Here is a rough draft of a possible new design concept. If chosen as the new design, there are still some obvious changes needed. However, before forwarding my suggestions to the designer, I wanted to get feedback from others as well. Please be 500% HONEST. Do not be afraid to hurt my feelings…you won’t. I’m looking for criticism, so that I can improve on what I have so far. Some things to note however: The colors you see now are not the colors being used. I’m looking for feedback mainly on the actual layout, borders, and placement of content. What’s “inside the boxes†is not 100% complete yet. For example, in the header, the image isn’t centered properly yet, and the new logo hasn’t been added yet. Also, in the article section, everything is not aligned, as it was mainly a copy/paste job to get a general idea of what I wanted. Fonts you see now are not the ones being used. New concept Current Design Here are a few sample questions for anyone that feels like answering... 1. What was your first overall impression of the design, within the first 10 seconds that you viewed it? and now for the details…………. 2. How do you feel about the advertisements? Too few? Too many? Good placement? Just right? 3. Do you like the layout and the actual structuring of the way that the content is placed? 4. Being a first time visitor, would the site confuse you? Or do you find what you are looking for easily? 5. Is there too much information being thrown at you at once, or do you feel drawn to the content? A lot of sites will throw too much information, whether it be too many articles, or too many images at a visitor…causing them to feel overwhelmed (especially if it’s the first time they’ve been to the site). 6. How do you feel about the header? Do you like the original header better than the new one? In the new header, an advertisement space was placed at the top, and the menu bar was shrunk and placed above the category bar. The new category bar was also given a uniform color to match the top, whereas the old category bar had a white (light grey) tint, while the top remained black. 7. Do you feel that there are too many borders? Especially referring to the design from mid-point to bottom. 8. What do you think about the subscription box? 9. Any additional feedback? 10. Any sites you think I should look at for inspiration, or to clarify your suggestions? 11. What is your first impression of competitor sites such as askmen.com trendpimp.com menshealth.com mensfitness.com bullz-eye.com esquire.com fhm.com etc.? Would Trend Spike offer originality or just the same old thing? What do you feel competitors do better, relating to design. Does Trend Spike do anything better than them (design related)? 12. What is your age, and are you male or female?
I prefer the current site- it flows much better. The new one looks like it's a couple of headers and seperate pages all stuck together - 1. new concept - looks like to headers on top of each other current - love it 2. n.c. - WAYYYYY to cluttered (even with all the empty boxes) current-perfect 3. no yes 4. yes no 5. yes no 6. like the older one 7. way to many just right 8. no 9. no 10. don't know 11. female, 29
Personally I don't see a great deal of difference between the 2 so in my view you are just wasting your time changing the design. The current one is fine as it is. Web-Master