I'm not a single hacker so I can't really help out much; but I hope you've started by reaching out to some more female heavy communities first. Otherwise you may have a pretty severe overpopulation of Mikes.
This is the first place a guy runs too... I'll speak to the Meg of the site and kick her in the ass to run to wherever they run to when they finish something.
Average people don't care about stuff like that. Most people have more cookies than Pepperidge Farms on their computer without realizing it. Unless you're targeting cranky hackers specifically, I wouldn't worry.
For the home page? Sure average people don't care about cookies, but if they get an error message when they arrive at your page they aren't going to waste time adjusting browser settings, they are just going to leave.
signed up. went through painful profile population process (alliteration w00t). the drop-downs for city is not at all fun - suggest text-field with auto-complete if you want the silos. otherwise, zip-code might be better?
checked out the member search not a single user within 200 miles of NYC?
while i understand this has just opened and the team is based in Ontario, seeding the userbase with beta-testers/soft-launch participants for major metropolitan areas is usually a good idea for sites that hinge on real-life location-centric interaction between users...
I went there, but I don't know what it is. It's a dating site, but why am I signing up for it? I don't know what the features are at all. So I try to look around, but I'm met with a login screen. Seems like maybe I'm supposed to register there, since clearly I'm new (I just came from the I'm a Mike screen, after all), but no. It's just a login screen, and the user name and pass I thought I was registering with doesn't work..
Oh, I need to register first... by looking all over and finally find the "Join" button nowhere near where I was looking.
your drop downs in registration seem slow... heavy in javascript maybe? I really hate all these sites with 'blog' and microblog stuff... basically I'm saying how many 'blogs' do I need? I don't mind it but I'd personally rather have one that ends up on all... maybe add a way to grab feeds and post with those? and whatever you do feature wise in the future don't make messaging unfree. I refuse to pay to send a message to someone.
I dived in your site for 2 minutes even though I'm not single and this is how I feel --
1. Too many questions during registration
2. Too little hand-holding for new users
3. The functionality seems pretty limited (upon a
quick glance)
4. How do you differentiate yourself from the
numerous other dating sites?
Accessing pic.php with argument s=1 or greater gives much better picture resolution than the original. Is that intentional?
The amount of interaction available without registration is sadly very small, not compelling to me.
Before I invest time in registering, I'd like to evaluate the site much more. At least some sample profiles...
Use of OpenID could also streamline the registration or do away with it altogether.
The graphic design and introduction text on the first page (where you choose a bunny) gives the impression that you want to be different from all the other dating sites..
So ok, I sign up. First questions you're asking when creating a profile is all kinds of stuff I really don't care about.
"Ethnicity", "Religious views", "eye color", "hair color", "height", and whether I am fat or not in some annoyingly gentle politically correct manner. Try to be a bit more creative. A dating site needs to make it easy to find interesting people you are in some way compatible with... and you come up with eye color. EYE COLOR!
I think you really need to think about what you want to accomplish here, start from scratch instead of copying other sites. And most of the other sites suck, so you really have a chance to create something useful and unique if you just do everything opposite from them. (think stackoverflow vs experts-exchange ;).
One more thing, to enter a description you present us with an FCK editor with every feature enabled. Three lines of buttons! WHY? Please, hire an interaction designer or at least read Steve Krug's "Don't make me think".
Your front page needs a serious design reconsideration. Besides that, two minor points - The two bunnies humping each other in the upper left corner - I guess that's supposed to be funny. Didn't really do it for me. Also, why mention "Release 488" on the front page?
This is a bit, well, austere is the kindest way I can put it. The bar for any sort of online profile is pretty high these days; you're up against Facebook and the subset of their userbase that filled in their 'looking for' - and they're not even really a dating site.
I don't like being called a mike. I only dislike it for the site name - it is moderately memorable, after all - but i hate that i have to call myself a mike when selecting a gender. I'm not mike. I dont know anyone named mike that i like. Just make it say im a guy or girl.
Don't require a one liner. I hate one liners. Make it optional.
The logo and logotype are ok, but everything else looks like a default template. Why not take the design seriously and actually develop a theme? It looks like the microsoft guys hired out for the logo and did the site in house. no offense. Well, just a little.
