info, our forum, etc.
It is very interesting to hear that you are not liking the new web site, I feel it is the best we have had. Yes I admit that not everything is 100% yet as we are continually changing our pages and links to the new format.
As "konawhirled" said we are a small company and small work force so things don't happen overnight, be we are getting there and trying our best.
The factory store is new to us and we have come across problems which have resulted in it being down occasionally, this however was rectified last week and the problem will not happen again.
For the forum I can understand it is frustrating that it takes a while sometimes for your post to become visible, We do have two teams of administrators based in Europe and North America who are constantly in the forum approving comments so it shouldn't take that long for your post to become visible.
We do state in the terms and conditions when you sign up for the forum that each comment has to be approved by an administrator so it shouldn't be a shock for anybody that there comment doesn't show immediately.
For the "Joe" email, all this e-mail is received and processed, if our administrator can reply directly they will, if not the e-mail gets forwarded to the responsible person who will reply.
Sometimes the reply could take a few days so this is why we have an automated response as alot of the times the questions we get can be answered by the consumer looking at the web site.
Thank you however for pointing out the link issues in this mail and I will get this sorted right away, we also are more than happy to hear feedback and solutions on the web site so please send them to me [email protected]
Happy Trails...
Russ Carty
Kona Europe
I just came across this forum topic and wanted to give you some info from Kona and also get feedback from you all.
Of course our main reason for having a web site is to promote our products and also support product we have sold, via tech info, our forum, etc.
It is very interesting to hear that you are not liking the new web site, I feel it is the best we have had. Yes I admit that not everything is 100% yet as we are continually changing our pages and links to the new format.
As "konawhirled" said we are a small company and small work force so things don't happen overnight, be we are getting there and trying our best.
The factory store is new to us and we have come across problems which have resulted in it being down occasionally, this however was rectified last week and the problem will not happen again.
For the forum I can understand it is frustrating that it takes a while sometimes for your post to become visible, We do have two teams of administrators based in Europe and North America who are constantly in the forum approving comments so it shouldn't take that long for your post to become visible.
We do state in the terms and conditions when you sign up for the forum that each comment has to be approved by an administrator so it shouldn't be a shock for anybody that there comment doesn't show immediately.
For the "Joe" email, all this e-mail is received and processed, if our administrator can reply directly they will, if not the e-mail gets forwarded to the responsible person who will reply.
Sometimes the reply could take a few days so this is why we have an automated response as alot of the times the questions we get can be answered by the consumer looking at the web site.
Thank you however for pointing out the link issues in this mail and I will get this sorted right away, we also are more than happy to hear feedback and solutions on the web site so please send them to me [email protected]
Happy Trails...
Russ Carty
Kona Europe
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2,472 Posts
i like the new look,and i think its bang up to date look wise and performance wise (when you get the links sorted) i also like the new catalouge feature.
must admit im not that keen on the zoom thingy,but you cant please everyone.
i was confused by the xsl format thingy and must admit that being new to computers that did take me a while to work out,to be honest if it wasnt for mtbr i possibly would never have worked it out,so maybe change that.
on the whole i love kona and no website bugs will change that.
must admit im not that keen on the zoom thingy,but you cant please everyone.
i was confused by the xsl format thingy and must admit that being new to computers that did take me a while to work out,to be honest if it wasnt for mtbr i possibly would never have worked it out,so maybe change that.
on the whole i love kona and no website bugs will change that.
Kona Guys,
First of all I think it is awesome that you read our comments and are looking for feedback! I'm not a web design guy so my 2 cents is worth about 2 cent. My biggest hang up was trying to get bike info.
Here's my real life experience visting your site. Once again I was looking for an explosif. I hit the site and first thing I see on the left hand side is "2007 Bikes". Perfect. I click the link and get the drop down menu of 16 different kinds of bikes (i.e. out of bounds, BC DS, BC HT, etc). I'm not sure what an explosiv might be so I start hunting through the bike types: Mountain Bikes: Nope not in there. XC Race: nope not in there. Singlespeed? Nope not in there... Of course everytime you pick one of these you have to wait for the page to relaod and "zoomify" to load up. Seeing that I was getting nowhere fast, I just wanted to go back to your homepage and start over. Unless you back out, you can't get to the homepage. I retyped the URL and started over.
