garda.ie finally gets revamp

Seth Brundle

I started a thread several years ago about the Garda Site (which by then was already around for a long time). Robots.txt prevented it from being read by archive.org :rolleyes:
I checked it out a second ago and see that it has been reworked in the last few months and brought into the ninetys.

They are using aspx but all pages give javascript errors

I also note that each station still doesn't have an email address but this may be more to do with restricting internet access so youtube vids can't be uploaded by rogue gardai!

Anyone know the cost?

No mention of the new emergency number (0118 999 881 999 119 725 3) so that must be in the UK only!

Goodshape

kbannon wrote: »

No mention of the new emergency number (0118 999 881 999 119 725 3) so that must be in the UK only!

Well that's easy to remember!

The new site is an improvement, I guess, though unfortunately an "improvement" doesn't mean much of anything in this case and the site is still awful tbh.

"into the nineties" is right. Le sigh.

frodo_dcu

wow a navigation that works that is advanced for the Garda

nikimere

What a shocking website!
Although i'm not totally surprised. I was on a flight last year and got chatting with the bloke next to me who turned out to be a detective in Dundrum.
He was telling me that the Garda do not even have email!.... :eek:
He was investigating a case that involved some communication with a police department in the USA and they kept asking for an email address but he had to tell them to fax the info!
Shocking!

NickNolte

Wow. What an absolute shocker. The navigation is completely reliant on JavaScript for a start. Someone, ironically, should be jailed for that. The creative design is an abomination. The underlying code is utter, utter crap.

On the plus-side, at least it's reasonably easy to navigate. Also, it's an improvement on the last site... although that's not saying much.

Did tax-payers money go towards funding this? Who got the gig? The Chief Superinterdent's son?

seamus

Definitely a big improvement. I too am disappointed that once again they've gone for a Javascript-dependent navigation.

Is it just me or is the quality of the logo image absolutely appalling:

?

CuLT

Hellloooo Dreamweaver template...

NickNolte

CuLT wrote: »

Hellloooo Dreamweaver template...

Looks more like a Frontpage '98 template.

Phototoxin

Big improvement alright. Doesn't state if diabetes bars you from becoming a guard ... hmmm

tomED

Word on the street it was developed by Fusio (www.fusio.net) "Ireland's leading web strategy, web design and web development company".

In fairness some of their other work is good, so I imagine it was a purely client driven design.

Better than the old one by far though!

NickNolte

Fusio's work isn't particularly good but if they produced that Garda site, they should just close up shop today. I'm assuming that a 'professional' Web shop wasn't involved in the new Garda site and that it was done by an amateur. If an agency charged them for it, they should be publicly flogged and a court should issue a restraining order between them and their computers.

Fusio couldn't have built this. Could they?

tomED

Their work isn't that bad cmon. What are you basing it on? The design or the errors? Or soley the garda site alone??

I heard it from quite a reliable source that it was Fusio and they claim to be Irelands leading web design agency.

S.M.B.

Wonder will fusio be adding the site to their portfollio then?

NickNolte

tomED wrote: »

Their work isn't that bad cmon. What are you basing it on? The design or the errors?

I'm not mad about their work on several levels (design and mark-up for a start) but I don't want to sound like I'm having a go at them... so I'll leave it at that.

tomED wrote: »

Or soley the garda site alone??

I don't think they did the Garda site. If they did - may God have mercy on us all.

tomED wrote: »

I heard it from quite a reliable source that it was Fusio

I'll reserve judgement until I hear it for myself!

tomED wrote: »

and they claim to be Irelands leading web design agency.

TBH, most Web agencies do. In my eyes, you're "Ireland's leading web design agency" if the quality of your work is better than all your competitors. There are companies producing way better work than Fusio.

Anyway, until I hear that it was Fusio that did the site, I'll say nout more.

tomED

NickNolte wrote: »

I'm not mad about their work on several levels (design and mark-up for a start) but I don't want to sound like I'm having a go at them... so I'll leave it at that.

I personally don't like their stuff, but, that doesn't mean it's bad. Design is subjective and mark-up is something everyone argues over time and time again.

I'm not in the business of knocking competitors, so I'll just say that they're stuff isn't that bad.

NickNolte wrote: »

I don't think they did the Garda site. If they did - may God have mercy on us all.

I'll reserve judgement until I hear it for myself!

Well that's your prerogative, but I'm not the type to make things up or spread rumours. Anyone that knows me here knows I'm straight up and don't talk ****e.

Follow my twitter and you can easily find out who made the claim. And to be honest, this guy probably knows exactly who it was, because he probably has something to do with the hosting of the site.

NickNolte wrote: »

TBH, most Web agencies do. In my eyes, you're "Ireland's leading web design agency" if the quality of your work is better than all your competitors. There are companies producing way better work than Fusio.

Yep a lot do and I HATE IT!!!! It's one of my pet hates. There are many other web design agencies in Ireland that are more cutting edge/leading than they will ever be, but they don't put that spin on it.... rant over

NickNolte wrote: »

Anyway, until I hear that it was Fusio that did the site, I'll say nout more.

Do you want me to call you so you can hear it? Reading not good enough no?

By the way, why would I just pick Fusio if I was talking rubbish??? There are plenty of other web design agencies with a much higher profile.

