Calculating tools

[irondarren]

I have been doing a little messing about with javascript on my website. Really just for doing mathematical calculations. Including converting millimetres to feet and inches and the other way round. A tool that if you provide the rise of something and the going it will work out the angle, or if you have the rise and the angle it will give the going. Just finished a quick one for stair treads. Give it the rise and the going, it will work out the number of stair treads required, the rise and going of each tread. (as yet the stair one only works out the treads based on building regulations for a private dwelling, not commercial stairs, that comes in an update when my brain is more with it lol)

http://www.ironworks-crawley.co.uk/tools.html

all sort of in beta versions yet need a little tidy up, im interested in the opinions of folks here, if its useful or not. Im of the opinion the more useful a site, the more time folks will spend on it. The more time they spend on it the more they are likely to make an enquiry.
Of course if any one can think of any useful calculating tool i should attempt to add to it let me know, but it needs to be relevant to metal work. One that works out how long the sunday roast should be in the oven is all well and fine but possible not much use to potential customers.

 

[MrFluffy]

Have you ever seen google's converter? must be useful if they've done it...
eg
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=20mm+in+inches
Works for all sorts of unit conversion, including currency, pressure, distance, velocity etc...
Maybe you could use them to do the calcs on some of the more awkward changeable stuff and present the results inline on your page

 

[Landynut]

Thanks for the link Mr Fluffy brilliant calculator. Will come in very handy.

 

[Gunni]

http://www.luizmonteiro.com/Conversions.aspx

I use this one alot,

 

[greyshirtguy]

Well done with your messing around! Those beta versions are a great start.
If you do plan of burning some time on them - I would suggest combining them on a single page (in a kind of organised flow). ..oh and some nice polish - eg a graphical that show dimensions being entered (I can explain this with a mock up image if you like) and spell check etc

...Im of the opinion the more useful a site, the more time folks will spend on it...

I certainly agree with that idea (the true art is coming up with something to provide that is useful and keeps them coming)

The conversion tools are quite plentiful - but your staircase tools offer more of a unique value.

In many cases I think the primary value of a web page is the info it provides - there are many situations where I think people want quick and easy answers, and this can be often be important than anything else (like art, bling, effects)

Having said all of that, in your line of work aesthetic appreciation is paramount – how something looks is a primary concern of every customer. Consequently, I would form the opinion that “The visual appeal of your website is equally (if not more) important as the information if provides”

I say this because I noticed your website asks for feedback and I recommend spending a lot of time polishing the following areas:

1.Photo quality (perhaps include some higher resolution (and higher quality jpeg compression) photos linked off the lower quality previews.
2.Page frame layout consistency (keeping the navigation on the left, and a fixed header with a nice logo that links to home pages)
3.A few small graphics for visual queues and also a quick spell check.

Well that was all my humble opinion which may all be rubbish – feel free to take it or leave it