Hi all,

A quick introduction: I’m Erik Gibb - the new director of user experience here (as of Sept-08, that is). I’m focused in two primary areas. 1st to make Kink.com and all of our current sites and their features as easy to use and enjoyable as possible. 2nd to work with the executive team, technology folks, and our directors to bring new sites and interesting features to life. This year, I’m also going to begin user testing – asking some of you to evaluate new ideas, take surveys, and generally provide your input to help us do the best things possible. 

The new Kink.com home page had been planned for quite some time, and this was the first project on which I was asked to focus. The goals were

1. showcase Kink.com as the parent company for our amazing network of sites
2. highlight all the fresh new content and models
3. introduce a dynamic interface with lots of beautiful imagery to make Kink.com a fun and useful place to visit for both new and returning members
4. there were also plenty of under-the-covers stuff our engineers did which make our sites run like a well oiled machine.

Here's an overview of what you'll find on the new Kink.com home page (or, if you've already checked it out and want to let us know what you think, please take our survey):

• We’ve added the Kink Menu bar to our front page. Use this to quickly sign into Kink.com. (Click on the images to zoom in and center them - they're wide, so they're getting cut off.)
  

• “WHAT IS KINK.COM” - gives new folks a quick overview of what the rest of you already know: We make the best adult fetish content in the most ethical way. You can click the “X” to get rid of this box and make more room on the page.  All the info here can be accessed by clicking “About Us’ at the bottom of the page at any time.
  

• “RECENT UPDATES”  is a “carousel” – by clicking the circles and arrows, you can quickly scroll through new stuff. A picture is worth a thousand words, so all you see is hot picture, with the site title and release date... Until you move your mouse over the image. Then you see lots more detail. Click on the model names, or the “buy shoot” button to get more info. New navigation tabs quickly get you to your Kink On Demand library, forums, model pages, and other areas. We’ll be improving these tabs over time to make it easier to explore everything Kink.com has to offer.
  

• “OUR SITES” is another carousel that quickly gets you to your favorite Kink.com sites.
  

• The “MODELS” carousel shows you the last several models who have shot for Kink.com. Move your mouse in here to see the most recent sites on which that model has recently performed, as well as a link to their new model profile (see below).
  

• Explore the models tab to search for your favorite Kink.com models.
  

• No matter where you are, clicking on a model’s name will show you our new model profile. Use the carousel controls to view several recent pictures of the model. The carousel at the bottom of the page shows you the shoots in which the model has been featured.
  

• Finally, we’ve cleaned up the calendar quite a bit. It’s a simple and easy to read list of what we’re up to in the castle.
  

...