Check out the latest Squash Source site design, which is going live at the same time as this post is being published.
I’m always messing with the Squash Source design. I really enjoy trying to make the site more useful. In fact, I probably enjoy it too much, because whenever I’m working on a redesign, I become obsessed and completely stop posting to the site.
Anyway, here are some things I think are improved in this version. (For comparison, here’s a screenshot of the prior version and a screenshot of the new version.)
Better mobile experience
The old site was OK on mobile, but this one’s much better. Bring it up on an iPhone or iPad or whatever you rock, and see if you like it. Check out the responsive menus. I had to upgrade my site’s theme from Thesis 1 to Thesis 2, which was a pain but totally worth it.
“Squash Products”
The old was focused on squash equipment reviews. But sometimes I want to promote other squash products I love, like Squash TV. In this design I’ve emphasized “squash products” rather than “squash equipment” to give myself more flexibility.
Gets to the point more quickly
The previous site had a big picture of a squash racket and shoe on the front page. I like how that emphasized the visual nature of Squash Source, and provided a bit of introduction, but it took up a lot of real estate. In this version the intro is much shorter.
Easier on the eyes
I had a lot of “stuff” in the sidebar before. In this version I just got rid of the sidebar entirely, and moved most of that stuff into the footer. I’m loving the clean look.
Search
The new site does a better job with search. I’m still using Google Custom Search, but it’s been moved to the footer. It seems to fit much better there. Also, I’ve got a dedicated Search page I can direct people do (which I do, from the menu).
Emphasis on comments
This sort of happened by accident, but the new design emphasizes comments even more than the last site. The “number of comments” is displayed more prominently, and on the home page I encourage people to leave comments about their current equipment. I liked how the comment sections were going on the old site, and hopefully there will be even more comment activity on the new site.
All that, and a hundred other things. I hope you like the new design. If you have any feedback, or see anything that looks weird, please let me know!
Leave a Reply