Why are you getting into this crowded marketplace? What is new about this?
After logging in you say something like, "We're a dating site, but were also kind of like facebook, and if you get a hook up here you're totally lucky, cuz we're way too chill to stress it, bro". I lost faith immediately.
Also, Advanced search has major problems:
Notice: Undefined variable: latitude in /var/www/dating/trunk/html/search-advanced.php on line 700
Notice: Undefined variable: latitude in /var/www/dating/trunk/html/search-advanced.php on line 700
Notice: Undefined variable: longitude in /var/www/dating/trunk/html/search-advanced.php on line 700
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Notice: Undefined variable: longitude in /var/www/dating/trunk/html/search-advanced.php on line 700
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Thanks, I'll fix that, and rethink the one-liners tonight. There is no team, just me, any suggestions for themes, or a place where I could read a bit more about the design aspect?
Sorry to be so brutally frank about the design - obviously take everything with a grain of salt.
I like the look and feel of the logo (although I would hand draw the type instead of using a font), and I would recommend that you do more to give the rest of the site a similar vibe. For instance, on the landing page i would:
1. eliminate all the extraneous boxes around everything
2. maybe try giving the whole page a light blue/pink background instead of just the boxes? Just trying to simplify it more.
3. reduce the size of the footer type
4. keep your font colors consistent (i see a few different shades of blue) and unless theres a good reason, keep your links all the same color.
On the next page,
1. I'm not a fan of the happy face indicator for the default image. Maybe try, i donno... a bunny?
2. the link buttons on the top right are really ignorable because of the generic icons. I would continue with the handwritten theme for the primary nav items and hand draw the icons
3. the recent members box takes up a lot of room... its most of your content. In fact, my home page asks what is going on? and answers: nothing is going on. Why not switch the locations and importance of the recent members and the whats going on thing?
Basically, removing boxes and revamping the nav to incorporate the logo theme would go a LONG way.
Why would I bother using this site when I could go to any of the other dating sites on the web, many of which have thousands of females in my local region?
From the about page of your site, it seems like you're an introvert programmer married for 15 years and three children. When was the last time you've been on a date or tried to romantically connect with other women? I don't mean to plow on the haterade but it's a serious question. Do you understand the dynamics of meeting women (i.e how attraction works, what women look for), or is this site a projection of what you think dating should be?
Why can't I upload pictures of myself from the web? I don't keep any pictures on my computer anymore... so this means I have to download the picture, and then upload it again.
Yet another usage barrier (but maybe it's not an issue for everyone).
39 comments
[ 3.2 ms ] story [ 91.5 ms ] threadGoing to do that now ;)
checked out the member search not a single user within 200 miles of NYC?
while i understand this has just opened and the team is based in Ontario, seeding the userbase with beta-testers/soft-launch participants for major metropolitan areas is usually a good idea for sites that hinge on real-life location-centric interaction between users...
just my two cents
Oh, I need to register first... by looking all over and finally find the "Join" button nowhere near where I was looking.
I give up.
What's the draw? Why use this instead of, say, OkCupid.com?
EDIT: You also claim to be the best free dating site on the web. This is arrogant and unfounded. It didn't do it for me.
You could always look at it as "my competition is paying me", but at first glance it looks like a traffic hemorrhage.
The amount of interaction available without registration is sadly very small, not compelling to me.
Before I invest time in registering, I'd like to evaluate the site much more. At least some sample profiles... Use of OpenID could also streamline the registration or do away with it altogether.
I'll look at allowing more prior to login, as a few others said, its a huge weak point for my site.
Thanks for the input, going to look into OpenId now ;)
So ok, I sign up. First questions you're asking when creating a profile is all kinds of stuff I really don't care about.
"Ethnicity", "Religious views", "eye color", "hair color", "height", and whether I am fat or not in some annoyingly gentle politically correct manner. Try to be a bit more creative. A dating site needs to make it easy to find interesting people you are in some way compatible with... and you come up with eye color. EYE COLOR!
I think you really need to think about what you want to accomplish here, start from scratch instead of copying other sites. And most of the other sites suck, so you really have a chance to create something useful and unique if you just do everything opposite from them. (think stackoverflow vs experts-exchange ;).
