ThinkLab needs a story

First off, let me just say how generally well designed the ThinkLab site is. Really slick design and a lot of functionality.

That said, it all feels a bit static. A sense of momentum is important! One thing that immediately strikes me about the site is that there is an absence of story, either about ThinkLab as a project (how did it start, how long has it been around ext) or about the proposals/users themselves (have they been funded, what was the use of thinklab to the researcher).

Hi Joe. I really appreciate the feedback. Storytelling has never been my strength so it doesn't surprise me if the site is weak in that regard.

To start to address this I've made a couple changes already. We're now displaying the 'Blog' and 'About' sections more prominently in the header (for users not logged in already).

In the about section it now starts with a page called 'Our story'. Here's what I think might potentially be interesting about the story. (And I haven't actually included these on the story page but let me know if you think I should.)

• I have no background in academia which gives me a fresh perspective
• I've taken a very first principles approach to understanding the problem and what kind of solution might fix the underlying systemic issues and create good incentives going forward
• I want to avoid taking investment money from anyone not bought into the mission as the primary objective
• I could talk about how I conceived of the idea while thinking about how the internet could be used to reimagine democracy — but that might muddle the message?

Anyway I would appreciate any further details on how we can tell a better story. And more broadly, the question I'm concerned with is how can we make people really want to support Thinklab?

Any further suggestions would be very much appreciated!

I think that it would help to know the background. I really like the layout but I am still not sure how to best use thinklab.