Heelychat, the forum for heelys, the shoes with wheels - View topic

*Last edited by Heelynut on Fri May 08, 2009 1:07 am; edited 1 time in total*

Post what you like and don't like.

Joined: 22 Feb 2007 Posts: 1548 Location: Ohio

I like everything about it in general, it improved from the old site in every possible way Very Happy

Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 533 Location: London, UK

I like it a lot .. especially because the team heelys section says there's teams around the world, which means I can finally join! yay!!

Joined: 30 Sep 2008 Posts: 220 Location: idaho

All around it looks great. But its annoying when "your" is spelled as "yr" It is totally better than the blue one. It makes the sport look way cooler.

Joined: 03 Jan 2007 Posts: 469 Location: Ol' Virginny

Seems to be the same information in a prettier package. I like how there's still no team events listed and there is still mention of localized teams. That made me LOL. I'm not diggin many of the new styles, either. The 'pros' are cool, as are the 'rats' and maybe the 'frays', but the rest are pretty horrid. I mean come on >> metallic vinyl??

Want I wanna see in the official site:

non-flash breakdown of the shoes
a real calendar with events actually posted
direct links to where you can buy each shoe (not a general link to stores)
individual team member profiles
some real skating vids
free chicken (hey... if Oprah can do it, is it really too much to ask??)

.aspx

Nope, still blows chunks Smile

Joined: 30 Sep 2008 Posts: 220 Location: idaho

Wow that was a severe spanking to HSL's web designer. But so true...

*Last edited by Heelynut on Sat May 09, 2009 3:43 pm; edited 1 time in total*

My opinion...
Details about the products are missing...for example, it no longer says anything about lights on the Megawatts.
And I think some of the more recent models, which are currently in stores, should also be shown...especially for those who aren't interested in the new "wild" styles.
I'd like bigger product pictures and more views....what's with the inside view?
Many of the Heely internet links are either discontinuing Heelys or don't have any at all. And I agree with slicer that the links should take you to the sites that have the product being viewed.
Where's all the other teams?
The "how to heel" link is broken.
The silver colored model was a poor choice for home page in my opinion.
I think the commercial would be a better choice than colored wheel tracks as the openning video.
HN
PS, I miss the page turning thingy.
PPS, It's nice they now have "no bones"....they've had enough bones!

I likes it.

Lotsa, Lotsa.

Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 1391 Location: UK

I'd say 8/10. Smile

I like the first page of the new wheelchart, which shows that Brooklyn Hi and Lo styles now get the bigger sized FATs sooner... like going up to Medium FATs at US size 3 (instead of US7) and up to Large FATs at US 8 (instead of 9). When it comes to Heelys I always prefer the wheels bigger if poss. Very Happy

That said, I don't like the fact that the following pages of that wheelchart still only go up to style 9144, and none of the newer styles are included, but I suppose you can't always get everything you want for christmas. Very Happy

I think it's not bad as far as their target audience goes. Of course there are some things I might do different, but you can never please everyone at all points. Some good points were made above, for instance I also have been annoyed by the fact that when you click the link which you are lead to believe will lead you to somewhere where you can buy that given style of heelys it just takes you to random shops, some of which don't even stock Heelys any more, let alone the style you were looking for, but I know that unless HSL somehow links up with all the retailers and pays people to check these links every day to make sure they're still current, that's just not going to happen. Outdated links or data are sadly just a fact of online life I guess. The world changes so quickly and keeping any website right up to date at all times would be economically impractical. Smile

But yeah, given their target audience it seems to be a reasonable effort to me. If I had to rate it I would give the new website an 8/10, with the caveat that if my rating is off it's due to my limited knowledge of their goals in making it. Smile

Speaking of which, look at the wheel chart and try to find ANY of the advertised brand-new styles on it.

Waaaaaaait a minute- this thing doesn't even have TORCHES on it!

It sure is a good thing there's a site that WILL give at least some up-to-date information, isn't it?!

*sighs*

*

s even harder*

*goes to work on the Heelypedia*

I wanted to post my honest opinion when I first saw the Heelys site, but I didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings (because trust me, when I first saw it, I hated it).

But now that it has been up for a while, there are a few things that I would like to mention the top things that didn't settle right with me. However, I do want to mention this; the site does look cool. Now that the compliment is out of the way, let's begin:

1. Spell Check is our friend

To whoever created the page, press CTRL + F (or Command + F if made on a Mac) and search for "yr". Replace it with "your". Repeat on every page until needed. Why? Because people who are not too lazy to type two extra letters see "yr" as "year".

2. Advertise Shoes that Matter

As previously mentioned, as soon as someone clicks on "Products" the first shoe that appears is the "Street Lo" (I think that's the model. If not, someone will correct me). This is appealing to clowns, girls who like neon, and anyone who happens to visit the site high on MDMA. Being Heelys, the kings of repainting old styles, there are plenty of other models that can be advertised to get the job done. Hey, bright colors, I'm all for attracting people to the site. However, bright colors can turn people away from the shoes just because they are looking for something that matches their current attire, not buy a new attire to match the shoe. If I was the designer of the site, I would take two sister shoes... Let's say Atomics and Galetos (Fats, No Grind). Now, lets look at the sales of each of those shoes... Now should we advertise the shoe that did not sell, or the shoe that does sell? Common sense really. But for anybody reading this and saying "Mav, you just aren't cool enough to realize that pink and baby blue and yellow are the new shoe colors" then fear not. Instead of having one shoe take up the product, model different models. I am sure your design team at HSL can think of some pretty cool ways to show off "Grind 'n Rolls" or "No Bones".

