Things like polls can really enhance the engagement (I hate that word) on your site. I have a long todo list of such improvement myself but lack the focus to do it, and am considering moving my blog to another platform one day.
I still find your new comment system to be the best recent improvement but these evolutions really are great too.
If you're not familiar with that source, it's Jakob Nielsen's site. He is considered to be THE usability guru of the world. Unlike many others, all his findings are based on actual data and research. I have read some of his books and particularly "prioritizing web usability" is worth it's weight in gold. As for pulldown menus, his research shows that:
- Pulldown menus suck and confuse and irritate users
- Hovered 2D menus (mega menus) are an exception to this rule
- ...But not when they are not categorized and/or iconized
I think your mega drop down menu is fine given your audience and it is really good that you can get to the content on non-hover devices (iOS). Just wanted to give you a tip on how you can easily determine the usability of an individual element you're designing. Base it on data, not opinion.
Great work Jake!
Things like polls can really enhance the engagement (I hate that word) on your site. I have a long todo list of such improvement myself but lack the focus to do it, and am considering moving my blog to another platform one day.
I still find your new comment system to be the best recent improvement but these evolutions really are great too.
Just one reading suggestion for you:
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/mega-menus-wrong.html
If you're not familiar with that source, it's Jakob Nielsen's site. He is considered to be THE usability guru of the world. Unlike many others, all his findings are based on actual data and research. I have read some of his books and particularly "prioritizing web usability" is worth it's weight in gold. As for pulldown menus, his research shows that:
- Pulldown menus suck and confuse and irritate users
- Hovered 2D menus (mega menus) are an exception to this rule
- ...But not when they are not categorized and/or iconized
I think your mega drop down menu is fine given your audience and it is really good that you can get to the content on non-hover devices (iOS). Just wanted to give you a tip on how you can easily determine the usability of an individual element you're designing. Base it on data, not opinion.