What do you think of Pallian Creative’s makeover of Mixergy? (Before & After Pictures Inside)
on May 12, 2009 - 10:16 PM PST
What do you YOU think of the new design?
Do you like the way Pallian Creative redid the site?
We’re not done making changes. Please tell us what you like about the change and what you think we should work on next.
Why I was excited to have Pallian Creative remake Mixergy:
Elegant design: My goal with Mixergy is to expose you to ideas that will rock your world. I didn’t want to drown out the message with heavy design. That’s why I was attracted to the motto on Pallian’s homepage, “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Financial intelligence: Adarsh, the company’s founder, helped Timothy Sykes create one of the most profitable personal blogs. I wanted someone who understood the business side of the web so I could start building a business behind all these great interviews.
Development expertise: Pallian creative is behind two great Web apps: Tweetizen, which I use on Mixergy’s live interviews so viewers could Tweet to each other and guests. Chart.ly, which was bought out soon after launching.
Who should hire Pallian Creative?
Anyone who needs a Twitter app developed. Pallian created Tweetizen and Chart.ly, two great Twitter apps. Their apps got strong reviews on top tech blogs like Mashable and TechCrunch.
Anyone who needs enterprise-level Twitter programs. A lot of what they built to manage Tweetizen, can be used to help large teams manage their Twitter presence.
Companies that want to build a big pretense on social media. If what you’re looking for is basic social media work, you can hire a college student to do it for you. I think Pallian is the company you call when you’re ready for the kind of social media statement that the CEO of Zappos told me he was committed to.
Who should not hire Pallian Creative?
Anyone who wants blog design work. I think the company outgrew that business. I proudly watched Pallian outgrow me as they were working on my site. Big names–like Mashable, TechCrunch and Howard Lindzon–were starting to write about and do business with Adarsh on a regular-basis. I felt that I had the company’s full attention–Adarsh himself worked till 3:40 AM on the night the launch went live–but I also felt that with all the attention, the company was ready for bigger challenges than a simple blog redesign. (If that’s all you need, maybe Adarsh can recommend someone else.)
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May 13th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Looking good, Andrew. Make sure you have them clean up the comments form, it’s extremely broken in Safari 4. Also, it would be great if you made an effort to push the Mixergy interview podcast with a big “subscribe” button. I’d click it, and I know tons of other people would.
May 13th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
he did a great job .. simple but really put every important section more appealing
May 13th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
I'm starting to see that the response to my interview requests is getting better since this design came out. That's the best part of this for me.
May 13th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
I like the design. It's clean and straight to the point. I can't wait to see what else is going to be done to the site though.
May 13th, 2009 at 4:48 pm
Site looks better. I'm normally a RSS reader guy and not pay too much attention the site itself. I found myself clicking through several of the links and looking around, which is ultimately what you would want in a site. Before the overhaul, if I were a first time visitor, I'd be a little confused on what the website did exactly. Luckily, I came to know mixergy through a referral so I didn't have a problem with that. With that said, if I could revisit the site as a first timer and see this new design, I'd know pretty darn quickly what the website was trying to accomplishment. Kudos to you, Andrew and the Pallian guys. Keep up the great work.
May 13th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
The design was great, very clean.
And also, every little thing on it have it's poupose. The way you promote they in the design is also great, showing to everyone that get into the site, the level of the guys that are interviewed, showing the faces of guys like seth godin.
Congrats!
May 13th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Love the new design Andrew! The navigation bar is great and the “Hero” Faces at the top really set the tone of the site. Really nice.
May 13th, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Nice re-design, other site didn't seem as 'structured'
May 13th, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Hello Andrew,
We already speak about this but I really LOVE a place or link to all the interviews in one page or two. For a while the new site had a similar list in the “Most popular” section (no complete but great list nonetheless) but now it is gone.
It will be much more convenient to simply jump to that list a grab an MP3 file (or watch a video) than having to either search or browse the all site for a specific interview. A simple list of interviews link will be just fine.
I will also LOVE if you could add all the URL or book names that you talk about in the interview. I found some of the link being of great value (since they are suggested by your guests or you) I listen to each interview in full (mostly in my car) and cannot always remember a good site name or a book. Maybe you can just list all the URL/books talks about during an interview at the bottom of interview page.