3. Updates... Please...

If you are going to make the site "prettier" then more power to you. However, it sucks seeing the same stuff every time I come to the site. To be honest, I shitted a Big Mac when I saw that the Pro Team was updated (it tasted good too). However, the "Hott Updates" aren't so hot anymore (see how I used one "T" and established the same meaning in a way that didn't make me sound illiterate?). I mean, Feb 2009 is... how should I put it so you guys can understand it... "Like, sooo last yr"... oops, thats wrong... Listen, how many Disney Demos has there been that have neglected to be updated? Actually, when was the calendar last updated? Wait... Where is the calendar? O.O You removed the calendar?!? Thats where I would receive all my updates on when Heelys would be doing stuff that I could never attend to?!? (Please note, if the calendar is on the website, then I must have passed it while I wiping the blood from my eyes after my brain exploded from attempting to decipher between "your" and "year". Or it could have been when I was thumbing through the dictionary trying to find the meaning of "kewl").

4. If it's broke fix it. Unless your Heelys... If it ain't Broke, make it Broke

(I had to use the "{" "}" brackets instead of the "[" "]" as when I replaced "you" with "I" it made everything italic and I am not that good with HTML to figure out how to stop it)

Let's say that I am a novice heeler (hypothetically, as everyone knows I'm the shit Wink

JK). Let's say I wanted to "Show the kids that when {I} hit the street, {I'm} just just getting started" (In which, before I go on, I would like to congradulate whoever designed that sentence. You not only spelled out "you're" but you used it in the proper context! The English language and all who have perfected it thank you). Now, let's say I wanted to "Skate it up a notch and bust a few stalls", however, I am fine with the Basic stuff... and the intermediate stuff (so I may have been a little dramatic calling myself a "novice heeler"). How come I can't see any advanced tricks? I WANT TO TAKE MY SKATING FURTHER BUT HEELYS WON'T SHOW ME HOW!!!!! (insert a crying baby clip). Basically, if there are no "Advanced" stalls, then why advertise that there are? Plus, I want to show the world my shoes and what I can do! I want to log in to receive special updates from Heelys! I want a username and password specific to www.Heelys.com! WAIT! I see it... a Log In Box... Where can I register?!? I am so excited I am about to pee!!! Come on... Where is it... where... is... it.... Where... is.... Double You Tee Eff?!?!? "Product and profile registration coming soon!" Lure me with your sweet ballads you bastard sirens of the interweb.

Also, for the "Where to Buy" section (aha, you thought I would go onto topic 5, but I didn't... Way to keep you in suspense, Mr. or Ms. Reader). Let's say I want to go out to a Local Store, so I can spend my hard earned money on a fresh pair of shoes (because I like the "Smell It Now" option over the "Smell it 4 - 6 Business Days" option). I type in my zip code for the middle of my small town (80906). Why do you want me to drive 59.44 miles, through about 2 major cities, to find a freakin' shoe store that may have the shoes I am looking for? But I guess that's not your (yr) fault. I'll send a message to Larry Page and Sergey Brin from my GMail later. Back to the topic, I have decided that I would now have to go online (I was very upset when I travelled to Mervyns as recommended by your site and realized it was never there. Again, going in the GMail letter). I now clicked on the first link (for Finish Line) and... O.O OH MY GOD!!! A video... of a guy doing tricks... Metal Music... This makes the sport seem EXTREME!!! I NEED TO BUY NOW!!! (see where I am going with this).

5. Stuff You Won't Do Because It Will Probably Land Someone in Court

Link to us... Heelychat.com. I mean come on now, if you are ever going to find the number one group of people to support your friggin shoe, it's going to be here. I know that HC is in no ways affiliated with Heelys, Inc., or any Heelys retailer, distributor, or affiliate but come on now. I am sure Slicer would be nice enough to let you guys put an embedded link somewhere on the page... If not, then Slicer has no soul... (but that has already been established Razz

). Also, put in a Trick Submission page. I am sure that there are a group of people just sitting around the office getting paid three times the ammount I am getting paid just to scratch their ass. Make them work! Let people submit links from Video Sharing Sites (such as YouTube) for new tricks that they think are cool. If anything, you can then ask the permission from the skater to host the video, then have a nifty little section deticated to skaters and their creativity. Also, add a user input section. I don't care what you want to see, I care what I want to see, and I am sure that there are many people out there who agree with me

So all in all, the site needs work. As already pointed out by our good ol' friend Slicer, the mechanics of the webpage are far from secure. As pointed out by myself, there are some things that needs improvement. Without speaking on behalf of myself, but on the behalf of the HC Community who posted, the site is OK. And I'm sure, with some work and some thought given to what the heelers want, "yr websyte will b off da chain"

I don't mean to bump this, but I can't get over this sentence: