It’s close enough to springtime that I’m doing my seasonal switch of the Leif & Thorn site theme, from the polar Northern Lights to the floral Rose Garden! (If you prefer reading in Dark Mode, the buttons in the site menu will switch you back.)
We had a poll about favorite themes a while ago, in which Rose Garden was the winner by a mile:
Favorite Leif & Thorn site theme?
- Rose Garden 57%, 112 votes112 votes 57%112 votes - 57% of all votes
- Northern Lights 24%, 47 votes47 votes 24%47 votes - 24% of all votes
- Blue Castle 14%, 27 votes27 votes 14%27 votes - 14% of all votes
- Blood Moon 3%, 6 votes6 votes 3%6 votes - 3% of all votes
- Y2K 2%, 3 votes3 votes 2%3 votes - 2% of all votes
Total Votes: 195
10 December, 2020
- 20 February, 2023
Voting is closed
And on that note, let’s do a roundup of other site-related (and merch-related) research polls with closed results…
Wiki polls
Gauging the interest for Crystalpedia, the Leif & Thorn wiki! Which I started mostly to have a worldbuilding consistency resource for my own writing process…so the fact that readers are interested is a nice bonus.
How often do you look at Crystalpedia/the Leif & Thorn wiki?
- Sometimes 32%, 40 votes40 votes 32%40 votes - 32% of all votes
- Never, I didn't know there was a wiki 21%, 26 votes26 votes 21%26 votes - 21% of all votes
- Once or twice 20%, 25 votes25 votes 20%25 votes - 20% of all votes
- Never, I'm not much of a wiki person* 17%, 21 vote21 vote 17%21 vote - 17% of all votes
- Never, I'm too much of a casual reader to bother 6%, 8 votes8 votes 6%8 votes - 6% of all votes
- On a regular basis 2%, 2 votes2 votes 2%2 votes - 2% of all votes
- 2-3 times a week.* 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
- Crystalwhat?!* 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
Total Votes: 124
22 June, 2021
- 20 February, 2023
* - added by visitor
Voting is closed
And the poll that led to Kale getting his own Crystalpedia character page:
Is it time for Kale to get his own individual wiki page? (He's currently listed on "Other Ceannic characters".)
- Yes, and give individual wiki pages to any other character on a case to case basis* 45%, 30 votes30 votes 45%30 votes - 45% of all votes
- Yes, and give individual wiki pages to any other character whose profile gets that long, too 31%, 21 vote21 vote 31%21 vote - 31% of all votes
- Yes, and give individual wiki pages to any other character who has that many appearances, too 13%, 9 votes9 votes 13%9 votes - 13% of all votes
- Yes, Kale is the only person in the comic who deserves a wiki page* 4%, 3 votes3 votes 4%3 votes - 4% of all votes
- No, save the individual pages for the title characters 3%, 2 votes2 votes 3%2 votes - 3% of all votes
- Yes, but don't start making lots of other individual pages, Kale is a special case 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
- Yes, and give a wiki to everyone, no matter how minor the character!* 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
Total Votes: 67
22 November, 2021
- 20 February, 2023
* - added by visitor
Voting is closed
Book and reading polls
Here’s a poll that I think confused too many voters to be really definitive…
Everything on the archive page is organized by what volume it appears in, not when it was chronologically posted on the website — that’s most obvious with Magical Thorn, chapters 5-6 still haven’t made it to print, and chapter 5 was posted during Volume 4! — so that’s the pattern I stuck with.
The "All Green Thumbs" storyline originally ran before the Kolpovision party arc (which will be printed in Volume 4). I'm thinking of publishing it in Volume 5 (to go with the "Quarantine With The Vampire" arcs, because they all tie together as "10-ish years ago in Sønheim" flashbacks). If I change the order for print, how should I handle the online archive page?
- Keep it in the order it appears in the online archive (i.e., middle of the "Volume 4" category) 30%, 13 votes13 votes 30%13 votes - 30% of all votes
- I don't have a preference, I just like voting in polls 26%, 11 votes11 votes 26%11 votes - 26% of all votes
- (Author clarification: The actual reading order is 100% determined by posting date, so it won't be affected! Same as how the Sunday bonuses appear between daily strips, even though the Sunday "storylines" are way down at the end of the archive page.) // Move it to the place that it appears in the print volume on the archive page, but (if you weren't planning on doing this anyway, heh) in the actual reading order (i.e., as you're reading through the comic) put a placeholder image in its original place explaining that that storyline originally appeared there but can be found in its new location, with a link in the description below it to the storyline's new start* 21%, 9 votes9 votes 21%9 votes - 21% of all votes
- Move it to the place it appears in the print volumes (i.e., start of the "Volume 5" category) 19%, 8 votes8 votes 19%8 votes - 19% of all votes
- Move out to a completely different place in a different volume from the two current options.* 5%, 2 votes2 votes 5%2 votes - 5% of all votes
Total Votes: 43
15 June, 2021
- 20 February, 2023
* - added by visitor
Voting is closed
A bit of general market research on how often y’all buy books, anyway:
When a webcomic you've read has a book version available, how often do you buy it?
