Re: [boost] [website] redesign and content

From: Nicola Musatti (Nicola.Musatti_at_[hidden])
Date: 2006-03-23 04:15:30

David Abrahams wrote:
> Nicola Musatti <Nicola.Musatti_at_[hidden]> writes:
[...]
>>I have to say that I dislike the look of that site and I consider
>>its home page a good example of how a home page should not be
>>designed. At 1024x768 there are three screenfuls of information and
>>only the third one contains information that may be of any interest
>>after the first time you visited the site, and that's assuming you
>>know next to nothing about Python the first time.
> 
> That's fine, I think.  What do I ever want that's on the Boost
> homepage other than a link to some other part of the site?  Not much,
> I must say.  Do you want to see something else on Boost's homepage?
> We can't put everything there.  It seems to me that filling the
> homepage with content of interest to first- and second-time visitors
> is about the best thing we can use it for.

I was referring to the Python site in that case. Boost's choice is 
reasonable because just about the only interesting things in returning 
to these home pages are news headlines. Note that the Python home page 
was modified yesterday so that news aren't hidden towards the bottom of 
the page.

>>Together with the ACCU one and Boost's own, I'm sorry to say, that's
>>another site that was recently redesigned and where the result
>>doesn't strike me as a clear improvement over the previous one.
> 
> What do you think would be an improvement.

First off let me say that I'm well aware that this is a voluntary effort 
and I do believe that he who does decides how. I also know that some 
decisions were taken by vote, such as the choice of logo, so my voice 
carries very little weight and that's how it should be.

The new site looks certainly slicker and more professional, but I find 
it unremarkable. This is probably due to different things. The choice of 
colours is a little bit dull; the new logo isn't bad looking, but it 
doesn't convey in any way what Boost stands for; the overall effect of a 
sheet of paper hovering above a darker background is apparenly what 
everybody does nowadays, not to mention that it wastes precious 
horizontal space and compresses the main text column, especially if one 
displays the browser's sidebar.

Nothing really terrible, as you see, but in a way I feel that the old 
web site had more personality, even if it didn't depart much from how 
all web sites used to look in the mid nineties.

Cheers,
Nicola Musatti