Redesigning this website: feedback?
With a new book on the way it’s time to redesign this website, a site still working the same basic layout its had since 2003 (!). I’ve gotten many miles out of the current incarnation and uber-simple layout, but there’s enough content and traffic, over 850 posts, 50+ essays, 5400+ comments and 20,000 RSS subscribers, to merit some smart improvements.
I’m working with Architexture, a great little Canadian firm on my side on the continent, to bring things around into 2009.
Things are already plugging along, but I wanted to open the floor and see if there are things that have always bugged you, or wished I had, and see if I can make it happen.
The primary goals are:
- Keep the simplicity and content-centric design
- Freshen things up visually
- Make it easier to find popular posts/essays/etc.
- Improve the sales path for books and speaking engagements (how I pay for all this)
- Provide a way for readers to submit/vote on what I should blog about next
But the floor is open. Any feedback, complaints, or suggestions are welcome. Or if the above sounds good to you, please leave a short comment so we know we’re on the right track.
Thanks for all the support over the years – in return we’re working to make this site suck less :)
May be a bit wider content area, nicer print version of styles.
Oh, ability to get title only links to actual posts in categories. It will help a lot to scan particular category when I know what post I’m looking for.
Well… since I started… if there is reply to my comment, I would like to get notification by email :)
Good feedback Maxim – thx for taking the time.
Regarding title only links: do you mean you’d like to click on the category name in the sidebar and just get a list of the titles, rather than the full posts?
Yes, otherwise going through all pages and scanning for titles takes significantly more time.
better printing
I read via Google reader, so I am thinking how can you improve the RSS delivery?
Scott,
Please, oh please make the page easier to read on large resolution screens :)
Right now, on my 1650×1080 widescreen, the content is glued to the left side of the screen (i’m using Firefox 3.5 by the way). It’s uncomfortable to read during longer sessions with your blog.
Displaying the content right in the middle would be a great improvement.
I’ll second the suggestion for wider pages. It looks like you’re assuming people use 800×600. Don’t! Or maybe just make it so that the page stretches based on the window size.
Scott, I think your key goals are right on. Maxim’s feedback for being able to receive email notifications when additional comments are posted (ala Facebook and Ning) is great.
Thanks for continuing to provide all this wisdom. I can’t believe I’ve been following you for so long (…and I mean that in as non-stalker of a way as possible).
Hi Scott,
Make the site a totally failure, not ugly but failure to all the goals that you want to achieve. Then, let your audience organize/change the page elements the way they want in order to full-fill their needs.
It’s a bold and risky idea and to be successful you pretty much need the loyalty of your audience I guess.
Anyways… just a crazy idea :)
Thank you