The kona.bike link on the main page is awesome. Just like 06 it lists every bike. However, it gives no indication that the 07 bikes are listed there. I just figured it was something else like a webstore.
Once again if you start going deep into the pages there is no quick link that brings you back to home (konaworld). IM(stupid)O: everypage should have link back to the homepage. Backing out of stuff is just a drag.
One last thing and I'll shut up. Why would you put your tech section under "more bikes" and why would you bury "contact us" in the tech section? These are 2 of the most important things for any website.
Thanks for listening
First of all I think it is awesome that you read our comments and are looking for feedback! I'm not a web design guy so my 2 cents is worth about 2 cent. My biggest hang up was trying to get bike info.
Here's my real life experience visting your site. Once again I was looking for an explosif. I hit the site and first thing I see on the left hand side is "2007 Bikes". Perfect. I click the link and get the drop down menu of 16 different kinds of bikes (i.e. out of bounds, BC DS, BC HT, etc). I'm not sure what an explosiv might be so I start hunting through the bike types: Mountain Bikes: Nope not in there. XC Race: nope not in there. Singlespeed? Nope not in there... Of course everytime you pick one of these you have to wait for the page to relaod and "zoomify" to load up. Seeing that I was getting nowhere fast, I just wanted to go back to your homepage and start over. Unless you back out, you can't get to the homepage. I retyped the URL and started over.
The kona.bike link on the main page is awesome. Just like 06 it lists every bike. However, it gives no indication that the 07 bikes are listed there. I just figured it was something else like a webstore.
Once again if you start going deep into the pages there is no quick link that brings you back to home (konaworld). IM(stupid)O: everypage should have link back to the homepage. Backing out of stuff is just a drag.
One last thing and I'll shut up. Why would you put your tech section under "more bikes" and why would you bury "contact us" in the tech section? These are 2 of the most important things for any website.
Thanks for listening
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3 Posts
Hello All,
I am the KONA web guy. Russ brought this thread to my attention. There are some good ideas here. Some you will see implemented in the next few days (adding a home link to the nav bar for example). I am going to look at adding another level to the 2007 bikes to help find models more easily and think that a site-wide search engine would be swell as well.
I can see how the KONA.BIKES thing could be unclear - i will look at that.
As for Contact Us and Tech, you maybe correct. Would be an easy change to make. We'll discuss.
I appreciate you guys taking the time to discuss, even the bad stuff. I, like Russ, am pretty much always accessible via email: ch at konaworld.com
Eat Yerself Fitter
Ch.Halcrow
konaworld.com
I am the KONA web guy. Russ brought this thread to my attention. There are some good ideas here. Some you will see implemented in the next few days (adding a home link to the nav bar for example). I am going to look at adding another level to the 2007 bikes to help find models more easily and think that a site-wide search engine would be swell as well.
I can see how the KONA.BIKES thing could be unclear - i will look at that.
As for Contact Us and Tech, you maybe correct. Would be an easy change to make. We'll discuss.
I appreciate you guys taking the time to discuss, even the bad stuff. I, like Russ, am pretty much always accessible via email: ch at konaworld.com
Eat Yerself Fitter
Ch.Halcrow
konaworld.com
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492 Posts
Less...
I build & maintain the website for a local Kona dealer and we use the bike jpeg's from the Kona site but I had to finally get this years bike pix from the UK site.
I shouldn't need flash to navigate a website but on the Konaworld site I do. It's not as bad as the Fox website but a close second. Sorry to bang your hard work but I just shouldn't need a cpu hogging plugin to view or navigate a website. The site looks great but it's just not nearly as user friendly as it could be. The image here is obviously what the homepage looks like without flash installed but I can't even navigate the site.
Flash crap!! I know flash is all the rage but it's a f$%^&$^$ pain in the @SS to navigate through and it's not searchable.King Tubby said:
I build & maintain the website for a local Kona dealer and we use the bike jpeg's from the Kona site but I had to finally get this years bike pix from the UK site.
I shouldn't need flash to navigate a website but on the Konaworld site I do. It's not as bad as the Fox website but a close second. Sorry to bang your hard work but I just shouldn't need a cpu hogging plugin to view or navigate a website. The site looks great but it's just not nearly as user friendly as it could be. The image here is obviously what the homepage looks like without flash installed but I can't even navigate the site.
