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Vote: Old vs New Front Page, etc.


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Poll: Preference for Front Page (33 member(s) have cast votes)

Preference for Front Page

  1. Existing (www.imminst.org) (3 votes [9.38%])

    Percentage of vote: 9.38%

  2. Neo (www.imminst.org/neo) (23 votes [71.88%])

    Percentage of vote: 71.88%

  3. Other.. (suggest) (6 votes [18.75%])

    Percentage of vote: 18.75%

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#1

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 01:32 AM


Existing: http://www.imminst.org

Proposed: http://www.imminst.org/neo

Further to the discussion on redesigning the layout of the front page (for more info see http://www.imminst.o...&t=11187&hl=&s= ) feedback is invited by all members on their preference.

Please provide comments on:

- layout
- design
- byline (ie "For Infinite Lifespans")
- usage of space

... and anything else that you can think of to improve user experience and the "image" of Imminst.

Note:

1. It has been suggested to incorporate login details on front page. Working on this.
2. The links to papers by Imminst members do not work yet.

#2 Bruce Klein

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 01:53 AM

Thanks for the new design work, Harold. I really like the double column layout!

This poll should be helpful for feedback. I suggest 60 days to allow discussion, then allow Full Membership a chance to vote. The drawback from these kinds of open votes is that they may be skewed by one individual registering a number of basic memberships.

Concerning the design, I suggest that the current ImmInst homepage with mission...

Posted Image

...seems to find the best balance in keeping with our overall goal.

Concerning byline, "Society for Biological Immortalism,” may alienate many who see biology as only a start. As stated earlier: ImmInst is currently explicit about our position for a reason. As posted earlier, and as agreed to by Mind here and many others who ratified the Constitution in 2003, staking claim to our (as Reason's puts it) Suitable Outrageous Extreme is a benefit to the Institute and life extension as a whole. The Institute has only grown stronger, as indicated by our successful projects and membership, over the past four years.

Watering down things is likely to alienate hard-core members who actually get stuff done and may confuse first-time members who will eventually feel misguided once they understand our ultimate goal.


#3 zoolander

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 02:00 AM

I voted for Neo.

The layout is good. The appears to be a void between the main header (with the "imminst.org") and the start of core of the page (Starting from projects).

Additionally there is a lot of blue. This is not necessarily a bad thing and helps keep things minimal. Minimal is good because it minimises the confusion that can come from a front page that is too busy. The minimal needs to be broken up with touches of colors other than blue. Colors like that seen picture for the article on "The discovery of CGK733gene" that picture blends well but breaks up the monotony.

So to break up the monotony a little you could design a banner to sit in the void I explained above.

Ok check out the main banner that says Jet Propulsion Lab in this link

These banners are easy to do in photoshop which can then be dumped into dreamweaver.

The design and space is used fairly well. It could be optimized a little more by looking at other websites for ideas.

Check out some award winning websites at the Webbys.

Re. content....I think that this needs to be discuss in a seperate forum

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#4 Live Forever

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 02:03 AM

Ok check out the main banner that says Jet Propulsion Lab in this link

Every time you reload the page it changes too. That would be a way neat effect to have, every time someone visited it would look different. [thumb]

#5 zoolander

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 02:51 AM

I didn't notice that.

Live Forever, do you think you could design a similar banner for each of the main areas in the forum i.e AI, Supplements

Imagine the below image stretched accross the the length of the page and used as a banner with Imminst.org as the main title and SENS as a sub title, similar to the NASA example

Posted Image

Note in the example I gave above that that main title remains (Jet Propulsion) but the writing in the lower right hand corner changes to describe the secene. For us, this could change and name the forum that the banner is demonstratin

This would be a great edition to the front page proposal. First impressions are lasting impressions, hence the front page layout and content is very important to clinch new members

#6 DJS

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 03:06 AM

I didn't vote yet. The byline is a tough call. I'll need some time to think this one over.

I suggest others do the same.

[thumb]

#7 Live Forever

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 03:07 AM

Yeah, zoolander, that should be fairly easy. I could come up with a few prototypes to see if anyone liked them. I am going to be fairly busy doing some other stuff through this weekend till the 4th of July, but after that I can jump on it.

