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Codecademy redesign

codecademy.com

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Re: Codecademy redesign

#21

Post by AznHisoka »

paul9290 wrote: post #20
pfraze wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a little off-putting to use a post about a competitor to promote your own site.

Sure I understand this point but how does a unknown start-up in a similar space bring in visitors/users to gain feedback & insight to make their product better? Figure out what is resonating with visitors/users and focus on that vs. what isn't. After all Flickr started as MMORPG where they noticed their visitors/users were using the upload photo feature more then playing their game.

You got a good point. I also find it a bit disconcerting a post about a web design change has gotten more comments than your post introducing a new product. Call it fame bias or something. Codeacademy is vastly overrated right now.

Re: Codecademy redesign

#22

Post by hsmyers »

allisonhouse wrote: post #12
AVTizzle wrote: post #3

Huge improvement over the last chromed out pseudo-jukebox guys. This is simpler and more intuitive. It's easier for me to see my progress and where I've left off, which was my biggest concern with the jukebleh. What's with the color scheme? It kinda seems like Codecademy is looking for an identity and throwing darts at a colorwheel. There's some variance in the theme between the home screen, tracks/courses/lessons, a…

> What's with the color scheme? Haha. I promise there's just one cohesive color scheme I'm working on adding to the whole site, which is what you see on the track index and track pages. The thematic differences are just a side effect of shipping quickly—the visual side will be coming together soon! > When it comes to the changes to the menu screens and such, why the friction? I think I have an answer to this question…

I'm somewhat oblivious to color schemes, but I was a little annoyed by the editor showing code with semi-colons and then getting the little yellow triangle that complains about unnecessary semi-colons that you put there in the first place. Can't tell if this is an accident or a test? Otherwise enjoyed the hell out of the site! Keep it up!!

Re: Codecademy redesign

#23

Post by tnorthcutt »

paul9290 wrote: post #20
pfraze wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a little off-putting to use a post about a competitor to promote your own site.

Sure I understand this point but how does a unknown start-up in a similar space bring in visitors/users to gain feedback & insight to make their product better? Figure out what is resonating with visitors/users and focus on that vs. what isn't. After all Flickr started as MMORPG where they noticed their visitors/users were using the upload photo feature more then playing their game.

Figure out what is resonating with visitors/users and focus on that vs. what isn't.

That does not dictate spamming a thread about one of your competitors. What you're doing is distinctly NOT resonating with some of your potential users.

Re: Codecademy redesign

#24

Post by huhtenberg »

AVTizzle wrote: post #3

Huge improvement over the last chromed out pseudo-jukebox guys. This is simpler and more intuitive. It's easier for me to see my progress and where I've left off, which was my biggest concern with the jukebleh. What's with the color scheme? It kinda seems like Codecademy is looking for an identity and throwing darts at a colorwheel. There's some variance in the theme between the home screen, tracks/courses/lessons, a…

> What's with the color scheme?

Don't mind that - what's with the logo?

Every single app and service these days seem to be using a scripted wordmark for a logo. Not only this is a new branding cliche, it also makes all these logos look the same.

Re: Codecademy redesign

#26

Post by OmarIsmail »

paul9290 wrote: post #20
pfraze wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a little off-putting to use a post about a competitor to promote your own site.

Sure I understand this point but how does a unknown start-up in a similar space bring in visitors/users to gain feedback & insight to make their product better? Figure out what is resonating with visitors/users and focus on that vs. what isn't. After all Flickr started as MMORPG where they noticed their visitors/users were using the upload photo feature more then playing their game.

Lots of startups have figured out this problem, so it's obviously not an impossible task. There are good ways to do it (getting front page of HN) and there are bad ways to do it (hijacking a competitor's comment thread).

You're not entitled to feedback, so having that problem is nobody but yours. Like with everything in startups: figure it out.

Re: Codecademy redesign

#27

Post by apsurd »

AznHisoka wrote: post #21
paul9290 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure I understand this point but how does a unknown start-up in a similar space bring in visitors/users to gain feedback & insight to make their product better? Figure out what is resonating with visitors/users and focus on that vs. what isn't. After all Flickr started as MMORPG where they noticed their visitors/users were using the upload photo feature more then playing their game.

You got a good point. I also find it a bit disconcerting a post about a web design change has gotten more comments than your post introducing a new product. Call it fame bias or something. Codeacademy is vastly overrated right now.

YC promotes their own; it's their house.

I'm not supporting the idea that 'YC alumn eats an apple for lunch' is indeed noteworthy, just providing an explanation.

I used to think HN front page was heavily gamed. That is you had to have a network of insta-voters in order to build up enough momentum. And while that is probably true for some stories, I honestly believe it's just a matter of good timing, luck, and persistence. If you keep having something to say, you'll eventually get lucky with good timing!

Re: Codecademy redesign

#28

Post by [deleted] »

allisonhouse wrote: post #12
AVTizzle wrote: post #3

Huge improvement over the last chromed out pseudo-jukebox guys. This is simpler and more intuitive. It's easier for me to see my progress and where I've left off, which was my biggest concern with the jukebleh. What's with the color scheme? It kinda seems like Codecademy is looking for an identity and throwing darts at a colorwheel. There's some variance in the theme between the home screen, tracks/courses/lessons, a…

> What's with the color scheme? Haha. I promise there's just one cohesive color scheme I'm working on adding to the whole site, which is what you see on the track index and track pages. The thematic differences are just a side effect of shipping quickly—the visual side will be coming together soon! > When it comes to the changes to the menu screens and such, why the friction? I think I have an answer to this question…

[deleted]

Re: Codecademy redesign

#29

Post by paul7986 »

apsurd wrote: post #27
AznHisoka wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You got a good point. I also find it a bit disconcerting a post about a web design change has gotten more comments than your post introducing a new product. Call it fame bias or something. Codeacademy is vastly overrated right now.

YC promotes their own; it's their house. I'm not supporting the idea that 'YC alumn eats an apple for lunch' is indeed noteworthy, just providing an explanation. I used to think HN front page was heavily gamed. That is you had to have a network of insta-voters in order to build up enough momentum. And while that is probably true for some stories, I honestly believe it's just a matter of good timing, luck, and persist…

agreed don't give up - keep at it!

Not many start-ups win the startup lottery immediately. A small margin do but most need to work hard to figure things out and find their niche.

Re: Codecademy redesign

#30

Post by bgilroy26 »

hsmyers wrote: post #22
allisonhouse wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What's with the color scheme? Haha. I promise there's just one cohesive color scheme I'm working on adding to the whole site, which is what you see on the track index and track pages. The thematic differences are just a side effect of shipping quickly—the visual side will be coming together soon! > When it comes to the changes to the menu screens and such, why the friction? I think I have an answer to this question…

I'm somewhat oblivious to color schemes, but I was a little annoyed by the editor showing code with semi-colons and then getting the little yellow triangle that complains about unnecessary semi-colons that you put there in the first place. Can't tell if this is an accident or a test? Otherwise enjoyed the hell out of the site! Keep it up!!

I'm not a part of Codecademy, but that's part of the Auto-Linting that they run all over the site, you can read more about javascript analysis tools here[1].

I agree that the linter can be over-opinionated at times, and that definitely clashes with the community approach to teaching, where seems every lesson author has his or her own coding style quirks.

I doubt that at this point the decision about whether to have a strict style policy, or to roll their own Codecademy linter, or to leave things the way they are has made it to the top of their priorities list.

Until it does, the linter will be helpful most of the time and annoying some of the time.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSLint

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