ghammell'sBlog

Updating My Blog Layout

July 27, 2014

Impressions of my old site

Finally - an update to my blog template! Throughout the week, I dedicated a significant amount of time to improving the layout of my blog. I hadn't given it attention since the beginning of the program, and knew that it could use some work. It didn't seem very professional, especially when comparing it to many of the other blogs from my cohort. The color scheme just didn't seem right and there was a lot of unused open space, amongst other items that just weren't great about the page. I had been paying so much attention to the layouts of other websites that I use (this has become an uncontrollable habit since the program started) - that I really wanted to apply some similiar details to my site.

Making it happen

I didn't actually end up wireframing my site again, but instead just did a lot of editing right in the browser to see how certain tweaks would look. I played with a lot of different color schemes, spacing, and formatting until the site started to present itself a little better. Anytime I made a couple improvements that I really liked I would apply the code to my HTML and CSS files.

Three times throughout the week I thought I was satisfied with my improved layout, and that I would let it be. But, I found that everytime I revisited my page, I would catch one or two small things that I thought I could change. It was really fun trying to make ideas happen. It took a long time, for example, for me to figure out how to allow the navigation panel on the left and the text in the middle to scroll seperately, while the rest of the site remained static and while proper positioning was maintained.

Asking for feedback from friends was a huge help. This helped me identify any inconsistencies on my page between different browsers, screen sizes, or hardware. A few issues I uncovered definitely still need to be addressed. For example, when going to my website in a chrome browser on a PC, the scroll bars are visible to the right of the navigation and main text sections. I built my layout on a mac using a chrome browser as my reference, and the scroll bars are invisible through this set up. I'd like to figure out if there is a way to ensure that those stay hidden so that my intended formatting isn't compromised, regardless of broswer / hardware. Screen Fly is a great tool to see what your site looks like through different screen sizes and resolutions.

The experience of blogging

Blogging itself has been a huge learning experience. Actually writing out your thoughts about something you recently learned or are interested in is a powerful step in retaining knowledge and pushing your learning even further. The concepts that I take the time to blog about and try my best to teach to others are those that I find I retain very easily. Sometimes I wish blogging wasn't as tedious as it was - you know, all the formatting, spacing, etc.. with every post. Some of the technical blogs, for example, take a long time to translate from an idea to a good post with consistent user experience. But in the end, it is all worth it. I have learned an exceptional amount from simply blogging.

All in all

I have realized that a website will always be a work in progress. Preferences will change over time. I will be influenced by what I experience on other websites and also by my own capabilities. One should stay constantly open to feedback from others and should always try to improve upon their projects, when possible. I'm looking forward to seeing how this site evolves from here!


Copyright: Gary Hammell 2014