For most of us Steemit.com provided our first gateway into the STEEM blockchain.  While super enthusiastic about the concept behind it, I have always felt the Steemit.com design interface was lackluster when compared to the commercial social media alternatives out there.  I would go as far to say that as a professional photographer, who spends most of my life focused on maximizing the design aspects and symmetry of the world around me, the thought of sending my steemit.com link to my 80k followers on social media or a potential client was almost embarrassing.   It seems all development of the user experience had stalled while the Steemit team focused on securing a scalable future for the blockchain itself and making sure that things like Hivemind and SMT’s become a reality in a reasonable timeframe.    

[![AmaDablam.jpg](http://www.intrepidphotos.com/intrepidphotos/PermaLinks/AmaDablam.jpg)](http://www.intrepidphotos.com/intrepidphotos/PermaLinks/AmaDablam.jpg)

Into this void stepped the guys at @steempeak, and it has been amazing to see what such a small team has been able to achieve in literally a few months.  I have been testing the platform since its inception, and it's now at the level where I have shifted over to it for all of my interactions with the STEEM blockchain.   So what are my favorite things about steempeak.com?  

•	**Simple modern interface** – in my opinion the most important factor holding back the mass adoption of the STEEM blockchain.  Steempeak.com *does not*  look like it was designed by tech geeks in the late 1990s. It is intuitively designed with lots of small but significant tweaks to improve the user experience.

•	**Grid view**  – the option to view using a grid is a revolution when scanning though feeds or profiles.

![image.png](https://files.steempeak.com/file/steempeak/intrepidphotos/ZZlk7lHx-image.png)

•	**Side by side editor** – see your post preview as you type.

•	**Bookmarks** – lets you store users, topics, and pages.

•	**Draft and schedule posts** – for someone who spends a lot of time in the wilderness away from internet being able to schedule a post this is a life saver.

•	**Blockchain interaction queue** - allows you to interact naturally as it automatically schedules blockchain interactions such as liking as commenting rather than giving you an error message asking you to wait until your next interaction is allowed.

•	**Dashboard with analytics**  – lets you monitor your progress on the platform.

•	**Multi account switching** –  seamlessly use multiple STEEM accounts.

•	**Portfolio view** –  produce a super clean minimalist interface for sharing your work.

![](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmbTyjzpEb7kGnGJc9EZVFdBKYK9C1Yc3iegxK4PDJTup1/image.png)

Best of all the team is super responsive to feedback and is implementing new features at a rapid pace.    I don't have any affiliation with the team at steempeak.com ; I am just a supporter of anything that will improve the user experience of STEEM and speed up new user adoption.

The title shot is of Ama Dablam at 6,812 metres (22,349 ft) in the Nepalese Himalayas. I took the shot after a few weeks of arduous trekking having climbed up the mountain on the other side of the valley to get that view.  It was taken on Fuji Velvia slide film.   If you would like to learn a little bit more about my background in photography you can read the interview @photofeed did with me [here](https://steemit.com/photofeed/@photofeed/introducing-photofeed-profiles-an-interview-with-intrepidphotos)


Robert Downie
Love Life, Love Photography


<sub> All images in this post were taken by and remain the Copyright of Robert Downie - http://www.robertdowniephotography.com</sub>