3 ms·

This is really cool - I wish there was something like this happening near me. I know it's impolite to say this, but I hope you understand it's coming from a go

by sgentle 15y ago

This is really cool - I wish there was something like this happening near me. I know it's impolite to say this, but I hope you understand it's coming from a good place: your website is awful. That may not seem important but a first impression like that nearly made me skip this post entirely when the only cost involved was reading it. My suggestions: 1. Make the website look prettier. If you google for "free css templates" there's a site that has hundreds of them with the only requirement that you link back. They come with pre-made HTML that you just chop around as you see fit. Just looking a little different from the bland defaults stands for a lot. 2. Reorganise your visual hierarchy[1]. Your main page makes my eyes bounce all around the place because the different elements are fighting with each other for attention. MATHS JAM! SIGN UP! LOG IN! NEWS! - it can't all be important at once. If you look at something like the Business of Software front page[2], the order of importance is clearly name > when & where > price > register button > description. Different priorities are okay, but it's important to understand visual priority is a ratio, not a sum - adding 10 to everything leaves the values unchanged. 3. Multimedia = social proof. Back to the Business of Software page, there's a video halfway down that gives you a description of the conference. Why do that when it's already written out in more efficient text that you don't have to click anything to read? It's because you get to see all those beautiful panning shots of the crowd, and earnest people (just like you!) talking about how excited they are to be at the conference. Words are good at conveying facts, but if you want to convey an experience it's got to be pictures and video. If you have pictures of the last MathsJam, they should be sitting right on that front page. If not, it's worth making happen for next time. You want an image that says "we're having a fantastic time, just like you will". There's some other stuff, but I hope that helps a bit. Again, I'm not criticising to be snarky. I think what you're doing is great and I'd rather see it have a good website than a bad one. [1] http://www.vanseodesign.com/web-design/visual-hierarchy/ http://www.vanseodesign.com/web-design/visual-hierarchy/ [2] http://businessofsoftware.org/ http://businessofsoftware.org/

ColinWright 15y ago
> your website is awful Yup, I know. > Make the website look prettier Yup, I know. Not going to happen. There's no one I know who has any real skills in this area and who also has both the time and the interest to do something "properly." This isn't me simply ignoring or dismissing what you say. I know that proper web site design is both an art and a skill. I know that with the investment of time and effort it can be made enormously better. I don't have the time. Really, I don't. In truth, I'd desperately love to have the site designed properly. Even more, I'd love to take the time to learn what I need to do it myself. I'd love to run A/B testing, to draw people in, to get them involved, to have progressive sign-up, to get full engagement, and all the techniques I've read of. Don't have the time. In some senses I wish I did have the time, but what would I give up? I have a full time job, I give 100 talks a year, I have three side-projects, all of which are active with users. <sigh> But I've saved your references, and appreciate your time and effort. I wish I could act on it.
- sgentle 15y ago
  Well, as the old saying goes, perfect is the enemy of good. I agree that doing all of those things sounds like an awful lot of time and energy, but I guarantee you could implement my first suggestion with an investment of only a few hours (and those few hours don't need to be contiguous). There's a certain paralysis that comes with being an enthusiast (as I sense you are about web design) because the difference between yourself and "the pros" is large. I have a very small chance of being a good mathematician, for example, which in its own way prevents me from being even a mediocre one. I suspect it's something to do with an element of pride - that something you put actual effort into should be of a certain quality. Whether my life would be enriched by mediocre mathematics, I can't say. But I definitely know that your site with a splash of paint over the rust would be better than no paint at all. Here's hoping you find a few spare hours. :)

by sgentle 15y ago

ColinWright 15y ago

> your website is awful Yup, I know. > Make the website look prettier Yup, I know. Not going to happen. There's no one I know who has any real skills in this area and who also has both the time and the interest to do something "properly." This isn't me simply ignoring or dismissing what you say. I know that proper web site design is both an art and a skill. I know that with the investment of time and effort it can be made enormously better. I don't have the time. Really, I don't. In truth, I'd desperately love to have the site designed properly. Even more, I'd love to take the time to learn what I need to do it myself. I'd love to run A/B testing, to draw people in, to get them involved, to have progressive sign-up, to get full engagement, and all the techniques I've read of. Don't have the time. In some senses I wish I did have the time, but what would I give up? I have a full time job, I give 100 talks a year, I have three side-projects, all of which are active with users. <sigh> But I've saved your references, and appreciate your time and effort. I wish I could act on it.

sgentle 15y ago
Well, as the old saying goes, perfect is the enemy of good. I agree that doing all of those things sounds like an awful lot of time and energy, but I guarantee you could implement my first suggestion with an investment of only a few hours (and those few hours don't need to be contiguous). There's a certain paralysis that comes with being an enthusiast (as I sense you are about web design) because the difference between yourself and "the pros" is large. I have a very small chance of being a good mathematician, for example, which in its own way prevents me from being even a mediocre one. I suspect it's something to do with an element of pride - that something you put actual effort into should be of a certain quality. Whether my life would be enriched by mediocre mathematics, I can't say. But I definitely know that your site with a splash of paint over the rust would be better than no paint at all. Here's hoping you find a few spare hours. :)