Zendesk offers free accounts only to VC-funded startups. They wouldn't take a self-funded startup such as ours. Please note that in your recommendation.
Please consider increasing the contrast of the fonts used in the web version. It's hard to consume a large amount of information with fonts so light, and It may decrease the bounce rate.
Also, please consider dropping animated illustrations because they are distracting and don't add (or undermine) value to your hard work for serious readers, the complete opposite of what you want to accomplish.
Thanks for this feedback! I definitely will note that in the next zendesk mention. 🙏
Re. accessibility, I can’t make the font larger, but I can look into changing the background color. Could you share an example of a substack that you think does this well?
Would be great if substack offered on-site accessibility tools. Side note, if you used Arc browser, they actually give you the ability to customize font and color of any site on the web (with Boosts), which could be a workaround.
And noted the feedback on the animations. Is it just the animations/gifs you’re referring to, or memes in general?
You are very welcome. The background is fine. Just make the fonts 100% black. No issues with the font size.
Re: Arc. I run a software development firm and need to view/test all our apps, extensions, and sites in the same format most clients will see them. My eyeballs and finger memory are already full with Chrome, Brave, Safari, Firefox, and Edge.
Memes in moderation are OK. Animated GIFs -- it's best to eliminate anything distracting your loyal and prospective readers from what you want to say. There is very little room for fraternity gags on a serious business site.
Let's assume I am wrong. You have enough traffic by now to A/B test a post with and without GIFs, or with 100% black font and without, and so on.
Also, consider outsourcing the site graphics to a skilled illustrator in Eastern Europe or South America so that all charts, graphs, and illustrations are made in the same upscale style. It's worth the investment and will save you a ton of time for doing what you do best.
...that romero article was excellent thanks for the curation...there is something so poetically pure that the A.I. tools created through the unapproved pilfering of the masses would find most of their use cases worming into further unethical realms...almost like reverse robin hood meets the laws of attraction...but i do also appreciate the optimism for these tools as means to much further/broader potential ends (i keep thinking about space exploration/capitalism)...i'm knocking my head on a wall that so much of modern technology is being built to solve problems we are creating, rather than problems that already exist...vision pro and its infinite screens glued right to my eyes for example...is this cool? sure. are there use cases for it? why not. Does it solve more problems than it creates? I don't think so. VR + Social Media + A.I. "content" is a dungeon for the next generation imo...but hoping i'm surprised by this dim view...
...enjoy jamaica man...one of my favorite places on earth...
That is very much the point in my next From The Garden—the whole idea of Vision Pro and spatial
Computing. Like, we can making more problems! Who is asking for more screen time? That’s not the direction I think people want this to go, hence the rise in “dumb phones” and people realizing that more tech and screens isn’t making them happier.
Can’t we just work on something to get more people to Jamaica more often? That seems like a better solution than a screen strapped to my face. Because sitting at a pool bar with a frozen drink in hand seems a lot better to me than a Ready Player One life.
Jaryd,
Zendesk offers free accounts only to VC-funded startups. They wouldn't take a self-funded startup such as ours. Please note that in your recommendation.
Please consider increasing the contrast of the fonts used in the web version. It's hard to consume a large amount of information with fonts so light, and It may decrease the bounce rate.
Also, please consider dropping animated illustrations because they are distracting and don't add (or undermine) value to your hard work for serious readers, the complete opposite of what you want to accomplish.
Thanks for this feedback! I definitely will note that in the next zendesk mention. 🙏
Re. accessibility, I can’t make the font larger, but I can look into changing the background color. Could you share an example of a substack that you think does this well?
Would be great if substack offered on-site accessibility tools. Side note, if you used Arc browser, they actually give you the ability to customize font and color of any site on the web (with Boosts), which could be a workaround.
And noted the feedback on the animations. Is it just the animations/gifs you’re referring to, or memes in general?
You are very welcome. The background is fine. Just make the fonts 100% black. No issues with the font size.
Re: Arc. I run a software development firm and need to view/test all our apps, extensions, and sites in the same format most clients will see them. My eyeballs and finger memory are already full with Chrome, Brave, Safari, Firefox, and Edge.
Memes in moderation are OK. Animated GIFs -- it's best to eliminate anything distracting your loyal and prospective readers from what you want to say. There is very little room for fraternity gags on a serious business site.
Let's assume I am wrong. You have enough traffic by now to A/B test a post with and without GIFs, or with 100% black font and without, and so on.
Also, consider outsourcing the site graphics to a skilled illustrator in Eastern Europe or South America so that all charts, graphs, and illustrations are made in the same upscale style. It's worth the investment and will save you a ton of time for doing what you do best.
...that romero article was excellent thanks for the curation...there is something so poetically pure that the A.I. tools created through the unapproved pilfering of the masses would find most of their use cases worming into further unethical realms...almost like reverse robin hood meets the laws of attraction...but i do also appreciate the optimism for these tools as means to much further/broader potential ends (i keep thinking about space exploration/capitalism)...i'm knocking my head on a wall that so much of modern technology is being built to solve problems we are creating, rather than problems that already exist...vision pro and its infinite screens glued right to my eyes for example...is this cool? sure. are there use cases for it? why not. Does it solve more problems than it creates? I don't think so. VR + Social Media + A.I. "content" is a dungeon for the next generation imo...but hoping i'm surprised by this dim view...
...enjoy jamaica man...one of my favorite places on earth...
That is very much the point in my next From The Garden—the whole idea of Vision Pro and spatial
Computing. Like, we can making more problems! Who is asking for more screen time? That’s not the direction I think people want this to go, hence the rise in “dumb phones” and people realizing that more tech and screens isn’t making them happier.
Can’t we just work on something to get more people to Jamaica more often? That seems like a better solution than a screen strapped to my face. Because sitting at a pool bar with a frozen drink in hand seems a lot better to me than a Ready Player One life.
Strap in…
...oh man I would pay $3500 for a Jamaica 11.0...and no planned obsolescence!...
Hey Jaryd, incredible round-up as usual. Particularly loved the Apple packaging piece - that's what an eye for quality truly looks like.
And thanks for sharing my post with your readers - it really means a lot to me!!
Thanks for resharing it ❤️
Thanks for your thoughts 💭