On Aug 22, 2008, at 1:39 AM, Jean-Sébastien Goupil wrote:
That looks like really nice for now.
I have just few comments about the new design.
Personally, the first thought I had was "Mmm, it looks like a
little less professional, but looks like the new era of web".
And I spent just 10 minutes browsing it, I have no idea how far you
are with updating the design but I just want to tell you what I think:
- the "code examples" don't stick out enough
- and the user contribution looks like it's part of the actual
documentation content (I don't think it's good?)
I know my feedback is unsolicited so I'll try to make it as
constructive as possible...
One principal of design is "contrast"[1]: make things sufficiently
different to communicate their difference in meaning. For example,
headers are sufficiently larger, bolder, or different in color so as
to not be confused with other text elements that follow.
I think there are three facets of the existing design that are good
examples of contrast:
- the white space used between headings and body text;
- the light blue boxes on a white background for each section;
- the indenting of the Parameters section.
I find that the contrast between elements in the new design is not
sufficient enough (for my weary, old eyes) and requires a tad bit
more mental focus to read.
Also, I bumped up the size of the text in my browser by one notch and
found things much easier to read. The text size is _really_ small in
Safari.
Although personally I like the rounded corners and color scheme, I
think accessibility experts may find the lack of contrast between
links and background to be less than ideal.[2]
I know "design by committee" is an exercise in frustration so I hope
my feedback isn't taken the wrong way and those responsible find
*something* valuable in these comments.
Respectfully,
Ted Stresen-Reuter
http://tedmasterweb.com
[1] The design principal of "CRAP" was originally presented in Robin
William's The Non-Designer's Design Book and is partially reproduced
here
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/design-better-
with-crap.html
[2] http://juicystudio.com/services/csstest.php#contrast
