Fun Website Redesign Ideas?

[Over Achiever]

Hi everyone, I'm on a committee to redesign this website (ignore the foreign language):

http://www.lenduong.net

As you can see it is very plain, and essentially just informative, and gives news. The committee is given the goal to make the website more fun, something that the younger student generation would enjoy going to and interacting with each other and the site.

What kind of content can be added to serve this purpose? What kind of content is necessary for most websites? How can the layout be changed to be more fun? It's a very clean layout right now, but not very ... inviting?

Any thoughts are welcome, I'm currently in the brainstorming stage. Thanks!

-OA

 

[frankblundt]

only you can know what content the audience you want will want, because you know who they are.

One easy way to find out what they want is to ask them on the site. This won't help with the people you want to visit but aren't currently of course, so you might have to do a bit of market research in the field.

Without being able to read it, or have the slightest idea as to what it's about, it's pretty hard to get any clues as to what would help, but a few pictures might liven it up a bit, and the layout is exceedingly cramped, which makes it hard to either read through or skim for attractive content.

To engage users fully, they need to feel a part of the site, and able to contribute - maybe a forum at the end of each article where visitors could post their opinions of it? Forums require continuous monitoring and management which can be a pain - as the Mods here will attest to - but when they work, they can be great.

To get people using your site you need to be one or several of the following:

unique - offer something, or a combination of things, that can't be had elsewhere

entertaining (this requires real talent to succeed)

convenient - offer an easier way to get something than is available elsewhere

reliable - be trustworthy, authoritative and comprehensive in your offerings

cheap - offer something at a lower price than elsewhere (probably doesn't apply to you)

a community - offer a safe, interesting and comfortable space for people to come together in (where they help create the content)

This site for example, does extremely well at all the above.