jQuery Site Redesign - The Community Speaks
As many of you have seen by now, the jQuery Project's site has been redesigned. It had been a long overdue task and it was important to put a fresh new spin on the main hub, and the face, of jQuery. One of the things about the jQuery Project is that we've never run with the crowd or accepted the norm. By pushing boundaries and sometimes being "in your face" we've not only grown tremendously in popularity but we've pushed most of the other JS library projects to rethink their own principles and make changes to improve their products. That's a good thing for everyone as competition is always good.
So, it should come as no surprise by the drastic change in the jQuery website. So far, the single biggest complaint has been associated with the new banner (ie: rockstar caricature & slogan). Again, we wanted to push the boundaries and come up with something that would generate a lot of buzz. Overall, we've succeeded in that goal with plenty of positive feedback but unfortunately, with some very negative comments as well. We actually value both types of feedback and want more as it's the only way to determine if we're on the right track. As with any site redesign, you can't please everyone and we understand that. But we also want everyone to realize that this is a first cut and it doesn't mean that it can't be tweaked.
We're actively reviewing all of the feedback and will certainly be looking at how to best handle some of the concerns of the community. After all, the community is what makes the jQuery Project so special and so different from other projects. In addition, the jQuery team has always listened to the needs of the community and this time is no exception. Again, I think the team is unique in that we *DO LISTEN* to the community and we're going to work on making the site an invaluable tool for everyone. So just give us some time to go through the messages and keep an eye on this blog for updates.
Thanks for your patience and we truly appreciate your feedback.
The only serious issue seems to be with the home page illustration. While the intent was no doubt to deliver something edgy, provocative and differentiated to mirror those same qualities of JQuery, it seems to have missed the mark compared to the rest of the changes to the site. From my reading, it seems to fail in the following respects compared with the rest of the designs;
1. Professionalism: The new site would be extremely difficult to be taken seriously for those who need to "pitch" JQuery as a viable framework - either in the external sense (to a customer) or internally (to colleagues/managers/directors) as a serious contender for medium to large scale projects. Although first impressions shouldn't count as much as they do, for time pressed people in these roles who need to make quick decisions, JQuery in its current state would be far too easy to dismiss compared to other frameworks in many instances.
2. Usability: "Top heavy" design requires vertical scrolling requirement to get to meaningful information.
3. Message: No everybody working with JQuery has the same aspirations or motivations, so the "rock star" messaging will be lost on many people. In addition, the "horns" hand gesture used by the mascot on the homepage may be offensive to those with particular religious beliefs, which may seem far fetched but are a serious concern when it comes to the "pitching"/"recommendation" scenarios mentioned in #1 above where you can't determine whether it will be an issue or not.
In all, it seems that in terms of risk/reward, we seem to gain very little from the homepage illustration, whereas I think removing any other element of the new design would be a step backwards for Jquery. This is not to discredit the technical/design merit of the illustration - it's a great quality graphic.
I hope that is genuinely helpful feedback to assist you and the team. Keep up the good work.
Rey - jQuery Team
In the past when putting together presentations, etc - I've always had to hunt for jQuery logos, etc. Is there an official download spot for jQuery artwork somewhere?
The rock star persona and hand gestures are going to be offensive and unprofessional to some. While *I* think it's cool, my director and CEO won't see it that way. I use jQuery very extensively in my apps and it is a strong selling point for all of the usual reasons (lightweight, cross-browser, etc.). Yet if the first impression that a person gets is the animated rock star, the message is going to be lost in discussions about professionalism, support, community, and future of the framework.
The new site looks great, particularly the top half of the home page - very slick :)
There is not a single link in the article. A link to the jQuery website would have been more than convenient.
I believe the graphic and rockstar metaphor does more harm than good. Well executed, but out of context for the overall and potential audience, in my opinion.
i honestly think this would look better and more professional. the site is a GREAT first draft and very easy to navigate and pleasing on the eyes. that not to say i like the whole "rockstar" thing.
The thing that makes the jQuery project so special is our fantastic community. It's what drives the effort and the jQuery team makes every effort to listen and address the needs of jQuery developers. Today was just an example of our commitment to ensuring that we continue to provide the community with the tools that they need to be successful.
Thanks everyone for your feedback and patience.
http://jquery.com/blog/2008/08/29/death-to-javascr...
Congratulations team JQuery!
PS. If the decision is made to reintroduce a graphic in the middle section in future, it might be an idea to use a community-reviewed submission process to determine what artwork everybody wants there. That way we can be sure whatever is put there will line up with the community's tastes, attitudes and expectations. Though I personally believe the homepage is looking rather slick, concise and sharp without it - great work.
* The "Who's using jQuery" bar is great ... would love to see short blurbs about how those organizations are using the library in production.
* After clicking "Run Code", the "Learn jQuery Now!" applet might have a direct link to an easy-to-digest first tutorial instead of just pointing to the docs root.
* Would also like to see a more prominent link to why the MIT license might be the most appropriate choice for long-term success.
Keep up the great work ! Can't wait for the new selector engine and more widgets on the UI site.
1) Still love the logo type which debuted on the ui site.
2) Background Gradients look poor to me.
3) Banner overall seems too Guitar Hero-ish.
4) I like that the homepage highlights the big names that use jQuery.
5) I like how it’s easy to see what’s the current release version.
5) In the primary nav… About and Donate links don’t highlight.
6) The secondary nav doesn’t show a clear highlight to indicate where you are.
7) Overall feel isn’t professional.
Personally I think the focus should not have been on flashiness to generate buzz but more on showing off the tools in the library and an innovative way to organize the site via solid and simple design. Simplicity and speed is what I love about jQuery but the site doesn’t reflect that to me quite yet.
I hope you can bring something back in it's place, because the image was the glue that made the home page design attractive.
We won't be changing the colors. We're done with the site redesign for now and need to focus on the library.