One more thing, to enter a description you present us with an FCK editor with every feature enabled. Three lines of buttons! WHY? Please, hire an interaction designer or at least read Steve Krug's "Don't make me think".
Don't require a one liner. I hate one liners. Make it optional.
The logo and logotype are ok, but everything else looks like a default template. Why not take the design seriously and actually develop a theme? It looks like the microsoft guys hired out for the logo and did the site in house. no offense. Well, just a little.
Why are you getting into this crowded marketplace? What is new about this?
After logging in you say something like, "We're a dating site, but were also kind of like facebook, and if you get a hook up here you're totally lucky, cuz we're way too chill to stress it, bro". I lost faith immediately.
Also, Advanced search has major problems:
Notice: Undefined variable: latitude in /var/www/dating/trunk/html/search-advanced.php on line 700
Notice: Undefined variable: latitude in /var/www/dating/trunk/html/search-advanced.php on line 700
Notice: Undefined variable: longitude in /var/www/dating/trunk/html/search-advanced.php on line 700
Notice: Undefined variable: latitude in /var/www/dating/trunk/html/search-advanced.php on line 700
Notice: Undefined variable: longitude in /var/www/dating/trunk/html/search-advanced.php on line 700
Notice: Undefined variable: latitude in /var/www/dating/trunk/html/search-advanced.php on line 700
Fatal error: Uncaught exception 'Zend_Db_Statement_Exception' with message 'SQLSTATE[42000]: Syntax error or access violation: 1064 You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ')) * (69.1 * (latitude - ))) + ((69.1 * (longitude - ) * COS( / 57.3)) * (69.1 *' at line 1' in /var/www/dating/trunk/library/Zend/Db/Statement/Pdo.php:238 Stack trace: #0 /var/www/dating/trunk/library/Zend/Db/Statement.php(283): Zend_Db_Statement_Pdo->_execute(Array) #1 /var/www/dating/trunk/library/Zend/Db/Adapter/Abstract.php(464): Zend_Db_Statement->execute(Array) #2 /var/www/dating/trunk/library/Zend/Db/Adapter/Pdo/Abstract.php(232): Zend_Db_Adapter_Abstract->query(Object(Zend_Db_Select), Array) #3 /var/www/dating/trunk/html/search-advanced.php(708): Zend_Db_Adapter_Pdo_Abstract->query(Object(Zend_Db_Select)) #4 {main} thrown in /var/www/dating/trunk/library/Zend/Db/Statement/Pdo.php on line 238
I like the look and feel of the logo (although I would hand draw the type instead of using a font), and I would recommend that you do more to give the rest of the site a similar vibe. For instance, on the landing page i would: 1. eliminate all the extraneous boxes around everything 2. maybe try giving the whole page a light blue/pink background instead of just the boxes? Just trying to simplify it more. 3. reduce the size of the footer type 4. keep your font colors consistent (i see a few different shades of blue) and unless theres a good reason, keep your links all the same color.
On the next page, 1. I'm not a fan of the happy face indicator for the default image. Maybe try, i donno... a bunny? 2. the link buttons on the top right are really ignorable because of the generic icons. I would continue with the handwritten theme for the primary nav items and hand draw the icons 3. the recent members box takes up a lot of room... its most of your content. In fact, my home page asks what is going on? and answers: nothing is going on. Why not switch the locations and importance of the recent members and the whats going on thing?
Basically, removing boxes and revamping the nav to incorporate the logo theme would go a LONG way.
I appreciate all of the suggestions and advice.
From the about page of your site, it seems like you're an introvert programmer married for 15 years and three children. When was the last time you've been on a date or tried to romantically connect with other women? I don't mean to plow on the haterade but it's a serious question. Do you understand the dynamics of meeting women (i.e how attraction works, what women look for), or is this site a projection of what you think dating should be?
It's spelled Athiest right now.
EDIT:Your spell check has an ad in it to buy the spell check's licensed version. That's kind of tacky.
Also, you don't support the features in your rich text editing - my underlines and italics disappeared!
Is "Buy x a drink" a feature to be implemented in the future? Also, this /is/ real life. Your alert text is kind of lame.
Yet another usage barrier (but maybe it's not an issue for everyone).