October 13, 2005
What does hypocritical look like?
As a marketer, I often get to sit on the other side of the desk. The side where you get to sit in judgment. The side where you stare sternly at the client (internal or external). Nod softly and say, "It will be difficult, but it's really the best thing to do."There I sit on my holier-than-thou high horse. Judging something that someone else has created or sweated over or built from scratch or dragged kick and screaming from the depths of anonymity.
"It's time for a change," I say. "You'll see how much better this can be."
But it's not often that I have to sit on this side of the desk. Sit here and look at something that is not only difficult to use, but not as purty as I once thought it was.
No, not me. Jeez. Rude. When did we start devolving into personal attacks? I swear... No, I was talking about the design of the hypocritical site.
Now, if you're reading hypocritical via its RSS feed, then you are probably better off. You get to read the site in a form that suits you and your needs. But for the untold millions who flock to the site day after day, hour after hour, the reading here on the site can be a little more difficult. And I admire those brave individuals for slogging through it.
Small gray on a blue background. What was I thinking? Illogical navigation constructs? Oy.
So now, I have to sit on the side of the desk where I need to admit that it's time to tear down something of which I was rather proud. And I have to ask myself the same questions that I ask my clients:
- Who is your primary audience?
- How do they use the site?
- What do you believe will keep your audience coming back?
- What are you hoping to accomplish with the site?
Most of the answers, I believe, center on legibility and usability.
I may preach and complain and whine about poor design with the best of them, but the look and feel of this site really starts to undermine my already fragile credibility. And despite the fact that I rather enjoy the irony and inherent hypocrisy of the design, it's time for a change.
So, I've started doing my research. Looking for concepts and constructs that could make the site more usable, more legible, and more useful. I mean, the writing is so good, it deserves an appropriate showcase right? Or perhaps, slogging through the diatribes is so taxing that the readers deserve something that's a bit more easy on the eye. Either way. You won't hurt my feelings.
So, I'm starting the process. And as such, you might see some random changes flicker in here and there. I'll blog about them as they happen. So you can throw your slings and arrows. Or keep your slings and throw rocks. But please just throw the arrows. It makes them easier to dodge.
Because, honestly, when it comes right down to it, this site is as much for you as it is for me. I get my catharsis. I get to vent my marketing bile. And hopefully, you manage to make your way through all the roughage to find some small kernels of wisdom, here and there.
Not in every post, mind you. But here and there.
Redesign is coming. I can't promise it will be good. But it will be different.
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What does hypocritical look like?
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