Innovative design. Terrible usability.

It breaks all the functionality you expect on a web page. It isn't clear where the hyperlinks are, mouse scroll doesn't work and I have to learn how to use this specific web page (!)

To get an idea of just what a mess it is, try browsing it with stylesheets disabled. The designers seem to have gone out of their way to create a poor flash-like interface without actually using flash.

Oh my god what a horrible design, and total lack of usability.

Sheesh folks. Rather than the jumping on the 'its-abnormal', maybe we could find some innovative uses for this kind of UI?

My first instinct: "oooh, this feels just like Picasa, very smooth scrolling, I could spend an hour flipping through photos like this."

Yes, but this site isn't for browsing photos.

Nice design, but their desire to reinvent usability at the cost of removing every standard method of interfacing with a site really puts me off.

If I wanted an app designed, I would want it to look good as well as be user-friendly. While the site speaks loads of their design capabilities, they pretty much shot themselves in the foot with that interface scheme.

I'll be looking for someone who understands usability to make my apps.

Somewhat ironic that I cannot use the site in Mobile Safari.

They need an app for that I'm afraid...

Guys, it's olivier from TheyMakeApps.

Thanks a bunch for your feedback.

I don't believe we're trying to re-invent the wheel with the keyboard navigation mode. It was more of an Easter egg. The first time a user reaches the site they have to choose between the 2 navigation modes before exploring the listings.

But we heard you and we're working on dropping that step and making scroll-wheel the default behavior.

Regarding the iPhone version, stats show that less than 3% of the users use their mobile to visit the site so we decided to focus for now on adding other platforms for now (Android, Blackberry, Palm). Switching to scroll-wheel mode by default will make the site more compatible with mobile browsers too.

Don't hesitate to contact me: @opeyre

It doesn't scroll, you're not doing it wrong. It's kind of an interesting design idea, but my first instinct is that it's frustrating more than useful. Let me at least scroll using my mouse or my keys in a way similar with other web sites.

Sortfolio for apps. Smart (save for the site usability).

If you're bored and can't think of something to build over a weekend, hook up with a designer and emulate the Sortfolio concept for a particular niche. I've been looking at building an engine that can be rolled out across various industries, starting with things like weddings and landscaping/garden design. Any visually oriented industry would work IMO.

If I hadn't read the comments here, I would have given up because it wouldn't scroll. I did not look for the instructions and did not notice them.

I thought good design is meant to make instructions superfluous...

I didn't mind the design, and loved the keyboard navigation.

Amazing design.

I agree

Awesome! To able scroll with the mouse wheel you need go through the whole menu, figure out that the "switch" is about scrolling, swear quite a lot and switch it. Revelation(!) <-- as you see I don't need a sarcastic font, I can just type it and in this context it's plain sarcastic .

Reinventing usability FTW! (and yes still sarcastic...)