Very cool site! The black band at the top was genius. The site look now truly represent the “Mixergy” brand.
Great job Andrew/Pallian!
Mo.
May 13th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Vastly superior redesign! Good work — Love it!
Minor issues:
The main tabs (Home, Interviews, Events, …) don't become “selected” when clicking on them (I'm using FF3). Probably a bug but it's a little confusing.
The “Sign up for a FREE STARTUP REPORT” is confusing. I want to put my email address in, but I'm not sure what the hell I'm signing up for?
May 13th, 2009 at 8:08 pm
i love the new design!
May 13th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
They did a good job. Cool of you to show it off for them.
May 13th, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Andrew, I like this a lot. They did a great job with the header head shots …. they highlight the quality of the content in terms of whom is included in your interviews… Godin and company…. looks great!
May 13th, 2009 at 10:05 pm
Major step up from the previous design. creating a unique design has given Mixergy a new status online. Interesting how your interview request response rate has increased after you redesigned. Also I like the revised about us, great mission your on Andrew.
May 13th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
It's definitely much better than the last design, but that's not saying much. Your last design was definitely only attracting people for the content–which says a lot about your content! :)
You've seen the positive comments. I agree that this new design is easier to navigate and simply more visually appealing than the last design, which was lacking in this area (but certainly NOT in the content area). But we all know that design is an important part in capturing that casual browser's attention and potentially gaining new regulars.
So, the criticisms:
This new design could still be improved so here are some thoughts for mixergy 3.0 (or whatever design you are at). Aesthetically, the “top interviews” banner at the top is beautiful, but at the same time, looks like an advertisement / pay-by-click sort of thing that would lead to another site…which is somewhat off putting to have plastered at the top of any blog. Of course, if I took the additional time to look around a few seconds longer, I'd realize it was simply a part of your personal advertising for mixergy rather than a paid advertiser. But we all know that new viewer attention spans are short and it is common practice to judge a book by it's cover in interspace :) I'd put it somewhere below your title so it would appear less like a cheesy advertisement.
The flashy “sign up for a FREE..” ad just below this banner also gave me that initial gimmicky/advertisement feel.
However, it's nice to see some color/shading/bordered tables breaking up the previously almost all-white design.
Having your entries broken up into a paragraph each on the front page, with a similar sized photo relevant to that specific entry, is a lot cleaner, aesthetically pleasing, and so much more navigable and user friendly. Big plus there.
You look hot in your new picture :) In that powerful/professional man sort of way…
May 13th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Fresh & Clean (Although I liked the simplicity of the original too).
Three suggestions I have from a usability standpoint:
1.) Move the header with Seth, Guy etc. underneath the navigation bar. I think this would confuse some first time visitors. It overpowers your logo and navigation bar.
2.) Add a prominent, short, 1 sentence line describing what mixergy.com is at the top of this page. It's tricky for a first time user to find out what mixergy.com is all about. The text under your picture I would automatically think is a bio and skip it.
3.) Add a tag cloud. You have so many interviews on here I'd love to go and find something on SEO, VCs, Internet Marketing, or Funding. Having a tag cloud can help people look for the topics their interested in.
My 3 cents. Keep banging out the dope interviews. I'll keep soaking.
May 13th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Thanks!
That's the key. I needed a design that would help my mission. Not one that
was simply pretty.
I appreciate your feedback!
May 13th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
I can't wait for you to see what's next either.
Some of what I'm working on is:
- A way to help you find past interviews easily.
- iTunes link.
- A way to bring people into my mission here on Mixergy.
- A way to do more than just interviews, without distracting from the
interviews.
May 13th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
The biggest way that I think RSS readers like you will feel the impact of
the change is in the level of new interviews.
I'm seeing that the new design is a draw to people who didn't understand
Mixergy before.
Thanks for coming from the RSS to the site to add this comment!
May 13th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
I love that you used the word “hero” Nick.
After hearing stories of the risks entrepreneurs have taken and the failures
they had to suffer through just to bring an idea to life, I think
entrepreneurs are like heros.
I don't mean to get carried away, but I think entrepreneurs need to be seen
at least as rock stars in this society. Part of my mission is to get them to
that place.
