Live from Tokyo it’s Monday Night…

Well it’s Monday night somewhere. We’re coming to you live from the headquarters of Nikon Corporation – Tokyo, Japan. We have a global internet meeting where we’ll discuss a number of topics including our new website in the US.

Speaking of which, a lot of comments so far – on and off line – have been about the homepage experience. The overall site design and architecture was built around the needs and wants of various user segments. While the main navigation and search tool provide an immediate pathway for those interested in getting to product content quickly, the intent of the homepage filter (which really needs a name in my opinion – Fred is not an option) is to provide a tool for those users that want to explore imagery.

Over time, the plan is to start weaving in educational and editorial content into that image detail bar that accompanies every image. For example there is a picture of a young boy making a key save during a soccer game. You might be diving into that picture because it is the type of shot you want to capture of your son’s soccer game. There is an opportunity to serve up an education based article by someone like Dave Black or Mike Corrado talking about how to get better sports pictures of your kids.

We’ll also look to add other filters based on your feedback. For example images using specific Nikon technology like Vibration Reduction or Face Priority AF, Nikon’s face-finding technology. Or by lens type. And we’ll definitely be integrated the COOLPIX cameras into that tool as well. So let us know what ideas you have on that front.

Comments

[Kevin]

Nice work! It would be nice to see more highlights from the tabs at the base of the main content area. Perhaps the ability to scroll or leap from one group of, say, six highlights to another group of six would be ideal. Currently you're limited to only four, which are large, and have no means to visit previous material. The Flash-based solution here also makes it tricky to open a new window -which means visitors will leave this page after one click.

The "Image Details" menu could be smaller (-20%) and remain present, maybe screened back, as the content area transitions to a new image. Once the new image is in place the "Image Details" menu could refresh 'n display the latest details. Ultimately the "Image Details" and the "Filter" should be one, right justified, and utilizing an alpha treatment to deliver navigation clues to users.

On a side note, stop changing the title text in the tab headers. Specifically the "Image Details" and "Filter." Your visitors are all over this form of navigation and those lil' 16x16 icons work jus' fine.

Regardless, excellent job team!

[Brian Ramsey]

First I love the new site, but I didn't see any links to the cameras micro site like the D300 http://nikonimaging.com/global/products/d300/overview.htm

or D3
http://nikonimaging.com/global/products/d3/index.htm

[Sarah]

Is there a way to send pictures taken by a user with, say, a D80? Are you looking for good pictures taken with your cameras?

[alansky]

Just visited the new Nikon website for the first time and, although I haven't had time to explore it yet, I wanted to comment that I was immediately turned off by the opening page. Personally, I visit the Nikon website for information, not entertainment. I did not enjoy waiting, right off the bat, for a pointlessly fancy Flash introduction to finish loading. Gawdy might be too strong a word, but artlessjust about says it. Keep working!

[Anthony]

The site is for exploring "imagery?" This is a flawed reasoning! People who visit NikonUSA are looking for EQUIPMENT first, Images second.

The new layout makes it impossible to adequately look at equipment. For example, how can I find all the VR lenses? How do I find the AF-S equipped lenses? The new site layout pre-supposes that everything is based on labels like wide angle, telephoto, etc, but what if I want to upgrade my current lens lineup to an all VR lineup? I could do this with the old page, but I can no longer do it with these new pages.

As for images, they should be linked off the equipment pages, so that I can find images made from a particular lens or from a particular camera (like all the D3 images or all the images from a 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens).

You need to remember that Nikon is first and foremost a camera company--a company that makes equipment, so that others can make images. Please sell the equipment and let us make the images; don't promote the images and lose the equipment in the web designs.

[Roland]

I have to agree with Sarah; while the site is “pretty” it lacks the simplistic ease of navigation it previously had. I’m running on a high-speed T3 and it still takes far too long to load, long enough for me to close it out. The photos are great yes, but we ARE the photographers we don’t need to see them, just give us the info, please. I want to see your equipment: what is new and popular: things I can do and use to improve my own work.

[Karen]

The plan is to start weaving in educational and editorial content into that image detail bar that accompanies every image is fantastic. I think that is a great way to give information to photogs interested in shooting a similar shot. Everyone needs a little insight now and then.