HPS

[medlinke]

From a graphic design standpoint I see where you're coming from. I think there are a few things they could do to make their site much easier in terms of information architecture:

1. Make the game links larger on the left and make the headers for game series more readily identifiable.

2. Remove the www. requirement from their DNS... www means world wide web. We know it's on the web. Drop it.

3. Alphabetize the series. Then within the series alphabetize the names of the games. Logical link structure is only logical to the people who decided upon it.

4. Consolidate the support section of the website with a single link. Then allow players to go to the sections for tips, patches, additional downloads, etc.

5. Instead of a search page make the search an actual search box on the homepage so it's more accessible.

6. Remove the news archive items that are older than 2 years. They aren't useful any longer.

7. Get rid of the scrolling marquee text at the top. It moves really fast, doesn't link to anything, and the information there is better presented already on the site without having to scroll down to get to it!

Those are just the top things solely about the homepage that I'd change. If anyone from HPS sees this and likes it. I am a web designer and programmer by trade as my day job and take a limited number of side clients from time to time. Just give me a contact and I'd be happy to barter your awesome games for services, show you my portfolio, and give references from past work!

Awesome products. One of the few consistent independent producers of quality games. A little rough around the edges graphic design & more importantly information architecture-wise. I don't know about their site chasing customers away, but usability in e-commerce is one of the biggest factors in whether people click the checkout button on their cart or abandon the sale!