Plan: 2026-01-26 Redesign & Optimization

1. Goal

Refactor the website to be English-only, enhance the UI design (inspired by Gu Lab), and implement missing functional modules (Search, Comments, SEO).

2. Configuration & Cleanup (English-only)

  • Config: Update url in _config.yml to https://huazhuofeng.top.
  • Cleanup: Remove “中文/EN” toggle logic from assets/js/site.js and _includes/nav.html.
  • Content: Ensure all default text/labels are in English.

3. UI/UX Redesign (Gu Lab Inspiration)

  • Color Palette: Refine the color scheme to match a clean, professional academic look (Deep Blue #1e3a5f accents, clean white backgrounds).
  • Sidebar:
    • Make the sidebar sticky (position: sticky) so it stays visible while scrolling.
    • Redesign the profile section to look more like the team cards on Gu Lab (clean avatar, clear hierarchy of Name/Role/Contact).
  • Navigation: Implement a responsive Hamburger Menu for mobile devices.
  • Cards: Polish “Selected Publications” and “Blog” cards with better spacing, subtle shadows, and hover effects.
  • Typography: Verify font weights and line heights for better readability.

4. Feature Additions

  • Search: Implement Simple-Jekyll-Search for instant blog post filtering.
    • Add a search icon/input in the navbar or sidebar.
  • Comments: Integrate Giscus (GitHub Discussions-based comments) into the post layout.
  • SEO: Add twitter:card, og:image, and academic-specific meta tags in head.html.
  • Performance: Add loading="lazy" to all image tags.

5. Implementation Steps

  1. Cleanup: Remove bilingual code.
  2. Structure: Update HTML layouts for sticky sidebar and mobile nav.
  3. Style: Overhaul site.css for the new look.
  4. Features: Add JS libraries for search and comments.