- Rarely, only when it's a special favorite 35%, 42 votes42 votes 35%42 votes - 35% of all votes
- Sometimes, depending on how much funding/shelf space I have 26%, 32 votes32 votes 26%32 votes - 26% of all votes
- Never 20%, 24 votes24 votes 20%24 votes - 20% of all votes
- Sometimes, depending on how much I like it 15%, 18 votes18 votes 15%18 votes - 15% of all votes
- As often as possible 4%, 5 votes5 votes 4%5 votes - 4% of all votes
Total Votes: 121
15 March, 2022
- 20 February, 2023
Voting is closed
Site usability polls
This is from when I was remaking the Leif & Thorn layout to be responsive, and needed some stats on “what kind of desktops are you folks reading this on, anyway?”
What's the screen size of the computer (laptop/desktop) monitor you use the most?
- 1920 x 1080 31%, 23 votes23 votes 31%23 votes - 31% of all votes
- I... I don't know.* 24%, 18 votes18 votes 24%18 votes - 24% of all votes
- N/A, I only use mobile 15%, 11 votes11 votes 15%11 votes - 15% of all votes
- 1366 x 768* 7%, 5 votes5 votes 7%5 votes - 7% of all votes
- 2560 x 1440 5%, 4 votes4 votes 5%4 votes - 5% of all votes
- 2560 x 1600* 3%, 2 votes2 votes 3%2 votes - 3% of all votes
- 1920 x 1200 3%, 2 votes2 votes 3%2 votes - 3% of all votes
- weird custom resolution because it's a tv with ridiculous overscan* 3%, 2 votes2 votes 3%2 votes - 3% of all votes
- 1280x1024* 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
- Two monitors on my desktop: 1920 x 1080 and 1366 x 768; mostly the 1366 x 768 for reading comics* 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
- 1600 x 1200* 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
- it's complicated* 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
- 1440 x 900* 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
- 5120 x 2880* 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
- 1024 x 768 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
- 1920 x 1440 0%, 0 votes0 votes0 votes - 0% of all votes
- 1280 x 960 0%, 0 votes0 votes0 votes - 0% of all votes
- 1280 x 720 0%, 0 votes0 votes0 votes - 0% of all votes
- 800 x 600 0%, 0 votes0 votes0 votes - 0% of all votes
Total Votes: 74
30 January, 2021
- 20 February, 2023
Voting is closed
Related stats: what browsers, for both desktop and mobile, are you reading on?
What browser are you using to read this page?
- Firefox (desktop) 37%, 37 votes37 votes 37%37 votes - 37% of all votes
- Chrome (desktop) 23%, 23 votes23 votes 23%23 votes - 23% of all votes
- Chrome (mobile) 15%, 15 votes15 votes 15%15 votes - 15% of all votes
- Safari (mobile) 14%, 14 votes14 votes 14%14 votes - 14% of all votes
- Chrome (chromebook) because the embedded-firefox-in-RSS-reader settings weren't backed up* 2%, 2 votes2 votes 2%2 votes - 2% of all votes
- Firefox (mobile) 2%, 2 votes2 votes 2%2 votes - 2% of all votes
- Opera (desktop)* 2%, 2 votes2 votes 2%2 votes - 2% of all votes
- Ghostery* 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
- Palemoon (desktop)* 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
- Internet Explorer on a Windows XP machine at work* 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
- Brave (mobile)* 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
- Safari (desktop) 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
- Vivaldi (desktop)* 1%, 1 vote1 vote 1%1 vote - 1% of all votes
Total Votes: 101
22 October, 2021
- 20 February, 2023
* - added by visitor
Voting is closed
Same time period, trying to figure out how far to “zoom out” the mobile version of the site. Right now, if you’re reading on mobile, it shows up at 70%:
Of the "change mobile zoom" options in the header, which is your favorite?
