So here’s the new site, look at it all kind of splendid. I’ve been playing around with it for ages, various designs and iterations and choices and to put it simply I just can’t seem to decide on anything anymore! Sometimes I open it up and think hey I like this, and others I think no it’s no good I should redo it all!
But I wanted to get a place up and running for me to get blogging and also get a few more portfolio items showing beyond the old holding page that has been around for a while and so here is.
My Great Design Experiment
Part of my struggle has revolved around how prominent to make the blog on this new site and I thought well I’ll get started and see how it goes and that also got me thinking about a talk at FOWD Glasgow about getting feedback at early stages of design.
Which is when I thought well if I’m struggling with my choices at the moment why not open the floor to the people who will use the site and get their feedback! So here version, hmm, 0.5 of the site and it’s up to you, there’s still plenty I want to do with the site and you’ll continue to see changes and updates on an ongoing basis but I’m opening the floor at this early stage for you to chip in your two penneth. Go ahead and leave a comment at the bottom, but please try to be constructive with your criticism ;-).
Asking questions
I’ll also be posting articles ever so often in the “Stop.. it’s not ready yet” category asking people what they think of various changes and inclusions. The big red box up in the top left for example, is it too big? is it too overpowering? does it show up a funny shade of orange on your monitor?
The stripes down the right as well, they’re a big one, sometimes I hate them sometimes I like them, I just can’t decide.
I want to be adding new stuff and changes and just getting ideas of what everyone thinks.
Design by jury?
I will still be adding my own updates in, as a quick example the side bar is currently a bit of a non style and there’s no JavaScript on the site at all and I’m one who loves to play around with jQuery.
I also won’t just lazily be asking questions and going with the majority answers! I will still have my final say, after all design is a matter of a taste and every-one’s differs, no doubt a design purely by jury would give me some kind of hideous myspace type design.
So what do I hope to achieve?
Well as well as refining this site for the benefit of those who use it I hope to get ready feedback on my choices and also to generate discussion on those choices, gauging peoples opinions on vary design issues and development topics.
If all goes well it’s very likely that I’ll move the portfolio to a more sensibly named domain and leave this one for the blog. It doesn’t have much resemblance to anything and was previously bought for a band I used to be in and for quite a while simply for convienince has housed my portfolio.
Leave a comment
So tell me what you think, of the design, of my crazy idea to get your input – the point of this is to get your feedback and get people talking.
Love the red box. Uncertain what the beer has to do w anything? The ribbons are cool, but I would get tired of them pretty soon. They give a “Hey, we’re having a party today” feeling to the site. But how often does one have a party? Most of all, I love the Design by COmmittee playfulness of this whole thing. Great idea… will retweet.
Thanks for the comment, the ribbon pattern is one of the things I keep changing my mind about. I am considering making them more straight and boring.
As for the beer it relates to this advertising campaign – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl0Ypg1kBJo
It’ll make more sense then hopefully.
Very helpful. I like the way you write. Do you currently have an RSS feed?
Looks great. I like the red color scheme.