Love your input Nick!
May 13th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
- Adarsh is working on the tab issue now. Thanks for telling us.
- You're right about the “startup report” I need to make it clearer. To be
honest, it's a placeholder that Adarsh created. I need to figure out what
the offer is there.
- Thanks for the input Chad. Hope to see you for a drink again soon.
May 13th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Thanks!
I want new people to quickly see who's been a part of the Mixergy mission
and what kind of ideas we're after.
Mixergy is going to grow into a place where successful entrepreneurs can
feel that what they teach will have meaning because the audience isn't just
hanging out. We're here to do something with what we learn.
I appreciate your helping me get there.
May 13th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
That's right Francois. As I added more content, the other design just
couldn't deal with it.
The homepage became a looooooong mess.
I appreciate your input.
May 13th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Thanks.
- Adarsh is working on an interview page that will categorize the interviews
based on content. That should make it easier for you to find each one.
- I agree on the need to link to the books and web site we talk about in the
interviews, but I think I'm stretched too thin right now. I need to find a
way to lighten the work that goes into each interview.
- The info in the right margin is temporary. We need to find something
smarter to put in there. Maybe most popular is the way to go.
May 13th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
I feel an obligation to people like you and Eric Ries and Mike Jones who
came on Mixergy to teach.
I want to make sure my work builds on what you've contributed to. I hope all
you guys will be proud what we're doing here and of what entrepreneurs will
do with what you taught them.
Thanks for the feedback on the site.
May 13th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
They really did do a good job.
I'm going to start talking more about what I'm up to behind the scenes here
at Mixergy. (But I'll do it in a new, separate section of the site so it
doesn't get in the way of your interviews.)
I want you to see what you're bringing to life by being a part of Mixergy.
We're going to do incredible things here Geoff.
May 13th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
Godin was a big help with this site.
I got my first real burst of viewers because he let me record one of his
seminars and put it up on Mixergy for free. Before that, hardly anyone cared
about what I was doing.
Then he helped me discover a new medium by being the first person to do a
video interview.
He's helped me a lot and I've thanked him privately, but I still owe a big
debt to him.
May 13th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Thanks Deep.
I want to upgrade the About section again. I need people to feel the mission
here in their bones. What I'm doing may not be for them, but I need them to
feel it.
You're on a huuuuuge mission with your business. That's why I know you
understand what I'm aiming for.
May 13th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Thanks. I could use this kind of input.
- I wonder what we can do with the top pictures. I'll have to think on that
some more. (Anyone else have ideas for that section?)
- You're right about that free offer. I'm going to change it. It's a
placeholder for now.
- Thanks for the compliment on the picture!
May 13th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
Thanks. This is very detailed. I appreciate it.
1) Not sure I can move that top section easily. Olivia, my fiance, said the
same thing. Maybe I can play with it a bit.
2) Hmmm. I wonder what sentence I can put under Mixergy to describe what
we're doing. I think you're right. That's what I want to know when I come to
a site for the first time.
3) I haven't been using tags. What you're suggesting is that I add maybe 5-7
tags per post so we can help people find them? Doesn't seem like a lot of
work. I'll try it on new interview first.
May 13th, 2009 at 10:45 pm
Thanks Andrew and everyone else here for your very positive feedback – like Andrew mentioned, we're still working on polishing up a lot of the sections on this site to highlight some of Andrew's greatest achievements on here.
May 13th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
the new design's fantastic, congrats to you both! Now i see Andrew's next phase for world domination :)
May 13th, 2009 at 11:28 pm
To the contrary of other comments i think the photos at the top are what made the best impression on me. The whole top 30% of the page looks very well organized.
The only thing that confused me a little was the “signup for free startup report”. It might be just wording but it gave me a bad reminder really baaaaadd experiences of signing up for “free credit reports”.
By the way i was hoping you'd post the before and after somewhere and here it is!
May 14th, 2009 at 12:08 am
For now, you could simply offer an automatic notification of new interview ready to view (I would love that!). You could also ask the person you interview to share an e-book they wrote of something else of value and provided to your readers. At least until you can get your own stuff. Seth has good stuffs if you can get him to share!!
