To get better as a web developer (and let's be honest, I've got nowhere to go but up), it's important to be looking around online and making note of websites that appeal to your design sense and have an unquestionably solid user experience. Naturally, Dev Bootcamp wants its students to get started with this exercise early and often. Smart. Here are three of my favorite websites, plus a bonus one!
Thrillist
This is one of my favorite websites because it combines clean lines with imagery that pulls your into each article. I'm not sure if it's necessarily underrated, but the writing and editorial style of the website really sets it apart. The title tag reads "Digital Lifestyle for men", but I have sent many articles to both male and female friends of mine because much of the content is fairly gender agnostic.
The thing that really sets this website apart is the way the content is written. It is written in a way that is conversational and entertaining but never detracts from the actual story. They also really know how to use commas to influence pageviews (e.g. "Dude works the system, eats free for a year" and "This sundae costs $1,000, is still ice cream").
The imagery is also ridiculously high quality and they are very effective at adding minimalistic and elegant graphics to them for recurring segments ("Weekend Playbook", "Thrillist Taste-Test", etc.) I also love the animations when you hover over an image on the homepage; It allows you to share right from the homepage without clicking through.
I will generally spend anywhere from 2 minutes to 30 minutes on the site. I get a daily email featuring content from my chosen cities of Detroit, Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco and normally click through on at least one of the articles included. My visits normally conclude with me feeling amused and entertained, with a slight tinge of guilt that I wasn't being more productive with other things. But, hey, at least I know which Chinese places to hit when I get to Chicago!
Visit Thrillist
The Only Colors (An SB Nation Blog)
Did I pick this out of bias? Not entirely. SB Nation is a huge network of sports blogs who, in the last year or so, released a new, modern design to its entire network (see also: Bless You Boys...Ok, I'm totally biased). Once again, the main thing that draws me in is the prominent, high quality imagery. These also include social sharing from the homepage and include a counter in the upper right hand corner for comments. On hover, the translucent green filter strengthens, which is a nice, subtle touch.
Regarding content, there isn't much to expound upon here; each blog on SB Nation has a group of writers who have been contributing to the blog, either as a writer, community member, or both, so you can generally count on solid writing and useful insights.
Most of the aritcles contain links, interviews or analysis, although some are more fun and whimsical when it is a slow news cycle. How I feel after visiting The Only Colors depends on what's happened recently in Spartan Athletics; for the last several years, I have very much enjoyed reading the analysis and recaps after pummeling Michigan in football. After losses, however, the mood tends to be more somber and I sometimes will leave after reading only half of an article.
Regardless, I never feel like I've ever wasted time, which is a tribute to how well-written and researched the pieces are.
Visit The Only Colors
Medium
Yes, this one is an easy choice, but it combines many of the things I love about modern design: imagery, simplicity and putting the content ahead of anything else. There are also some nice little touches, like the ability to add comments anywhere throughout an article, the cool sticky header thing with the side drawer navigation and that nifty reading time calculation.
I also love the fact that this is a true blog network with content covering everything from society to web development to education and other topics. When you leave the site, you can feel any number of a wide variety of emotions.
Mostly, though, I would say that this website could rightfully be used as an example of solid UX and design. Keep up the good work, Ev!
Visit Medium
BONUS
Grantland
I know, I know. Two sports blogs is too many. But this one has pop culture, too! It is a clean, minimal design and I particularly love the sidebar feature they have. Bill Simmons is particularly effectve using this piece of real estate and I often look forward to the sidebars in his NFL Mailbag columns more than the column itself. If you haven't yet, be sure to check it out!