- Doesn't matter to me, but I like voting in polls 36%, 12 votes12 votes 36%12 votes - 36% of all votes
- 70% 18%, 6 votes6 votes 18%6 votes - 18% of all votes
- 60% 9%, 3 votes3 votes 9%3 votes - 9% of all votes
- Between 70 and 80 9%, 3 votes3 votes 9%3 votes - 9% of all votes
- 80% 9%, 3 votes3 votes 9%3 votes - 9% of all votes
- I want something larger than 80% 9%, 3 votes3 votes 9%3 votes - 9% of all votes
- I want something smaller than 50% 6%, 2 votes2 votes 6%2 votes - 6% of all votes
- Between 60 and 70 3%, 1 vote1 vote 3%1 vote - 3% of all votes
- 50% 0%, 0 votes0 votes0 votes - 0% of all votes
Total Votes: 33
10 March, 2021
- 8 April, 2021
Voting is closed
Later on, a pair of polls from when I was trying to decide whether to add more navigation buttons. Responses were overwhelmingly “eh, doesn’t make a difference to me, didn’t even notice” — but there’s a chunk of people who said it does help, at least sometimes, and nobody who said it ruined the site for them. So we’re sticking with it.
Would it help to have a row of navigation buttons on top of the comic, not just underneath it?
- No, it wouldn't make a difference to me either way 63%, 44 votes44 votes 63%44 votes - 63% of all votes
- Maybe? I'm not sure how I could tell if it helps or not without trying it.* 17%, 12 votes12 votes 17%12 votes - 17% of all votes
- Yes, it would make the site easier-to-use for me 17%, 12 votes12 votes 17%12 votes - 17% of all votes
- No, it would make the site harder-to-use for me 3%, 2 votes2 votes 3%2 votes - 3% of all votes
Total Votes: 70
4 February, 2022
- 20 February, 2023
Voting is closed
Now that you've had some time to try it out: does it help to have a row of navigation buttons on top of the comic?
- No, it hasn't made a difference to me either way 28%, 29 votes29 votes 28%29 votes - 28% of all votes
- I literally did not even notice it was there.* 26%, 27 votes27 votes 26%27 votes - 26% of all votes
- Yes, it makes the site easier-to-use for me 14%, 14 votes14 votes 14%14 votes - 14% of all votes
- Yes, all webcomics should have this, even though I only occasionally use features like this!* 14%, 14 votes14 votes 14%14 votes - 14% of all votes
- I didn't notice, but I bet it'll help on Sunday* 7%, 7 votes7 votes 7%7 votes - 7% of all votes
- It helps a lot on Sunday and other extra large strips that i’m viewing on my mobile device, but it doesn’t help on normal strips.* 7%, 7 votes7 votes 7%7 votes - 7% of all votes
- It makes a difference when I work through the archives.* 4%, 4 votes4 votes 4%4 votes - 4% of all votes
- No, it makes the site harder-to-use for me 0%, 0 votes0 votes0 votes - 0% of all votes
Total Votes: 102
22 February, 2022
- 20 February, 2023
Voting is closed
And finally, the most recent closed poll! There’s a Leif & Thorn mirror on Webtoon that uses a “2 rows of 2 panels each” layout, instead of the “1 row of 4 panels” strips on the main website. I gave the 2×2 layout a try for the “Early Retirement” storyline.
Turns out, readers heavily prefer the 1×4. I’m leaving Early Retirement as-is, for the historical interest, but we’re going back to regular strips for the foreseeable future.
For reading Leif & Thorn strips online, do you prefer the "1 row of 4 panels" format, or the "2 rows of 2 panels" format?
- Prefer 1x4, but don't mind 2x2 44%, 81 vote81 vote 44%81 vote - 44% of all votes
- Strongly prefer 1x4, let's go back to that 26%, 47 votes47 votes 26%47 votes - 26% of all votes
- Either way works for me 14%, 25 votes25 votes 14%25 votes - 14% of all votes
- Prefer 2x2, but don't mind 1x4 5%, 10 votes10 votes 5%10 votes - 5% of all votes
- Reserving judgement until the end of the storyline, I want to give it a full trial run before I decide* 4%, 7 votes7 votes 4%7 votes - 4% of all votes
- Screen size matters. 2x2 is more readable on mobile, but wide screens shouldn't need to scroll.* 4%, 7 votes7 votes 4%7 votes - 4% of all votes
- I can't decide... but polls are fun!* 2%, 3 votes3 votes 2%3 votes - 2% of all votes
- Strongly prefer 2x2, let's keep doing that 1%, 2 votes2 votes 1%2 votes - 1% of all votes
- What if mobile readers can read it "sideways" as a 4x1? New format not needed, just alter the code so that if it detects a phone OS, the image is tilted 90 degrees to better work with the otherwise tall, narrow screens? If this works, yes please.* 1%, 2 votes2 votes 1%2 votes - 1% of all votes
Total Votes: 184
8 January, 2023
- 20 February, 2023
* - added by visitor
Voting is closed
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