Just a suggestion here. You really do not want to promise something and do not deliver. We are all you friends and rooting for you here. We know the value of this site not matter what the site look like. BUT sometimes it takes only one person to damaged a great brand.
Mo.
May 14th, 2009 at 12:15 am
Hey no problem. Just suggestions. Even the universe took few nano seconds so you have plenty of time!!! It was more like a to do list for the future rather than a must do today. I still do not know how you can get ready for interviews and respond to almost all comments? Keep up the great work!
Mo.
May 14th, 2009 at 12:17 am
The new design looks amazing. There is no denying that Pallian did a fantastic job.
However, personally, I prefer the older design. It had an authentic quality to it. It wasn't polished. It didn't have any text or banner ads. The website implied to me “Fuck the fluffy. I'm here to learn & teach usable info from people who have actually done it.” My first thoughts after I read & heard the first couple in interviews was “wow, this is good stuff… almost too good for this website.” The design set my expectation low and the content really hit things out of the park.
But I understand that the site must grow up and be even more successful. :D Very happy for you Andrew and the site. Looking forward to even more great stuff and possible contributing back at some point in the future.
May 14th, 2009 at 5:14 am
Good job! I just missed my chance to help you :)
May 14th, 2009 at 6:43 am
A way to help you find past interviews easily***
http://andydang.com/mixergy.html sample
A way to bring people into my mission here on Mixergy***
You do these interviews to teach the listeners when they start their business. Maybe create a page that simply list listeners who applied what they learned from the interviews.
So for one example, the page will list a picture of Jenny, the business she started, the interview she listened to, and the lesson she got out of it and applied to her business. This is just for Jenny, there would be a list of a bunch of other people.
This page will proove that your mission is working and proves to newcomers that your service works. Just a thought.
May 14th, 2009 at 7:01 am
Nice work Adarsh
May 14th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Hey Andrew,
the site looks awesome!!! Pallian did an excellent job!
May 14th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Nice improvement.
I, second, the header/banner. I would guess you have them their for credibility. That I understand. Perfect for new visitors/followers. A bit in-your-face for those who are on board with You and Mixergy.
Above the fold is crucial real estate. The decision on how to address it should be decided on your intent. Recruiting or Informing or both? I would suggest the content should be a rotation of thumbs that link to interviews and smaller in size. Personally, I would work it into the top space (600 pixels Height) as a complete solution. Treating it as a front page with rotating content. Kinda like Slate Magazine.
Reason: it treats all of your interviews equally. Makes it about the content and not the celebrity. You are the only Rock Star that matters. :-) Your content is why I am here.
Now that you upgraded the site… Did you change CMS? Did you ditch wordpress?
BTW…
Any start-up looking for a blog/site design, I will work with you, since Pallian is passing! Give me a shout.
May 14th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Technical: The old site used to max out my 2ghz Dual G5 mac but no on my intel mac. Not sure why, but its fixed on both now.
Purely on a esthetic level, I like 95% of it. The one small thing is the main logo. I'm not a huge fan of the font and the all caps look Especially the sloppy kerning. I think the font designer might have been going for a more haphazard look, but I just think it doesn't quite fit. I can see why you might want to go with something a little unpolished as startups in general are unpolished, but it just bothers me.
Feature wise I'm 99% an RSS user, so really no input there.
Overall great job!
May 14th, 2009 at 8:06 pm
I think the designer just wanted to put up a new design asap, get our feedback, and change from there. I am pretty sure the logo isn't finalized.
May 15th, 2009 at 10:59 am
Andrew,
Adarsh did a wonderful job. Congratulations on a successful transition to the new site!
You mention the Pallian's expertise in developing enterprise twitter apps., do you have any joint projects in the hopper?
All the best!
May 16th, 2009 at 1:33 am
Thanks Adarsh. Even without polish, the site looks a million times better.
You're incredible.
May 16th, 2009 at 1:36 am
My plan is for you and other Mixergy viewers to achieve world domination.
I can't leave my mark on the world unless this site creates world changing
entrepreneurs. That's the only reason why I'm responding to every freakin'
comment on Mixergy @ 10:30 on a Friday night.
I want to make sure every commenter knows how much I appreciate their input.
