Upcoming Site Re-design: I need your thoughts on this.

[ClarkP]

Hello all!

The inevitable is happening:  We are being forced to migrate DK to an updated website platform.  There is not a firm date yet, but it sounds like we will have to be updated within the next 6-8 months

This upgrade is both good and bad.  I wanted to give you a heads up and get your opinions on a few things.

First the GOOD:

• DK will remain wild and free for everyone.  :-)
• All our content from the beginning of time will be available on the new site.
• The new site will have a more contemporary, clean look to all features
• The site will look pretty similar... same logo, colors, etc.
• Improved functionality on many features that we use daily:  forum, groups, blogs, photos, etc.
• The new site will be faster.  This current one is a slowpoke (84% of sites load faster).
• It will work much better for tablets and mobile devices.

Now the BAD:

• We think we might lose functionality that we like
  - points that determine Hopeless Doodle Addicts might not be possible (this is a BIG problem... and we are working on it.  We want this as much as anyone.)
  - music player will not be included (but embedded music will be available)
  - no native video upload:  Videos will all be embedded from YouTube / Vimeo / wherever.
• I'm sure there will be bugs and glitches when we "flip the switch" to start using the new design.
• There will be a learning curve as we all get used to the new layout and how it works.
• It will force us to invest substantial money in the design/upgrade

Here is an example of a different site that has just been upgraded to the new platform.  [Edited to add:] This example site looks completely different than ours will.  It has different navigation & features than ours will.  Only look at this site for it's better functionality across all devices, NOT for how it looks.  [end edit]:  http://lenscience.ac.nz  Try it out with different devices and screen sizes.  You can see how it is much cleaner and handles tablets / mobile devices so much better.

And that is the main reason for this upgrade.  Our current site is slow(ish), dated, and doesn't work very well on tablets / mobile devices.

Now where I need your help.  We need to know what features of DK you value to the most.  We want to know how you use DK and what features you can't live without.

Take this short survey for me if would be so kind:  DK Site Upgrade Survey

Comment below when you've taken the survey.  Comment below with the ONE thing you value most about the current DK site.

Thanks so much!
Clark "DK tech slave" Pearson

[Added]  PS.  I will be creating a "sandbox" version of the new site.  It's a separate site where we test the new design/features before we go live.  If any of you would like to be members of the sandbox site to give additional feedback, just let me know.  Thx!

[Bonnie and Kona]

Done. Hard to pick a favorite.

[Julie, Eloise & Beasley]

I completed the survey.  I agree with others' comments about still being able to embed photos into discussions, so that's my one thing.  But if I can add more things :)  ...keeping the points would be great, too.  As I'm also a relatively newer DK member, I agree with Stephanie that it's neat to see the points and appreciate how much other members have contributed.  I also really like the activity feed, which brings the site to life right there on the front - makes it feel interactive and inviting.

And a big thanks for all you do to make DK so great! 

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Survey completed. I love this forum and will support whatever shape it takes. Don't really have any suggestions outside of things already mentioned, i.e. Imbed pics in discussions, less blogs, ( not you Laurie)! I do use my tablet more than my computer, so that upgrade will be nice!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Survey done. If we could just get the speed and tablet friendly features and keep much of the rest unchanged it would be great.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Just what I said in the survey.  

[ClarkP]

To be honest, that is completely our goal.  We will have to rearrange the furniture a tiny bit, but we don't want to remove much of anything.

On a side note F, as a group leader you will love the upgrades to groups.  :-)

[F, Calla & Luca]

That's great news : )

[Emily, Bentley, & Maserati]

Survey completed!

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

I have completed the survey and visited the example site. The one thing that caught my attention on the example site is THAT THERE ARE NO ADS!!! Clark, What are you going to do with the money making ads? Before the ads DK was a cleaner looking site.  I believe that the ads loading slow this site down. JMO  And, yes, I know they are here to stay and have gotten use to them. 

The layout example site is different when viewed on a laptop than when viewed on a tablet.  Apparently there is a mobile version without the option to view the full site.  I visit DK mostly on my tablet and view it as full site and not the mobile version

It has been my experience that when a favorite business decides to clean up their act and get modern that it loses its atmosphere even though the product is the same. In many cases this can cause a successful business to fail.  JMO

DK is such a friendly site the way it is, in layout, content and members.  Keep as much of the current site's layout and features as you can and the ability to imbed photos in discussions.  I would like to see the option to view the full site on a mobile device.. I know it's possible because it can be done on Amazon.com.

Thanks for all you do.

[ClarkP]

Hi Anne,

We certainly aren't changing to be cooler or fancier.  We're not fancy folk.  :-)  We want to preserve all that we have here now and make it faster and easier for members on all devices.  That's all.

I completely recognize the danger of redesigning a site.  I witnessed a huge and vibrant site that I really liked (digg.com) get hit hard because of a redesign.  It's still there in a different form... but dead in comparison.

There will probably be ads of some variety on the new site.  They support the site in a very real way.

I know there are many opinions on this and if we could figure out a way to minimize ads further while maintaining (or growing) revenue, we would.

We have a voluntary support subscription for those who want to support DK because it is valuable to them.  We appreciate those supporting members very much and completely understand why they chafe at ads on their site.  And to be honest, if we averaged even 25 cents per month from our members, the ads would be long gone.  We are working on "suggesting" this support subscription to new members in a better fashion.  ;-)  Perhaps we can increase those numbers.

As to ads slowing the site down?  They really don't.  They are the very last thing loaded on any page after all other content is loaded.  That content is loaded at the same speed as it would be without any ads, and only then the ads are loaded.  But it may seem slower with ads because you still see stuff loading for a longer period of time.  (This is not an excuse for our slow site... it's too slow.  And we know it.  This upgrade should improve the speed.)

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions!

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

Thanks Clark, and, bye-the-

way, I am a paid subscriber to DK.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

The lenscience site looks and feels like so many sites I run from. Too much information, too small of font.  Busy. Boring. Business.  It all becomes overwhelming and I leave.  Whatever happened to design?   There are some sites that are clean. Many look like font

I hope the creativity and cleanliness of this site comes through.  

Sorry, in advance, that you have to go through all of this to keep the site going/updated/faster.