Redesigns are a funny thing over here at Whitespace. If you have been here for a number of months/years then you know redesigns are nothing special, the only thing that really changes is the layout as I do my experimenting. This is the case with this most recent redesign effort.
There is still lots of little things to fix and add, but the previous design got on my nerves (which is usually why I redesign in the first place).
Comments > Entry?
On this site you know that my entries simply serve as conversation starters. You more than likely learn more from the readers’ insights because my entries offer nothing greater than common sense. With this in mind I figured I would try to give them a greater sense of importance both on the homepage and on the individual pages.
On the homepage you can see that the comment number is much larger and that I added more entries to the homepage. The reason for this is quite simple. Many of the entries are starting to receive more comments the day after it is published than the actual day it is published. With this in mind it only made sense to include more entries on the homepage.
For the more regular readers of Whitespace, the larger numbers sort of give you a running update of what is hot, what is cooling off or what entry never took off at all.
Is it important to know when an entry is published on the homepage? I’m not so sure so a lot of metadata is left off the page like dates for example. This could easily be added later, but for now I will leave it off until I hear otherwise.
Indy Pages Go Crazy
Reading comments on a blog will never be a successful venture I fear. The conversation usually goes off-topic and your comment can easily be lost in the shuffle. However, on many sites the comments are where the action takes place and Whitespace is no exception. I thought it would be interesting to see how comments placed next to the entry would work out. I like it, Rundle can’t stand it. A link could be added below the entry to prevent you from having to scroll back up.
Obviously this is not a final decision. I might put the comment form above the comment column or simply move everything back to the status quo with comments on the bottom. Either way the comment form will be prettied up because right now it sucks (along with the ugly ads, give me a couple of minutes to touch those up).
Footer
There is none right now. A work in progress like the rest of the site.
Aesthetics by Rundle
When you have a killer designer on your team it only makes sense to use his talents to your advantage. I did all the IA and majority of the design work. Rundle came in to pretty things up a bit, but did so with major handcuffs on so he is not to blame if there is nothing to like. I take full credit for anything you don’t like and you can give him full credit for everything you do like.
So have I gone off the deep end? Am I just barely missing some things that can totally change the experience of the site? If links are broken I am aware of them so what needs to be added? I’m listening.
Originally posted on September 6, 2005 @ 1:11 pm