#8 zoolander

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 03:19 AM

Sweet. I would appreciate it if you did that. I think we are thinking on the same level re. the banner. Try and use the Jet propulsion example as a basis for the design. I look forward to seeing some examples

DonSpanton said:

The byline is a tough call. I'll need some time to think this one over.



Thats why I suggested we have a seperate topic for the byline. Layout and byline IMO are two different topics.

#9 kent23

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 03:33 AM

If Japanese outreach efforts build up steam, it would be great if we could have a small link in Japanese script on the bottom of the left column. The link would lead to a rudimentary Japanese translation of the front page. At first the translation would be provided by free online software, but would eventually be more advanced and accurate once we have some Japanese members helping out.

#10

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 03:50 AM

Thanks for the new design work, Harold.  I really like the double column layout! 

This poll should be helpful for feedback. I suggest 60 days to allow discussion, then allow Full Membership a chance to vote.  The drawback from these kinds of open votes is that they may be skewed by one individual registering a number of basic memberships.

Concerning the design, I suggest that the current ImmInst homepage with mission...

Posted Image

...seems to find the best balance in keeping with our overall goal.

Concerning byline, "Society for Biological Immortalism,” may alienate many who see biology as only a start. As stated earlier: ImmInst is currently explicit about our position for a reason. As posted earlier, and as agreed to by Mind here and many others who ratified the Constitution in 2003, staking claim to our (as Reason's puts it) Suitable Outrageous Extreme is a benefit to the Institute and life extension as a whole.  The Institute has only grown stronger, as indicated by our successful projects and membership, over the past four years. 

Watering down things is likely to alienate hard-core members who actually get stuff done and may confuse first-time members who will eventually feel misguided once they understand our ultimate goal.


2 months to make a decision to change the front page is counterproductive. The double column layout and incorporation of featured forums and publications is not an issue - that can be implemented immediately. What remains is a policy for who is repsonsible for updates.

The issue of byline is another matter and admittedly requires further deliberation. Input from members is welcome, however this must flow from executive leadership. We eagerly await comments from the chair.

In the meanwhile:
1. Most see biology as the start if not the only option. This includes using technology such as systems biology, micro/nanotechnology, advanced computing, etc to discover, understand and modulate biology. Bruce, you should be clear on what you mean by non-biological approaches since what you are referring to is a virtually omniscient artificial intelligence that is going to solve all of humankind's problems.
2. Who are the hardcore members who "get stuff done" -- what is this stuff? -- that would be alienated by a pragmatic approach to lifespan extention? I would like to hear from them.

#11 DJS

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 04:02 AM

All right, here are the two three suggestions I came up with for the home page.

The first thing my friend (who is a professional web designer) said when he saw the neo front page:

The biggest negative for the new design is that the text and images are small and difficult to read. It would better if the size of everything was increased substantially and some of the content sacrificed to scroll down status.

(And as per Mind's comments, my friend also thought our emblem looked like an alien. If we want to avoid the appearance of kookiness it needs to be changed)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

There's lots of room under the forum statistics on the right hand side that I think can be utilized. I was thinking a display of the active topics list would be a nice fit.

#12 Live Forever

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 04:09 AM

(And as per Mind's comments, my friend also thought our emblem looked like an alien.  If we want to avoid the appearance of kookiness it needs to be changed)

If we could have something cool, similar to Jay's pic or something:
Posted Image

...as the emblem, that would look really rad, I think.

#13 DJS

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 04:11 AM

hhhmm, can we put that motion gif in the banner? It would freakin rock!

#14 zoolander

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 04:12 AM

There's lots of room under the forum statistics on the right hand side that I think can be utilized. I was thinking a display of the active topics list would be a nice fit.


Yes yes. The active topic function is a favorite for a lot of members here. Great idea DonSpanton.

It's good to see your old avatar back as well. That avatar would make a great new logo for the institute. To me its like a ribbon signifing the end of something, the end of death perhaps and the sky in the background is symbolic of a new horizon.