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Flash-Tastic!
Hey Bullet Bob,
Me thinks that flash is the wave of the future. I hear what you are saying, for sure, i fought the flash wave for years. We have limited it to navigation type stuff for the most part. I think the flash-ing of the bike pics was not the best ideas and i will likely be replacing that in the near future. I do like flash with xml files for navs and such as they can keep navs compact and are easy to update.
I watched the stats a lot before moving to more flash but the bottom line is the install base is virtually 100%
ch
Hey Bullet Bob,
Me thinks that flash is the wave of the future. I hear what you are saying, for sure, i fought the flash wave for years. We have limited it to navigation type stuff for the most part. I think the flash-ing of the bike pics was not the best ideas and i will likely be replacing that in the near future. I do like flash with xml files for navs and such as they can keep navs compact and are easy to update.
I watched the stats a lot before moving to more flash but the bottom line is the install base is virtually 100%
ch
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110 Posts
That's definitely pretty f'ing bad!phxartboy said:It could be worse.
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2,472 Posts
that is bad but im glad the likes of kona put the money back into the sport and the development of there bikes and not,,,,,,
stupid patent wars that in the real world make no sense.
daft suspension ideas that look very similar to everyone elses.
and hugely exspensive websites that try and bulls***t you into a product thats full of jargon.
for a small company they have one of the best freeride teams and downhill teams going.
sorry i dont follow xc that much so wouldnt know.
stupid patent wars that in the real world make no sense.
daft suspension ideas that look very similar to everyone elses.
and hugely exspensive websites that try and bulls***t you into a product thats full of jargon.
for a small company they have one of the best freeride teams and downhill teams going.
sorry i dont follow xc that much so wouldnt know.
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I'll take the relative simplicity of the Azonic text over the flashing lights, glowing bulbs, and hipster marketing for the ADD generation that is found on sites such as the Fox website. As has been noted Kona isn't quite as bad. They're also one of the best companies at promoting the sport, but god forbid a product be marketed on the basis of its merits instead of the hip lifestyle I can live if I buy their bright flashing product. I suppose the companies can't be faulted for doing what seems to work in terms of marketing; nonetheless, I've made it a policy not to buy products from companies or bike stores who have websites that require me to download the brand spanking newest cutting edge version 99.9 just to view their products. I am seeking information not hype. Visual simplicity is virtuous.
:incazzato: :smallviolin: :nono: :lol:
:incazzato: :smallviolin: :nono: :lol:
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8,199 Posts
Perhaps in 1998
In any event, it's great that you're listening to your users. The end result will be a much better web site and a better user experience. FWIW, I'm viewing the US site right now. Again respectfully I like the older site much more.
Bob
With all due respect, having worked in the IT field for 17 years (admittedly NOT in a development capacity) your statement sounds like it comes straight out of a dot.com startup. Flash had it's day in the sun and by and large most commecrial sites that utilized a lot of Flash ran quickly away from it because of the type of comments you're hearing now. It's a pig, and often times way too busy for people who are looking for product info quickly. If something's changed, please do give me some insights into what the product has to offer the web site developer these days.King Tubby said:
In any event, it's great that you're listening to your users. The end result will be a much better web site and a better user experience. FWIW, I'm viewing the US site right now. Again respectfully I like the older site much more.
Bob
Flash is sometimes over-used (check out http://www.wtb.com/), however it's now one of those standard things, its in pretty much every site in some capacity. There's that Maxxis ad flashing away at me over on the right there for example.Call_me_Clyde said:
I was of a similar opinion to you as to its usefulness, however recently when I saw it used in the front end of a new system administration tool, it made using the tool intuitive and gave feedback based on what was going on in the system. I thought it was excellent.
With PC's getting faster the performance is no longer a problem when its used appropriately, so I think proper use of it will increase, it certainly hasn't 'had its day in the sun'.
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"wave of the future" was a largely tongue in cheek comment. However, i attended several sessions with the macromedia guys (makers of flash now owned by adobe, makers of photoshop) and this is their sentiment as the new versions of photoshop and illustrator are heavily flash focused in their production methods.
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