Hi!
Dave Page wrote:
>>People seem to expect these kind of set-ups nowadays. And
>>like you said, those three columns make your eyes wander too
>>much, just like on slashdot.org.
>
>
> I disagree with that. I find that the columns either side (especially
> being in a darker bg colour) frame and focus the eye onto the main
> content.
You consider this a feature, I consider this a problem.
When *you* come to the website (or I do, for that matter) you already
know its layout and look at the main content --- news.
Now, what happens when a *new* visitor comes to the website? Should
*his* eyes be focused on main content? No, first thing he should
understand is "what is this site about" and "what is it basic
structure". The current layout does not help this at all.
The main attention anchor should usually be the logo. This is not so at
postgresql.org: logo is located at the right of the page, while usually
it is at the left (unless we think that most of the site's visitors read
right to left (in case you are unsure, we read left to right here in
Russia)). It does not have enough contrast and is located between two
*big* banners bearing the website's colors.
Then the logo must direct attention to the main navigation structure.
The main navigation structure is bad, too: the letters are small (OK in
IE, but *small* in Mozilla, both under Windows and Linux) and not
contrast enough.
The navigation menus on the left and right do not fit into the screen in
any resolution. What's worse, it is impossible to see even the headers
of the ones at the bottom, i.e. 'gborg' and 'international'!
These were the issues I tried to address in my mock-up. And at least it
allows me to get overview of the whole site without need to scroll @
1024x768 (this is the most common resolution now).