[Actionchix] Simpler designs

[jennyw]

Julie Bovee Hill wrote:
> I'd like to add a more general thought, though. While I personally
> like the more simplified text-based designs because they're very
> functional, I suspect they're going to be much more appealing to
> tech-oriented people (developers, sys admins) rather than less
> technical Linux users. I may be totally wrong about this, but my
> feeling is that they have a "get down to business", masculine and
> uninviting feeling about them, reminding me of the very male
> surroundings at my workplace. I'm accustomed to that to the point
> where I hardly notice anymore, but new people we might want to attract
> may not be so hardened. I'd like to see something with a softer look
> that could appeal to a wider audience.

I agree with this. Heck, I'm a techie *and* I don't like the spartan
designs.  There's a bit of research on how people make snap judgments
about a site[1] and it can really go either way, so I'll just do as
Stephen Colbert does and speak from my gut.  Sites like BitKeeper's,
while functional, make me think about cubicles.  Practical, yes, but
also boring and drab.  They don't show passion, they don't show joy. 
Personally, joy and passion would be two of the things I'd want to give
in a first impression, especially for an advocacy site. Especially
especially if we're trying to appeal to girls and women who aren't
currently into tech., to show it can be cool and hip and fun.

Of course, we could use a style switcher and have two very different
looks for the same HTML, via CSS, a la the CSS Zen Garden.

Jen

[1]: http://www.uie.com/brainsparks/2006/01/18/snap-decisions-on-the-web/