Ask HN: Review our website thinktutorial.com

2 points by AlphaEvolve 15 years ago | 8 comments

Hi there!

We just released a new website called thinktutorial.com. The goal of the simple website is to provide users with extremely simplified tutorials, and straight to the point.

The main intend is to provide a simple reference for everyone to link to. Let me explain: If a co-worker or family member ask you an IT questions, you usually just say "google it!". Now, you can provide an actual link with free content: ThinkTutorial.com.

The tutorials there do not include programming/photoshop tutorials (yet). Let us know what is missing, what needs to be added, what tutorials would you like to see there ?

The idea of thinktutorial is to genuinely help and provide value.

Thank you in advance for your feedback!

pedalpete 15 years ago |

Very nice clean design, though I was confused as to if the banner at the top was an ad for another company, or if that was explaining your service, as it of course was listing for Lydia.com with the tagline 'what do you want to learn today'.

I suggest that a big banner add there won't do as much for you as describing your service.

That brings me to the second point. You've got all the tutorials nicely lined up at the top of the page, but no real navigation with the exception of the search box. No description of your service until below the fold.

Personally, for a start-up, I'd like to see a description at the top of the page.

Your description says 'Think Tutorial is a database of simple...'.

I wouldn't use the word database as that is a technical description of how you're built. You want to give the user the reason for why you exist, not what you are.

Having the bebo stuff on the front-page doesn't make much sense to most people unless you are in an area where bebo is popular (I have no idea where that is) based on your tag cloud, I think you would be better off with microsoft excel or some tutorials like that.

I think the microsoft office icons are more recognizable than the bebo.

AlphaEvolve 15 years ago | |

Thank you for your feedback!

UPDATE: We removed the most recent post from the front page and currently the page are loaded by rand() every time you reload the page, to show a more diverse set of tutorials.

AlphaEvolve 15 years ago | |

Also added the http://thinktutorial.com/sitemap/ per your request!

dman 15 years ago |

a) Design is nice and clean. kudos for that. b) You could add the application tags below each tutorial icon. Currently you have bebo tutorials on your front page, I do not know the bebo logo so I had to click your view-friends-profile tutorial to see it was for bebo. c) Speed and snappiness for search and tags could be improved. d) Are the tutorials on the front page your best tutorials ? e) Adding some customer testimonials as they come in would be nice.

Overall pretty good idea and execution. Blogspam means that google queries for technical queries is pretty broken now,and something like this which offers reliable reputable howtos within a niche might get user uptake.

AlphaEvolve 15 years ago | |

Thanks for the feedback!

a) Thanks! b) Ok we will think of something more efficient. c) Ok noted. d) No the tutorials at the front are the most recently posted. May be we can add a "Most Popular" Tab? e) It's free, you meant users comments right?

dman 15 years ago | | |

I just meant that your frontpage is your chance to wow new users with your best content. So over time you might want your most viewed tutorials to show up there not your most recent. By testimonials I meant if you had some end users write you notes about how much they liked your tutorials you could include snippets of what your users said and which tutorials they liked.

AlphaEvolve 15 years ago |

Clickable Link: http://www.thinktutorial.com