Movable Type (MT) Website Revamped

And though many think of it as pretty, I feel it lacks usability. The MT page that stands alone reminds me of a catalogue. I can visualize the squares containing a product and information. There isn’t really any important focus to a content. In a user test, my eyes follow the images and then to the yellow colored sidebar before scanning towards the left where you see all that content.

Furthermore, I think it’s placement of the sub-navigation ‘Pricing, Features..etc’ is out of place. It looks as though it’s been put there because there is no more room. IMHO, I think the usage of panels is on an overkill. No doubt usage of colors were great to seperate them but the panels on both sides looks as though it’s squeezing the center content.

It’s funny that I feel the layout of the TypePad and LiveJournal pages are somewhat more comforting compared to the MT page. I also feel that the ‘About Us’ page is suffering from the same problem with the MT page. There is no single point of concentration. All the panels are demanding an importance on the page.

I might not be use to it but being a user who first visited the website, I feel more confused on the pages mentioned. The Support page looks great and two thumbs up from me. Overall, SixApart did alright but if they don’t solve the problem then potential customers might be too confused to find out more about the product before purchasing it.

This my opinion so I shouldn’t be held against anything as I too am an MT follower and just want to help SixApart improve in every way. Visit the new website at www.sixapart.com and tell me what you think.

Posted by Danny Foo on February 18, 2005 | Filed Under Website Design | Leave a Comment | View blog reactions 

Forty Media

Prediction of 2005. This article has some pretty interesting facts to be noted. The company came up with a short list of trends that will be under taken this year in web design. Be it totally true or false is up to you to judge because I feel some are not worth following. So like Feng Shui, believe in what’s logic and what might be myth. :) Click HERE [opens new window] to read about predictions.

Next up, we have ‘Well-Designed Weblogs’. It’s a 2 part article so I’ve provided both seperate links here for your viewing. Most of the blogs have good color contrast and combinations. Most of the blogs also stuck to the current blog layout that’s Banner, Content and Sidebar.

If you’re starting or revamping your blog anytime soon, it’s worth a look to get an idea of what you should be doing for your blog. :) Oh yeah, don’t forget to think what’s the purpose of your blog before beginning on it. And here’s Part I [opens new window] and Part II [opens new window] of the articles.

Posted by Danny Foo on February 7, 2005 | Filed Under News | Leave a Comment | View blog reactions 

CSS Genius @ 15

Resides in the myths of Singapore. This kid is really an artist at CSS layouts. I’ve seen both designs he did that ended up in the CSS Zen Garden catalogue and I’m blown away. Lim Yuan Qing is only 15 years old and going 16 this year I think. He has gain himself recognition even in the CSS Zen Garden book!

According to his website, HERE, he only started learning about XHTML/CSS websites June 2004. That does give him a good 1 year experience in it. I’ve got to warn you people, if you don’t buck up, he’ll be looking at you from above sooner than expected. :)

Posted by Danny Foo on February 2, 2005 | Filed Under News | Leave a Comment | View blog reactions 

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  • About This Blog

    author's photoHello and welcome to Websites Made Simple. I'm Danny Foo and this is my Malaysia web design blog. I manage and co-founded a small Malaysia web design and development team; Simpleet Solutions.