This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Agile Buzz by Joe Walnes. Original Post: What's in a skin? Feed Title: Joe's New Jelly Feed URL: http://joe.truemesh.com/blog/index.rdf Feed Description: The musings of a ThoughtWorker obsessed with Agile, XP, maintainability, Java, .NET, Ruby and OpenSource. Mmm'kay? Latest Agile Buzz Posts Latest Agile Buzz Posts by Joe Walnes Latest Posts From Joe's New Jelly

Like the look of the site?

Some of the subtleties that went into designing it:

• Tabs. The clearest form of navigation when there are a small number of sections.
• Color coding. Each of the four sections has a different color scheme. It is blatently obvious which section you are in at all times and there's no chance of not spotting that a link has taken you to another section.
• Color choices. Chosen very carefully using a triadic complementary scheme from a color wheel. This avoids clashing.
• Layout. The page is laid out neatly to guide the eye to common elements. Titles correctly frame the content they are labelling.
• CSS. It's lightweight HTML marked up by CSS.
• Cross browser. Tested in IE, Moz and Opera - looks good.
• Fonts. On paper, fonts with serifs are easier to read - the serifs emphasise the shapes of the letters. However on screen they can look quite messy as the pixels get cluttered. I find it easier to read a sans-serif font on screen.
• Minimal. Everything on the page serves a useful purpose. Look, no calendar!
• Fixed width body. The central text is not too wide, making it easier to read long paragraphs.
• Fast loading. No images. Minimal HTML/CSS.
• Titles. Enough to be descriptive and consistent - no more.
• Tested on other people. It's near impossible to assess the usability of a site you've designed yourself.

Feedback please!