NickNolte

tomED wrote: »

Design is subjective

I've never agreed with this statement. Art is subjective. There's good design and bad design.

tomED wrote: »

and mark-up is something everyone argues over time and time again.

That's not true at all. 1) A document marked-up cleanly with semantic, meaningful and accessible mark-up. 2) A document littered with nested tables, font tags, spacer gif's - nonsensical code soup basically.

Is there even an argument there? I can go into detail to the n'th degree and pick out what my problems are with Company X's design and code but I don't want this to turn into a baiting so let's not do that. We'll agree to disagree.

tomED wrote: »

I'm not in the business of knocking competitors, so I'll just say that they're stuff isn't that bad.

Me neither, so I'll stop it right there.

tomED wrote: »

Well that's your prerogative, but I'm not the type to make things up or spread rumours. Anyone that knows me here knows I'm straight up and don't talk ****e.

I'm not calling you a liar! I'm just saying that... I just find it hard to believe that a professional Web agency would produce that muck. That's all.

tomED wrote: »

Yep a lot do and I HATE IT!!!! It's one of my pet hates. There are many other web design agencies in Ireland that are more cutting edge/leading than they will ever be, but they don't put that spin on it....

Ah it's just your average marketing spin. "Donny's Car Rental - The Best in the Business. Trust Donny"

tomED wrote: »

Do you want me to call you so you can hear it? Reading not good enough no?

By the way, why would I just pick Fusio if I was talking rubbish??? There are plenty of other web design agencies with a much higher profile

Okay, so Fusio did it then. All I can say is that I'm shocked. They should be ashamed of themseves in that case.

heggie

NickNolte wrote: »

I've never agreed with this statement. Art is subjective. There's good design and bad design.

Spot on! i didnt read the rest of the posts, but that is one phrase that really gets to me. Whether aware of it or not, good design follows strict principles to be appealing.

tomED

I'm actually afraid to respond to this, because it's likely to go down to a completely different route than what the original post is about!! lol

But since I mentioned something, I think I should just clarify a few things.

NickNolte wrote: »

I've never agreed with this statement. Art is subjective. There's good design and bad design.

heggie wrote: »

Spot on! i didnt read the rest of the posts, but that is one phrase that really gets to me. Whether aware of it or not, good design follows strict principles to be appealing.

I completely agree - there's good and there's bad design, thats from a usable, person centred and accessible point of view, but in terms of graphic design, it's definitely subjective.

NickNolte wrote: »

That's not true at all. 1) A document marked-up cleanly with semantic, meaningful and accessible mark-up. 2) A document littered with nested tables, font tags, spacer gif's - nonsensical code soup basically.

Is there even an argument there? I can go into detail to the n'th degree and pick out what my problems are with Company X's design and code but I don't want this to turn into a baiting so let's not do that. We'll agree to disagree.

In this case I was referring to how techies always get into arguments over coding standards. In cases like your second point, I have issues. But the idea of standards for the sake of standards compliance is something I don't agree with. And accessible mark up is another days work altogether - really don't want to go there in this post.

NickNolte wrote: »

I'm not calling you a liar! I'm just saying that... I just find it hard to believe that a professional Web agency would produce that muck. That's all.

What defines professional? Because they have it on their website or because they emply people?

NickNolte wrote: »

Ah it's just your average marketing spin. "Donny's Car Rental - The Best in the Business. Trust Donny"

Yeah the only thing is if it were a TV advertthey wouldn't get away with it, but most companies are happy to do this on their website.... and it annoys me!!!

NickNolte wrote: »

Okay, so Fusio did it then. All I can say is that I'm shocked. They should be ashamed of themseves in that case.

We've produced some pretty shameful sites too - that is why I would defend them a little. Client driven sites end up being terribly poor. And if you have a difficult client, that doesn't have a clue, all you can do is deliver them the best serivce possible to their satisfaction. That way they'll come back for more!

There's another point not covered in all this. How much did the Gardai actually pay for this site? It surely would have went to public tender if it was worth over €5k.

How many professional companies would provide a proper website, with what looks like a custom CMS for less that €5k??

NickNolte

tomED wrote: »

But the idea of standards for the sake of standards compliance is something I don't agree with.

If you mean making crap mark-up validate then yeah, I'm in agreement!

tomED wrote: »

Client driven sites end up being terribly poor. And if you have a difficult client, that doesn't have a clue, all you can do is deliver them the best serivce possible to their satisfaction. That way they'll come back for more!

That's true. Client-driven sites can end up being muck. Although personally I'd rather walk away from a contract than sacrifice my professional integrity. Foolhardy but that's just me. I don't tell a dentists how to do my root canal so I don't want my clients to be back seat Web designers or tell me how to code.

tomED wrote: »

There's another point not covered in all this. How much did the Gardai actually pay for this site?

I reckon that information is probably in the public domain somewhere.

tomED wrote: »

How many professional companies would provide a proper website, with what looks like a custom CMS for less that €5k??

Depends on the complexity of the site and CMS I guess.

dma

I came across this thread and felt that for the record I should point out that Fusio did NOT have anything to do with the Garda website. We administer their domain but that is all. I think it was an inhouse job but I'm not even sure of that.