Designing for millions billions of commenters
Design Lead & Front-End Engineer · 2012 – 2014
Designing with stories
Disqus powers the comments on millions of websites and is viewed by over a billion unique visitors every month. Redesigning a product on this scale required careful planning and research. Before the design was built, storyboards were created to ensure every feature, persona, and use case was considered.
Starting with the basics
Before storyboarding, detailed wireframes were created which demonstrated each possible use case of the commenting embed. These were used as a reference point for the team throughout the entire project.
Designing a social network
The redesign of the commenting embed was also the introduction of Disqus as a social network. To design a social network, we focused on user personas and how the design will adapt to individual personalities. Profile cards, user profiles, and other features were introduced to enrich the community experience.
Adaptive, contextual design
Since Disqus is embedded on millions of websites, the design and engineering needed the ability to exist cohesively in any context. Fonts colors, font sizes, and backgrounds would automatically change to fit any websites' aesthetic.
Josh is a standout product designer with a remarkable drive to see the big picture... He truly cares about users, perfecting his craft, and reaching to knock the mission out of the park.
