Compuneed: Dreadful design, definite potential

Compuneed is a site developed and run by X-Web. The site`s primary function is that of a classifieds service for people interested in buying or selling PCs and related equipment.

The site launched in April, and targets IT companies, smaller resellers and the end-user. Advertising is free of charge.

Compuneed`s site design is truly dreadful. It looks a distinctly amateurish effort, relying on two frames to display various bits of content, a navigation bar and advertising space overhead, and another navigation bar at the base of the page.

It makes use of low-quality graphics, and the content layout defies logic. The colour scheme appears to be largely unplanned, with white, black and grey background colours, blue text and multicoloured graphics that leave the site looking flat and uninviting.

As the site is a classifieds service, functionality is limited to viewing and posting and searching advertisements. While there is also an IT services directory, one can only search it, not view the entire contents thereof.

The site`s navigation strikes me as incredibly strange. There are two main frames in which content appears, and there is no distinction made in the navigation bars as to which frame will be affected by which link. Although it isn`t immediately apparent, the frame to the left of the screen is devoted to the classified lists and the frame to the right, to all other content.

Keynote Systems finds that this site is average in performance, with download times of about 11 seconds. Error rates are moderately high; 24% of all samples resulted in page errors.

The advertisement content is entirely up to the poster of the ad - which means there`s no standard way of presenting the content. So if you`re looking for anything at all, chances are once you`ve found the ad, you`ll need to contact the seller for detailed information.

As to the IT services directory, it`s hard to judge the value of that content. My search results tended to yield a few company names and brief descriptions of the services offered.

This clause is listed as point number 11 in the Compuneed terms and conditions disclaimer: "By accessing the pages of compuneed.co.za you agree to be bound by the terms in this user agreement. If you do not wish to abide to all the terms, you must not enter this Web site."

Which makes very little sense, considering one has to have entered the Web site to find it.

Navigating through the classifieds is a nightmarish task at best; the ads are organised by category, and then by date posted, in a long, seemingly unending list. It would make it much easier on the eyes if the designers were to use an expandable, hierarchical menu - at this time, it really is a matter of scrolling down the tiny text - if you`re just browsing - or using the search function if you know exactly what it is you`re after.

The same applies for the IT services guide - I think it would be much more user-friendly if site visitors can view a list of the types of service providers registered on Compuneed, as opposed to the search-only approach taken at the moment.