A design critique of Svbtle | Hacker News Reader

A design critique of Svbtle

sefsar.com

My problem with the kudos button is I had no idea the first time I was doing it that I was rating something. Secondly, it's at the top of a post so in order to validate it - presumably after reading it - I need to scroll back up and keep my mouse over it. I went to hover over it again to try to take my vote back, but no dice. I generally love Dustin's style and his writing on design, but I don't find Svbtle as an interface to be very refreshing or UX-friendly. I wasn't sure if I could legitimately base the weight of the article on the kudos number or just assume people thought it was cute to interact with.

As an aside, even though I had seen that Svbtle was a network some time ago, every time I come across a blog in its style I just assume it is some Wordpress theme. I sort of wish there was a better callout than at the bottom left to highlight everyone in the network.

I guess you could say Svbtle is sometimes too subtle. :)

One of the social software design patterns in place (on HN, StackOverflow and elsewhere) is that there is a higher bar for negative feedback than positive.

I see the existence of the kudos button in this same light: random, transient visitors can either leave or they can offer a small token of respect and appreciation for the given Svbtle article.

after reading a nice post. i want some nice simple way to tell you i enjoyed reading and appreciate it... i'm down with kudos.

I agree with the sentiment, however, I feel the Kudos button just can't communicate that. If you had given me a Kudos I wouldn't have known it was from you, I wouldn't have known what the intent was and it would just be another number. What's the difference between 23 Kudos and 24 Kudos? But the difference between 23 comments and 24, well, that could be life changing.

You comment here is a perfect example of this.

What about the hundeds of people who may have liked your article, but didn't leave a comment? Aren't they, in aggregate, worth way more than a single comment?

I understand your intent, but it reminds me a little of Ford's "... any colour so long as it is black" remark. The kudos button only caters to a single form of opinion, and at that it's a little vague. I appreciate the effort at simplifying the gauge of sentiment, that should be continued, however I'm weary of loosing out on the nuances of personal interaction. This discussion we're having here is a good example of that.

I think the Kudos button is an interesting idea, but I'm not sure it's the right one. Something a little more malleable, something that facilitates a broader spectrum of opinion while maintaining simplicity would be better, I feel.

What do you think?

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