Jays avatar written into the banner would rock also

#15 DJS

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 04:18 AM

t's good to see your old avatar back as well. That avatar would make a great new logo for the institute. To me its like a ribbon signifing the end of something, the end of death perhaps and the sky in the background is symbolic of a new horizon.


I would gladly donate it, but first I would have to go seek permission as I snagged it from another site. (www.bradshawfoundation.com - very cool site, check it out)


(and yes, I am quite fond of it, but I've had it for so long it's like having ice cream every day - you start getting sick of it)

Jays avatar written into the banner would rock also


I personally think that Jay's would be the better fit, but I'd like to hear other people's opinion. (Also, I'm still uncertain if the motion gif is possible for the banner)

#16 zoolander

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 04:22 AM

Jays would fit perfectly. It shouldn't be too hard to get a motion .gif into the banner.

If you can get a motion .gif as your avatar then you can get it into the banner.

#17 stephen

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 04:31 AM

All right, three suggestions I came up with for the home page.


Excellent points. All seconded... especially the one about small text size.

I think it's critical to have a "recent forum topics" list on the mainpage. After all, what do people come here for? There are news aggregators all over the place... The Forums is what draws the crowd.

#18 Bruce Klein

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 05:41 AM

Personal preference (I must be getting old!) but having a moving graphic, like the one Jay has expertly created... which I agree is very cool as an avatar, may become an unnecessary distraction at the top of every page over the long term... BUT, I may be persuaded if it was slowed down half speed and integrated into the current design and color.

Otherwise, tweaking the existing graphic to be less alien seems like a good idea in that there have been a number of individuals commenting on this.

#19 Bruce Klein

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 05:43 AM

Having a screened active topics list on the homepage would be worthwhile... however; I'm partial to leaving the side bar space uncluttered. Minimalism.

#20 doug123

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 05:44 AM

I didn't vote yet.  The byline is a tough call.  I'll need some time to think this one over.

I suggest others do the same.

[thumb]



Given the choices, I think you guys should ditch any byline. It leaves more mystery for people to poke through. Having a Nikeish phrase like "Why die?" would look out of place and maybe silly to the scientists in the forum. That presentation would work with college type kids or young adults, though. I think the logo and the web url is enough.

I'd like to see what else Duke might come up with...he said he'd give it another try...bust, Duke!

The goal would be, it seems...to make the first impression consistent with the goals of the Institute, meanwhile remaining attractive and memorable enough such that a reader might find it worthwhile to poke around a bit more at the site. I'm confident that if people didn't think this was, as Duke might say: "nerdsville," first time visitors might look around and find a topic they enjoy enough to feel the need to participate or make a contribution. Considering most of the traffic originates from the "nootropic," health, and diet subsections; that could tell us where to start: where we can have the biggest chance for impact. A possibility for an article could be nootropics, diet, health, exercise, etc...maybe that would attract a lot of interest in other topics like Life Extension and Immortality? That's how I first came across these ideas, through supplements and nootropics.

Many visitors of the health forums find the messages there generally relevant enough to compel them to poke around and often ask questions. That is, if they don't get sick to their stomach from the...past saga..I think it's time to put that even farther behind us...maybe move the "Chronicles" to a members only or even full members only section? So that way, at worst, you get a new set of registrants to witness a consequence of being perhaps the most advanced Internet forum community in the world based on real human relationships and the first to have to weed out a hidden commercial interest. This is perhaps the only Internet forum I know of that is led by real individuals rather than screen names...so that equates to a credibility thus far unmatched on the Internet; I can also see why it might be important to not compromise the byline for "looks" sake ...but in this case, I don't think it's really a question of the credibility of the message itself, but of finding the most appealing way to present it.

Edited by nootropikamil, 30 June 2006 - 06:19 AM.


#21 Bruce Klein

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 05:54 AM

Harold: 2 months to make a decision to change the front page is counterproductive.

To be sure, we're talking about changes to the slogan and main graphic, which have been successfully growing our organization over the past four years. I suggest at least 60 days to allow membership feedback.

