Ok,ok, this is likely to disappearing into the maw — the very white page maw— of the site, but I need to get this off my chest: the redesign is making me crazy.
- First, the site is loading like a giant bloated pig. Jeez, Nordstrom’s site loads faster. I’m spending way too much time waiting and then scrolling. I usually read on an iPad. You have to make this site lightening fast or folks will get frustrated and go away.
- The new font is too light, has too much surrounding white space, and is a nightmare for older eyes.
- We like comment titles for many reasons. Many of us collapse large threads and dip in and out based on comment titles. Many dKos titles were themselves works of art — perfectly crafted to form smooth or snarky transitions in an argument.
- I can't find my way to a comment on my comment without scrolling forever. Dumb.
- Front-page white space is crazy. Yeah,yeah, i’ve read all the arguments for it — it makes the site slicker, more au courant, more we’re-a-news-powerhouse-not -just-some-lefty-blog kinda thing. But what keeps people coming back? The comments and diaries, not the front page news. There, I said it. (Disclaimer: Meteor Blades diaries excepted from this rule).
- Those floating alerts in the lower left corner announcing the arrival of new comments? Beyond annoying. I feel like I'm in a foxhole and someone keeps screaming “Incoming!"
I’m not a Luddite, just a practical person. And this is only my second diary in eleven years, so I guess my dander is up (and I’m not even sure I know where my dander is located).