COMPANY: Lighthouse Communications, Warwick
WHERE TO FIND IT: www.lighthousecomm.com
Rhode Island's Market Has Changed. Developers, Builders, Investors and Sellers Must Change With It.
By Emilio DiSpirito IV License Partner | Engel & Völkers Oceanside Leader | The DiSpirito…
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CRITIQUE: This managed network company has a clutter-free Web site with minimal jargon. It’s user-friendly, boding well for would-be clients in search of someone to make order out of their chaos.
NAVIGATION
That said, navigation is somewhat hindered by a lack of color cues. The links are in a nondescript gray-blue that barely stands out from the black body copy. What’s more, unvisited links don’t change color once they are visited. This makes it impossible for users to form a mental picture of the information space or remember which links they’ve seen before.
Otherwise, navigation is simple and quick. Besides the usual left-side navigational bar, top-level pages have smaller and more specific right-side bars. The “service” page includes an attractive roll-over version of the same, lending a bit of variety to an otherwise uniform site.
CONTENT
Contentwise, this site has about what you’d expect. However, in places it gives you a little more. For example, rather than the obligatory digital mug shots and resumes of executives, the site tells users what the company can do for them. It does so with a chart of specific technologies, and a link to a relief map with an impressive display of the company’s voice and data networking accomplishments in 46 states, 5 Canadian provinces, 8 South American countries, 4 Caribbean countries, 14 European countries, 4 Far East countries and 3 Australian territories. A further link provides details list.
Common among Web sites – but generally not a good practice – Lighthouse has posted a couple of links that have no content. Under “News & Views” it would have been better to withhold the newsletter and technical notes links to avoid the message “check back soon.”
An icon leading to basic information such as address, telephone and fax numbers, and driving directions has a basic flaw. It includes a Web address but not an e-mail address. This strikes me as odd since anyone viewing the page already has reached the site. The e-mail address can be found at the bottom of the company “profile” page – a less obvious location.
USABILITY
Lighthouse makes good use of its “education” page to recruit students for its brand new training center in Warwick. It includes course descriptions, a schedule, and an e-mail address and phone number for further inquiries. There is a registration form that can be printed then faxed or mailed. One wonders why a technology company doesn’t also include the option to register electronically.
This section also features a May 5 drawing for an Olympus digital camera valued at $500. Contestants need not register for a class. However, they must provide information about what networking certifications they hold and which they’d like to earn. This is an easy way for Lighthouse to determine the market for its offerings.
DESIGN
The word that best describes this site is pretty. It doesn’t grab you. Nor does it turn you away. It’s soothing with its clean lines and airy graphics in muted tones of blue, yellow, green and pink. The effect is something like leafing through an L.L. Bean or Land’s End catalog. There are some nice features, but no big surprises.
WHO CREATED IT: Media Weave, Providence (www.mediaweave.com)
