Help Us Redesign MotoringFile
MotoringFile was one of the first automotive blogs in the world. And over the years we’ve evolved while staying true to our mission to bring you the best of the MINI world daily. With that in mind we’ll be making another evolution in the near future with a full site redesign. However to do so, we need your help.
There are some obvious things we want to fix (e.g. downtimes, mobile responsiveness), but there might be plenty of other things we haven’t thought about. With that in mind we want to hear from you. Tell us what works, what doesn’t and what you’d love to see.
Recommend anything you want, it’s your chance to voice your opinion. Thanks in advance for your assistance!
<p>First and foremost… better search capability! It’s really hard to find a specific old article sometimes, especially with multiple parameters. Google helps (using “site:motoringfile.com” in the search parameter) but it’s still difficult to do. You guys have a goldmine of extremely valuable historical knowledge – finding it should be easier. :)</p>
<p>I second this. Trying to go back even for a month or so, can be difficult. Otherwise, I enjoy MotoringFile and what you do.</p>
<p>It’s not even hard…</p>
<p><a href="https://cse.google.com/cse/" rel="nofollow ugc">https://cse.google.com/cse/</a></p>
<p>There’s a wealth of information on this site, so making it easier to search would make it more popular for sure.</p>
<p>A dedicated section to modifications and technical data would be nice, especially for readers to add information easily. This is coming from someone that spent hours trying to find the correct fuse descriptions for the pictures on the cover in my R60.</p>
<p>Oh, and quoting MPG in ‘proper’ British gallons would be nice :-)</p>
<p>Don’t design the site like so many that while trying so hard to be responsive, their design becomes generic, large and clunky. Be sensitive to type size and especially leading. Even the type above, 2.1 em? You could drive a MINI through that!</p>
<p>Your information is what keeps me reading, don’t let the design get in the way.</p>
<p>Completely agree. My number one pet-peeve with modern responsive sites is when the site is so mobile focused that when you view it on a desktop the elements are to large and the site becomes almost unusable. For an example of this go to <a href="http://www.minijcwteam.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.minijcwteam.com/</a> . While the images and colors look good, especially on mobile, it just doesn’t work well for a desktop/laptop.</p>
<p>I find the font too fine for me to read on my iPad / iPhone without needing to zoom in. Not a big thing for sure. Maybe if you go responsive it will help. :)</p>
<p>The new design needs more explosions, and tanks, and fire, and unicorns, and….</p>
<p>….and now you know why I’m not a web designer…</p>
<p>Need a web designer? <a href="http://mynameisjay.com" rel="nofollow ugc">http://mynameisjay.com</a> ;)</p>
<p>(my new designs are “flat”)</p>
<p>I enjoy MF and think your articles are excellent. I just feel you spend too much time focused on JCW. Many of us aren’t interested in JCWs and think articles about the F55 and F56 should be emphasized. These are the vehicles that the majority of MF readers are going to buy.</p>
<p>Agreed, as an MA, I often refer clients to this site as a “push page”, to allow them to get absorbed into the MINI universe without getting lost in NAM. With such a strong push for F5x models, shouldn’t we do more to promote the brand, rather than the niche market?</p>