Harold: What remains is a policy for who is repsonsible for updates.

Thus far, this responsibly has fallen to me. I'm happy to have help; and I'm also happy to hash out a systematic guide with leadership.

Harold: The issue of byline is another matter and admittedly requires further deliberation. Input from members is welcome, however this must flow from executive leadership. We eagerly await comments from the chair.

I think it’s more productive to allow slogan ideas to flow from membership upwards. Allowing membership 60 days for creative input seems worthwhile.

#22 doug123

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 06:25 AM

The better the quality of the data, the more efficient the model. There is perhaps no better representative sample than members that will come forward with their opinions. I might suggest making a link from the health fora to this topic for more feedback such that the sample can more accurately represent the "voice" of the readership.

#23 John Schloendorn

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 06:30 AM

Design great, therefore voted yes, but the science news content as it stands could use some editing imo. I'm referring to overstatements like

A newly synthesized molecule has been discovered by Korean scientists that is capable of reversing aging in cells.

It's senescence, which is one correlate of aging, among many. "Aging" happens to organisms, not cells.

New research shows that this immortalizing enzyme may not only be safe for extending cell lifespan but may also able to treat cancer.

These are in vitro results which have nothing to do with treatment. "Treatment" is commonly used to refer to something that fixes humans, not cells.

#24 Bruce Klein

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 06:58 AM

Bruce, you should be clear on what you mean by non-biological approaches since what you are referring to is a virtually omniscient artificial intelligence that is going to solve all of humankind's problems.

Approaches in reaching non-biological existence include brain-computer interfacing technologies, such as Cyberkinetics' Brain Gate:

Posted Imageref

Thinking about this from a philosophical perspective, see Dr. Martine Rothblatt's ImmInst presentation video on "Bemes" and "Genes" which address how "Bemans" and "Transbemans" may also meet our legal definition of life.

2. Who are the hardcore members who "get stuff done" -- what is this stuff? -- that would be alienated by a pragmatic approach to lifespan extention? I would like to hear from them.

ImmInst has been successful thus far by putting together a mission that has brought together what many consider hard-core immortalists, all of whom have been volunteering their time in order to get projects done... like the film, book, and conference.

#25 tomjones

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 07:00 AM

I voted neo, I like the double column
But I think "For infinite lifespans" is better than "Society for Biological Immortalism"
A moving graphic would be nice, but slow moving
An immage in the banner would be cool

.::~Jack~::.

#26 Live Forever

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 08:32 AM

For the combined image for the header, I combined Jay's image with a background I made with the same color as his image (far easier than making it match the current color, although with a bit of manipulation I probably could get that worked out as well). I suppose the top color would have to be changed to that lighter blue if it were used as is, but that shouldn't be too much trouble (I can supply the exact color if needbe for anyone making edits to the website). I kind of like the lighter blue a little better anyway, cause the shadow from the letters shows up a bit better. Also, the text is slightly modified, but that is very easy to change. The one that is up there now is shown for comparison. I also slowed the last pic down, as per Bruce's request, to half speed, to compare that as well.


Posted Image



Posted Image



Posted Image


The size of both of the new ones are only about 54 KB (compared to about 10 KB for the old one) so size shouldn't be a problem, that is fairly small for an header or an animated gif.

#27 tomjones

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 08:45 AM

Looks good

~Jack

#28 kent23

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 08:50 AM

The slower version is a little distractingly choppy to my eye.

#29 Live Forever

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 08:57 AM

The slower version is a little distractingly choppy to my eye.


Yeah I noticed that too. It is because it is going slow enough you can see the individual frames of the animated gif. If I were talented enough, I could design new frames at points halfway in between the existing ones to smooth it out when it goes slower. But, as is, perhaps a speed somewhere in between the two would be optimal.

#30 Infernity

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Posted 30 June 2006 - 11:40 AM

I love the new design, and I voted for it, I think though, that we should add ImmIns't logo at the top above the "Projects", this Posted Image Could be very good!! Perhaps just a bit darker if possible, will be perfect.


-Infernity




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