Not signed in (Sign In)
A podcast and forum for those who design, develop and run websites.
Boagworld is not just a web design podcast, it is also a thriving online community. Whether you build, design or run websites there are always people here to help. Whatever your question there is sure to be somebody with the answer.
- subscribe via itunes
- subscribe via rss
- or get blog posts by email
Welcome, Guest
Want to take part in these discussions? Sign in if you have an account, or apply for one below
Vanilla 1.1.10 is a product of Lussumo. More Information: Documentation, Community Support.
-
- CommentAuthorkevingeary
- CommentTimeJul 22nd 2010 edited
Anything I can do to spice this up? Or do you like it the way it is?
I was specifically wondering if not having a standard navigation menu is going to hurt it?
Employee Revolution -
What I like about the site:
I like the clean feel and the colour scheme.
What I would change:
1) Site description - The description of the site is awkwardly placed and not very readable. I'd either move it to the right of the logo or place a bit of space between it and the content.
2) The side bar - The side bar could do with a bit of organisation.
The "RSS feed", "Updates" and "Twitter" have the most visual weight, but I'm not sure if they are most important links to the reader (even though it is important for you that readers click on these).
I think the navigation and search should be taken out of the sidebar and place horizontally at the top of the site. This would make them more accessible and stop them from competing with the other elements in the sidebar.
I'd perhaps also shrink down the side bar so it doesn't compete with the content. That way, you are still giving the subscription options prominence, but they are not interfering with the site.
3) Incorporate one line summaries under the headings - Although your posts are quite short, I think including a one line summary under each heading would tempt 'speed readers' to make the effort to read the full post. -
- CommentAuthorkevingeary
- CommentTimeJul 24th 2010
big_smile:
I'm lost. I thought my tagline WAS to the right of the header title. That's how it's designed to be. Are you saying it's showing up underneath? What browser are you using? -
Odd. When I checked in the morning (in Chrome), it was underneath. The RSS box seems to have moved places too.
-
- CommentAuthorkevingeary
- CommentTimeJul 24th 2010
I moved the RSS box per your suggestion on putting more relevant content toward the top (getting people to subscribe to my email list).
I'm also working on moving the navigation to the top somewhere (perhaps below the title but most likely above it at the top of the screen). I'm not an expert so that might take me a bit.
I took 2 pixels off the title margin-right just to make sure the tagline wasn't getting pushed in some screen sizes. Maybe that's what fixed it? -
- CommentAuthorkevingeary
- CommentTimeJul 24th 2010
I added a navigation. Can you tell me how it looks?
http://www.employeerevolution.net/
Should I put it up higher? Style it a little better? -
That looks a lot better.
I'd personally put the navigation higher, as the space above it seems accidental.
I'd also put more space between the site title and the contents box
(or make it more obvious that the title is "perched" on top of the white background of the contents).
The current "Search" button attracts way too much attention, which is especially problematic, as the search box already has quite a strong heading. Consider replacing it with a regular button (so it matches the "Get updates! " button).
I also think the twitter button could be toned down (as it draws attention away from the content). Although the bird is cute. -
- CommentAuthorkevingeary
- CommentTimeJul 25th 2010
Ok. I've done all of these suggestions (except the twitter bird...I'll find another solution for that soon). Can you take another look? -
Well, I hope you'll get some other comments too, so you have a plurality of view points!
I'd adjust the spacing between the navigation and the heading, as at the moment, the spacing looks like an accidental error. The spacing also makes the navigation feels divorced from the main site.
When you adjust the spacing, you might need increase the space between the heading and the body text to stop everything feeling too cramped.
If you have the time, I'd also try and tweak the side bar, as I think it still draws too much attention from the body content.
Smashing Magazine is a good example of site that has a sidebar which doesn't draw away too much attention from the content, even though the sidebar is bursting with stuff:
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/
I think it works because it has a very subtle raised effect, which creates a barrier between the sidebar and content. You really have to push your eyes into the sidebar in order to overcome the barrier and view the sidebar. The barrier stops the sidebar from stealing your gaze.
Smashing Magazine also has a good example of navigation, subscription and search. The top bar makes everything accessible, but doesn't anything intrude on the content.
Overall, I think you have done a good job on your site. It works because it is clean and simple. It's just a case of fine tuning it, so readers can focus on your content without being distracted.
1 to 9 of 9