Help me improve design of Browse Tutorials

[ram4nd]

I am really bad designer. I have no ideas how to do this. So I am asking your help. Please give me suggestions what I should change and for what, please be specific. The site is in my signature.

[thewooleymammoth]

you should learn to use photoshop if you dont already know. Its just a little plain

[xcandiottix]

To me, it's not so much the visual of your site as it is the textual layout. That is to say that your site is just a blob of words on the screen and I think it would be easier to just google what tutorial I want rather then try to make sense of your site. It's hard to explain what I mean, but it just doesn't seem that there's a clear break between each topic you have. Specifically i'm looking at the http://www.browse-tutorials.net/ front page. I recommend that you pick out a color scheme. Practically all companies use 2 or 3 or 4 distinct colors. Your website is blue on top of blue on top of blue... which makes nothing really jump out. Don't forget that different fonts and colors can draw peoples attention and when someone is skimming for info (as someone would be doing if they were quickly searching for a tutorial) that person wants to easily find what they are looking for. Its hard to read:

 

tutorial1

blah blah

tutorial2

whatever

tutorial3

cheese

 

when compared to

 

tutorial1

blah blah

tutorial2

whatever

tutorial3

cheese

[gwolgamott]

Quick easy to follow and to the point. I don't think for a text heavy site like this to be plain is a bad thing, but I like the menu. The only thing I dislike is the well the menu... yes I just said I like it. I mean I like the function of it and look of it... but it just seems to throw off the rest of the display I don't know if it's that it pushes the definitions too far to the left or what. Play around with positioning the menu I guess.

[lqdmindz]

I would suggest not making it to light. You have light blue and white and then Black.  Your site literally makes me not want to read it.  With you entries try alternating the colours so it doesnt look like one long read.  Its well designed an the only other thing i can see is that the text boxes and buttons could use a bit of css

[ram4nd]

thewooleymammoth, I can use photoshop, the question is about that I don't have any clue what should I do, other wise I wouldn't came here. So maybe something more exactly, not like: "You don't have any images, make some"

 

xcandiottix, I know I don't have images and stuff, that is the reason I came here, no need to tell me that I need those. I have colour palette, blues, white, and orange, you can suggest that were will I should put orange.

 

gwolgamott, naah the menus are fine. Yes I would like to hear something about increasing readability. While time goes on then the menu will be huge so, it's good that it has accordation.

 

lqdmindz, the whole site is css, so you have to be more specific. The text is also not full black and white is not 100% white.

 

 

Thank you for responses, but most of it was telling me stuff I know, please be more specific. If you would like me to change something then would be great if you would tell me exactly what to change, like make this title bolder or increase that divs margin.

[lqdmindz]

What i mean is change the button type and textbox type.  I would really address the alternating post background colours like i said in my previous post...it would make a world of difference.

[V]

I really like the dropdown menu on the left and the simple, straightforward design. I agree that you need a better typography check this out for inspiration http://ilovetypography.com/2007/09/19/15-excellent-examples-of-web-typography/

 

and while I like the simple design there is still something missing. I think images. Maybe you can display thumbnails for each post and I think you will need to make the container a little wider if you do - perhaps 950px and a lighter backgorund color will look nicer, maybe #e5ecf1. Hope that helps

[gwolgamott]

I didn't mean the accordion style that's the part I like & didn't want you to move the menu. Bad choice of words. I like the menu. But maybe make the menu not so wide, it seems that the ratio is off balanced to me. Maybe I'm just ADD but my attention seems to pull to the menu ... oh shiny.

[ram4nd]

lqdmindz, "I would really address the alternating post background colours like i said in my previous post.", I don't understand what do you mean by alternating colours? Ok I'll write down, change buttons from original to css buttons.

 

V, I have to put some time on finding the right font, anybody seconds the background theory? Won't make it wider yet. Images are bigger work, so maybe after summer(More important thing for now), but has been written down for a long time.

 

gwolgamott, sorry can't agree with you, I am happy with the ratio for now

 

Good responses people, really thank you for your activity.

 

[lqdmindz]

What i mean about the alternating colours is for each table that is displayed alternate the color from white like you have to white and another colour so you can define the individual posts.  The part i am focused on is the 10 newest posts section.   Hope this helps.

[ram4nd]

OK now I get what you mean. Change background color of table rows over 1 to increase readability. Yes good idea, have to figure out how to do this.

[lqdmindz]

Yeah every odd number...not sure how that may be done though.

[V]

OK now I get what you mean. Change background color of table rows over 1 to increase readability. Yes good idea, have to figure out how to do this.

 

I believe counter will work for alternating colors. Something liek this

 

<li class="default_row <?php if($counter == 2)
{ echo 'alternative_row'; $counter=0; }
else { $counter++; } ?>">

 

You might have to try different values for counter until you get what you need

[ram4nd]

OK now I get what you mean. Change background color of table rows over 1 to increase readability. Yes good idea, have to figure out how to do this.

 

I believe counter will work for alternating colors. Something liek this

 

<li class="default_row <?php if($counter == 2)
{ echo 'alternative_row'; $counter=0; }
else { $counter++; } ?>">

 

You might have to try different values for counter until you get what you need

Really I have made the site from scratch on framework called codeigniter and you think I don't know how to to this? I have to integrate it into table helper, so not that easy, but I'll do it in the next days.

[V]

OK now I get what you mean. Change background color of table rows over 1 to increase readability. Yes good idea, have to figure out how to do this.

 

I believe counter will work for alternating colors. Something liek this

 

<li class="default_row <?php if($counter == 2)
{ echo 'alternative_row'; $counter=0; }
else { $counter++; } ?>">

 

You might have to try different values for counter until you get what you need

Really I have made the site from scratch on framework called codeigniter and you think I don't know how to to this? I have to integrate it into table helper, so not that easy, but I'll do it in the next days.

 

lol sorry, didn't mean to offend you.  :'( I have never used code igniter, thought you were doing this in regular php.

[ram4nd]

It is regular php, jou just have some really helpful classes and functions to increase the development speed.

[ram4nd]

I have changed some things. Right now I am looking for new ideas and thinking about alternating background coloured menus.