That I can't achieve this vision without their input.
Temojin, I'm in this for the long run with you.
May 16th, 2009 at 1:39 am
That part needs work.
I need to find the right incentive to get people to join my mailing list.
That's just a placeholder. You're right to point it out.
May 16th, 2009 at 1:42 am
Melvin, that was really my vision with the first design. I intentionally
ignored the design.
But I'm glad we changed because of two substantive reasons:
1. I'm getting better interviews from this design.
2. As you'll see soon, this design will give me room to expose you to the
Mixergy mission better. I have no interest in being the Larry King of
entrepreneurship. I want to be the Che (well without the communism and the
guns and stuff). This is a mission not a show.
May 16th, 2009 at 2:07 am
First of all, thanks. I'm grateful that you would even think of helping me.
Second, the Mixergy mission is just getting started. If you like the work
I'm doing and believe in the change I'm trying to make in the world, then
I'd love your help at any time you think there's something you can add.
In the meantime, let me help you. I'll keep doing these interviews and
pushing myself to get deeper and more helpful.
May 16th, 2009 at 2:12 am
Andy, you're the best! Thank you so much for this!
- I like the design you sent. I'll see if I can do that. As soon as Adarsh
has a free moment, I'm going to ask him to work on that.
- I've been dying to create a way for people to commit to specific actions.
Even before I started doing these interviews. I don't think the way I'm
excerpting my interviews lend themselves to that kind of commitment. But I'm
working on it.
May 16th, 2009 at 2:19 am
Thanks AJ.
I'm learning what you've known since day 1. Design has persuasive power.
Your site has always had a good look. Glad I'm catching up.
May 16th, 2009 at 2:25 am
Thanks.
I'm still on WordPress. It's very effective.
I do need to change the top images. I've asked Adarsh to show me how to do
it myself.
I'll add your link so people here know how to find you if they need design
work:
http://www.mydarndest.com/work/
May 16th, 2009 at 2:27 am
I wonder if my old design maxed your system because it had so much content
on a single page. This one only shows an image and a few lines for each post
on the home page.
Actually, I was thinking of keeping the logo. Hmm. I wonder what I should do
with it. I want something that will look good on a tshirt. I'm not planning
to sell them, but I'd love to wear the shirts myself.
May 16th, 2009 at 2:28 am
No joint projects right now.
My focus is on improving my interviews and the way I present them.
May 18th, 2009 at 8:55 am
Excellent. Thanks for the link, Andrew.
Good luck on figuring out more on the interviews.
I say you start traveling with 2 cameras and some nice lapel microphones.
I think it would be a very different dialogue with you in the physical presence of the interviewee.
Give a shout if you have ideas that you are looking to bounce off someone.
May 18th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
I agree completely. The in-person dynamic changes everything.
I look forward to that day.
May 18th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Well, I'm just picky, but you asked for the feedback :)
Something about the plugin required for the video on the old page. I'm not exactly sure, but I believe the new Intel native versions were just much more efficient. So I always had to use my Intel Mac instead of the G5 Mac. Otherwise they are similar speed/memory so it has to be something like that.
The new page runs great.
Keep up the great work, its been a rough year and its always nice to watch a positive video about building great businesses.
May 19th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Typo – Change outgrew to outgrow – I proudly watched Pallian outgrew me as they were working on my site
May 19th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
That sample looks great.
May 22nd, 2009 at 6:58 pm
Andrew I love the new site. It looks great and shows professionalism.
May 25th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Thank you!
May 25th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Thanks hawkeye! I really appreciate you telling me. I would have been easy
to notice it and then move on. I'm grateful that you stopped and told me
Michael.
May 25th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Thanks. I wish I could use paint.net, which you told me about, but it's only
for the PC. I used Acorn to put those two pictures together.
May 25th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Thanks Melissa. I'm lucky to have met Adarsh.
January 15th, 2010 at 11:22 am
Big fan of the current look. While the early style was simple and to the point, the site is much stronger now, especially at the top of the page where it counts. Looking forward to more!
January 15th, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Big fan of the current look. While the early style was simple and to the point, the site is much stronger now, especially at the top of the page where it counts. Looking forward to more!