Need some creative and subjective design input for website.

[SpeedCrazy]

I have a website project I'm working on, and i am rather lacking in the visual design department.

Soooo, I was wondering if any of you so very opinionated people would care to share your opinions on a couple of points.

 

Background info:

This site is a cross between a blog and an image gallery, and it is the image gallery part i need some visual design input on.

 

Question 1:

Do you prefer an image gallery to be displayed as a group of thumbnails with a pop out viewer/slideshow(think jquery lightbox) or a slideshow, or a slideshow + a group of thumbnails?

 

Question 2:

Assuming the answer to Q1 is slideshow + thumbs.

Is it more visually interesting/aesthetic to present the thumbnails as a slider below/beside the slideshow or separately below the slideshow?

 

Question 3:

On an image viewing site do you prefer to view images at a fixed resolution or have the option to pick the size you will view(for internet speed or other reasons)?

 

Question 4:

Assuming the images are displayed in a slideshow format, is it more aesthetically pleasing to have the slideshow container seamlessly integrated into the websites general design or be framed/stand-out/be separated from the site somehow?

 

Question 5:

Do you prefer websites displayed in the standard format(header, menu, sidebar, content) or in unique creative arrangements?

 

And one final non visual preference:

Are you more or less likely to join a site if it supports open id(as an option, not requirement), AKA it lets you login with your google/facebook/yahoo/whatever credentials?

 

Please be as detailed and specific as you can though all input is appreciated. Also feel free to link to examples of what you mean.

Thanks,

Speed

Edited May 3, 2012 by SpeedCrazy

[flareback]

I have a website project I'm working on, and i am rather lacking in the visual design department.

Soooo, I was wondering if any of you so very opinionated people would care to share your opinions on a couple of points.

 

Background info:

This site is a cross between a blog and an image gallery, and it is the image gallery part i need some visual design input on.

 

Question 1:

Do you prefer an image gallery to be displayed as a group of thumbnails with a pop out viewer/slideshow(think jquery lightbox) or a slideshow, or a slideshow + a group of thumbnails?

I've seen it work well both ways but I tend to like the popout and gray the background.

 

Question 2:

Assuming the answer to Q1 is slideshow + thumbs.

Is it more visually interesting/aesthetic to present the thumbnails as a slider below/beside the slideshow or separately below the slideshow?

I like the thumbnails below.

 

Question 3:

On an image viewing site do you prefer to view images at a fixed resolution or have the option to pick the size you will view(for internet speed or other reasons)?

I like larger images, but I'm on fairly fast internet. I don't like it when the images are so large that I have to scroll to see the entire image. Try to check the browser window size and adjust accordingly.

 

Question 4:

Assuming the images are displayed in a slideshow format, is it more aesthetically pleasing to have the slideshow container seamlessly integrated into the websites general design or be framed/stand-out/be separated from the site somehow?

I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at. If the page is for a slideshow and that's what the user has gone to the page for, then it wouldn't hurt to have it stand-out a bit. If you're integrating a slideshow into a blog post, then I would probably go with a more seamless design. If I'm thinking of this the same way you are.

 

Question 5:

Do you prefer websites displayed in the standard format(header, menu, sidebar, content) or in unique creative arrangements?

Doesn't matter. Just make sure the navigation is easy to understand and easy to find.

 

And one final non visual preference:

Are you more or less likely to join a site if it supports open id, AKA it lets you login with your google/facebook/yahoo/whatever credentials?

No! I never sign in with my facebook/yahoo/whatever credentials. It usually means that that site will try to post stuff for me in shameless self-promotion which I abhor. If you do have that capability I probably won't join your site. I only join sites that I don't have to use my facebook account info. There are countless other sites for me to waste my time at.

[SpeedCrazy]

I've seen it work well both ways but I tend to like the popout and gray the background.

 

 

I like the thumbnails below.

 

 

I like larger images, but I'm on fairly fast internet. I don't like it when the images are so large that I have to scroll to see the entire image. Try to check the browser window size and adjust accordingly.

 

 

I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at. If the page is for a slideshow and that's what the user has gone to the page for, then it wouldn't hurt to have it stand-out a bit. If you're integrating a slideshow into a blog post, then I would probably go with a more seamless design. If I'm thinking of this the same way you are.

 

 

Doesn't matter. Just make sure the navigation is easy to understand and easy to find.

 

 

No! I never sign in with my facebook/yahoo/whatever credentials. It usually means that that site will try to post stuff for me in shameless self-promotion which I abhor. If you do have that capability I probably won't join your site. I only join sites that I don't have to use my facebook account info. There are countless other sites for me to waste my time at.

Thanks for your detailed reply.

As to the open id question, i did not mean as the only option but as an alternative to creating another account, i would never force someone to use that option as i refuse to use it. I edited the op to reflect this. The only reason i am considering offering it is i have been told that it increases users as lots of people don't like to create a new account for everything and would otherwise forgo using your site.

[Rofltroll]

This may be just me but I really like a website to be simple.I find reddit.com to be great in that respect.

[SpeedCrazy]

This may be just me but I really like a website to be simple.I find reddit.com to be great in that respect.

 

That may be but it does not answer any of my questions. Plus last time i check reddit was not a gallery website.

[Stonerboy779]

That may be but it does not answer any of my questions. Plus last time i check reddit was not a gallery website.

I like mine set up like flickr.

 

So it has thumbnail views fixed sizes when you open but the option for looking at different sizes of each pic etc.

Small scroll bars and so on.