Here is something I learned recently from the web site of dConstruct - user experience design conference. Their web site has one example of how not to design for user experience, especially if your users are keen on using bookmarks and services alike - which most people do trust me.
I was just thinking that I need to go out between people again, someday, somewhere. Attending conference is great to meet like minded people and learn something new at the same time. As I was running through my Del.icio.us bookmarks I end up at dConstruct page and “Sold Out” popped just into my mind before I realized that the page is for 2007. What? I wanted to go. Ok something has to be wrong. Off course it was for 2007 and my bookmark 2007.dconstruct.org was wrong. I rewritten the URL for 2008… and luckily found what I was looking for. It took me quite a while to realize that the page was out of date.
Here is the hassle. Dconstruct web site always moves you to sub-domain and if you bookmark such a page, your bookmark is referring to old conference a year later. I consider this broken. I think that you should promote your actual content at your top domain. This way if people bookmark your pages, they get link to your main domain and always actual content. Even if they return one year later. Move the archive of your old content to sub-domains, that’s fine, but keep the actual content at the main domain.
By letting people bookmark your top domain you will always serve them up to date landing page. It will not only avoid confusion but you will also create better user experience.
