The New Developer Express Homepage

ASP.NET Team Blog
29 July 2007

Stylish, Wider and Faster

We just overhauled the Developer Express homepage to make it more useful and relevant for you.

You can see the new homepage here.

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You'll also notice that the page is much wider than used to be. Looking at the Google stats, most of you are using much wider displays now. The previous page was good but because displays have changed it was time for the homepage to change as well.

A responsive website is still one of your top concerns. Therefore, the new page loads even faster now.

So, what's new?

What do you usually like to see when you get to any company's homepage? 

The information and/or links to the information that is relevant to you. Whether it's about a product, download, support issue, latest news, blog entry, trial, or a demo.

Let's take a look some of the new sections:

Latest product highlights

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You'll find the latest product/feature banners. These aren't the random Google ads you'll find on other sites. In fact, no where on our site will you find such ads. These ads aim to showcase the latest and greatest.

Announcements, Support & Community, Demos & Resources

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The Latest News brings you the short, quick, get-to-the-point announcements.

The returning clients will find the Support & Community section very helpful. Support & Community brings the common links for you to find answers.

When you're looking for hands-on product information and/or demos, you can easily find them under Demos & Resources.

Blogs Now Front and Center!

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This next section is a favorite of mine because it highlights our blogs. Yes, the same blogs you're reading now. With the blogs you'll find the transparency. The voice that speaks and listens to you.

You'll also find the more expanded news items. Like our recent awards from TechEd or asp.netPro magazine.

Product and Subscriptions

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You'll find the our product and subscription links here. Conveniently arranged for you into the different technology categories.

In Search of...

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You can still our Search and Main Menu at the top. There isn't much that has changed here. In fact, there are plans currently to improve the searching capabilities. How? Well by incorporating technology from the king of searches but more on that later.

These changes are all meant for one purpose, better serving you, the customer.

How do you like the new layout?

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Ben Hayat
Ben Hayat

I'll give you my two cents;

Ok, on the left side, you have several sections to cover:

Latest news, Support & Community and Demos & Resources.

Good enough!

On the right side you have product info, which is good.

Then top center, you have latest blog entries. That's useful before leaving this page.

But, what don't seem to have any identity or position, are the three boxes under Latest blog:

A Better ASP.NET Grid Control

Six Categories, Six Awards

ExpressSkins Library Beta is Available

Are these, ADs, or info, or what?

You already have three ADs on the top, so these three (mentioned) are making the screen too crowded, mainly because they are loose without identity.

Sometime, less is more. Now the page is too crowded.

That was my 2 1/2 cents ;-)

..Ben

29 July 2007
Julian Bucknall (DevExpress)
Julian Bucknall (DevExpress)

Ben

Good grief, if we can't advertise on our own site, where can we? ;-)

The central column is more about us as a company being able to highlight various things that are happening. Sometimes these would be an "ad" for a product, sometimes to point out some important bit of news, sometimes something frivolous. Our intent is that these would change on a regular basis, maybe as a stack, perhaps as a priority queue. I can also foresee a day when the space is a Flash movie about something.

Personally, I like that we agreed that positioning the blogs panel above them was a Good Thing (tm). Although we do a pretty good job of not making our announcements personality-free, the blogs are more personable still.

Cheers, Julian

30 July 2007
Anonymous
Ben Hayat

>>Good grief, if we can't advertise on our own site, where can we? ;-)

;-) I meant it in a "Constructive" way!

Julian, it would also be great to use WebParts, so we can customize it to our liking.

Secondly, I don't think anyone can knock DX graphical work. I have even hear it on other forums, how good looking DX stuff are!

..Ben

30 July 2007
Anonymous
Gary Gibbons

It's easy to understand how dynamic Developer Express is as an organization because their site, just like their products, are continuously evolving!

If that weren't the case, I would think they believed  nothing more could be done or offered to "Improve on the Developer Experience!" :>)

You guys are a rockin' bunch!

Gary

31 July 2007
Mehul Harry (DevExpress)
Mehul Harry (DevExpress)

Gary,

Thanks very much!

31 July 2007
Mehul Harry (DevExpress)
Mehul Harry (DevExpress)

Hi Ben,

Thanks for the constructive criticism. :-)

Usually most homepages are big ads anyways. Google says that most new people who come to our main page don't know about all of our products, awards, etc.

So the new homepage tries to balance the info between what the returning and new customers would like to see.

I like your webparts idea and I'll run it by our community server guru.

31 July 2007
Ben Hayat
Ben Hayat

Hi Mehul;

>>Thanks for the constructive criticism. :-)<<

I'm one of the first customers since the company opened up and I always wish the "best" for DX at all time.

>>Google says that most new people who come to our main page don't know about all of our products, awards, etc.<<

Good point. Actually, it was last year that I had a conversation with Julian about "Having announcements" that most ASPx controls are based AJAX, since other companies were starting to brag about it. So yes, new users want to see the awards and also"Road maps".

The big buzz word now, is "SilverLight", [although after spending some time on it, it's lacking many fundamental components], but I'm already hearing people who want to develop new apps using SL. Just a thought...

>>I like your webparts idea and I'll run it by our community server guru.<<

I was in a web page last night that had used many web parts, I closed a few that I didn't need to see, exited out of the IE, went back and it remembered all my closed webparts, so now that page is custom to what I want to see.

Hope that helps!

1 August 2007
Mehul Harry (DevExpress)
Mehul Harry (DevExpress)

Ben,

Wow, you've been with us for a long time, thanks!

Silverlight is on our minds too but more importantly we're working on some WPF stuff for now.

Webparts are cool and I'll see if we can fit it into the schedule. We still have a very ambitious release planned for 2007 vol 3.

1 August 2007
Ben Hayat
Ben Hayat

Mehul;

>>but more importantly we're working on some WPF stuff for now.

Excellent News!

1 August 2007

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