Ok, ive given it a chance, lived with it for a while, but it’s driving me crazy. the new layout looks nice from a visual standpoint, graphically speaking far and above the previous layout, but functionally I’m feeling as though it was design to look at rather than use.
Let me explain.
For one, the design is very homogeneous. everything fits into a nice grid and the content is at the mercy of the layout.
For another, it’s also very unhomogeneous. lots of different fonts, alignment, shading and formats of buttons/content make it almost impossible to feel any real hierarchy of content. some things are “featured” by showing a large image, some are animated (as at the top), and some are text.
Every feature in the book is there, and well executed in and of itself, but the whole is less than the sum of its parts. The animated rolling content at the top looks great, but if you actually click on it, it doesn’t take you to the content directly. i realize it’s supposed to be a teaser for the different sections noted above in buttons, and the buttons do highlight, but it’s so untraditional, i don’t think many wold understand. We’ve got pull quotes for forum threads (not even the most recent or relevant, I have no idea why those were chosen or if they ever change). we’ve go tabbed list content for most recent posts. We have mini links to digg.com etc. below each post. We’ve got ads mixed in it all…
I know there is lots of great content that core features, that I’m sure most people never read (articles, more in depth interviews, photos, etc.), but with this layout, while it may encourage stumbling upon the odd link, it doesn’t help a user get an idea of the depth and range of the site. The hierarchy is not apparent. While there are 8 links at the top that should be the topline level of content, where would you go for interviews? reviews? are Events as listed in the sidebar the same as calendar? are the “greatest hits” articles? is the design directory different than the coroflot job/portfolio area?
Don’t get me wrong. I love this site and have been a steady user for more years. I just would hope that given we are designers, we could be more aware of the UI, be open to a critical approach and get more eyes on all the great content we have here. If a great article isn’t read, it’s not that great.
As a brief analysis I did the following to color code the different content of the site. I’d be happy to hear thoughts from others, and if I have time I would love to take a crack at a rejuggling of the layout, so please understand I’m not trying to only complain or knock the hard work of the designers involved.
Best,
R
smaller to see all at once.