hey genia, i'll dump a bunch of thoughts here and then go see if i have anything additional to add to kyle's blog posts.
it's good to see the additonal iterations of type and color because i didn't know you did those. all i have seen is this one idea with the black b.g.
that said, i still think you two are getting a bit ahead of yourself by getting visual so quickly. did you do very many iterations of the wireframes to determine other possibilities for placement of page elements? right now things seem generally pretty standard, with the exception of the horizontal scrolling main content area, which isn't really that innovative. we have plenty of time, so why not look at how to reinvent the basic structure in new ways that might be more interesting to your users? i don't want to suggest that there isn't value and good old fashioned usability in what you have, but i do want to encourage more experimentation while you still have the chance in school.
suggestion 1: iterate more with your wireframes to see if there are other structural possibilities for your page layouts.
i'm just scrolling down the line of screens here... "earring gadget" is not an attractive final name for your device. i would work on something more interesting that your audience would like.
i'd also like to see how this thing will work -- drawings or pics of it out in the world and interfaces for how to get files on/off of it, etc.
suggestion 2: rename and detail the "earring gadget".
sharing stories you still are devoting a ton of space to menu items, particularly on the right side of the screen. is there a way to minimize the amount of clicks to get to the content? you show only four stories on one screen that i can select from, all surrounded by large button-things. (as a side note, there are tons of boxes all over your site. are those necessary? maybe, maybe not)
suggestion 3: minimize the amount of clicks, maximize content within screens (within reason)
finding events the rollover for more info on each event is good. i like the idea of giving a bit more info, but how much is enough? should i really have to click to get more info? why can't i just get all the info right there? is there some good reason to make me click again? also, you again devote a ton of screen space to not much info. you have these huge photos that look pretty nice (some look like stock) but what if not everyone has a photo to upload? i like the related activities you can do, like "create an event" or "see more like this". good suggestions for users of related content.
suggestion 4: same as three. and consider alternate views of info, like a "no photo" option if people don't upload pics.
finding members it looks kind of like you two are re-purposing a lot of ideas from other sites, which is not that big of a deal especially if they work well or are really important for your community to fulfill needs. right now the problem i have with what you're doing is that you are not building on those ideas that well to customize them for this audience AND/OR not making the visual form based on your audience's aesthetic sensibilities. there is no conceptual reason for the way things look right now, at least none that is obvious to me.
okay, that should give you plenty to think about. don't be discouraged because i think you have some good things going. it is pretty solid as it stands but i know you can make it so much more, and it's my job to push you to do that.
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hey genia,
i'll dump a bunch of thoughts here and then go see if i have anything additional to add to kyle's blog posts.
it's good to see the additonal iterations of type and color because i didn't know you did those. all i have seen is this one idea with the black b.g.
that said, i still think you two are getting a bit ahead of yourself by getting visual so quickly. did you do very many iterations of the wireframes to determine other possibilities for placement of page elements? right now things seem generally pretty standard, with the exception of the horizontal scrolling main content area, which isn't really that innovative. we have plenty of time, so why not look at how to reinvent the basic structure in new ways that might be more interesting to your users? i don't want to suggest that there isn't value and good old fashioned usability in what you have, but i do want to encourage more experimentation while you still have the chance in school.
suggestion 1: iterate more with your wireframes to see if there are other structural possibilities for your page layouts.
i'm just scrolling down the line of screens here...
"earring gadget" is not an attractive final name for your device. i would work on something more interesting that your audience would like.
i'd also like to see how this thing will work -- drawings or pics of it out in the world and interfaces for how to get files on/off of it, etc.
suggestion 2: rename and detail the "earring gadget".
sharing stories
you still are devoting a ton of space to menu items, particularly on the right side of the screen. is there a way to minimize the amount of clicks to get to the content? you show only four stories on one screen that i can select from, all surrounded by large button-things. (as a side note, there are tons of boxes all over your site. are those necessary? maybe, maybe not)
suggestion 3: minimize the amount of clicks, maximize content within screens (within reason)
finding events
the rollover for more info on each event is good. i like the idea of giving a bit more info, but how much is enough? should i really have to click to get more info? why can't i just get all the info right there? is there some good reason to make me click again?
also, you again devote a ton of screen space to not much info. you have these huge photos that look pretty nice (some look like stock) but what if not everyone has a photo to upload?
i like the related activities you can do, like "create an event" or "see more like this". good suggestions for users of related content.
suggestion 4: same as three. and consider alternate views of info, like a "no photo" option if people don't upload pics.
finding members
it looks kind of like you two are re-purposing a lot of ideas from other sites, which is not that big of a deal especially if they work well or are really important for your community to fulfill needs. right now the problem i have with what you're doing is that you are not building on those ideas that well to customize them for this audience AND/OR not making the visual form based on your audience's aesthetic sensibilities. there is no conceptual reason for the way things look right now, at least none that is obvious to me.
okay, that should give you plenty to think about. don't be discouraged because i think you have some good things going. it is pretty solid as it stands but i know you can make it so much more, and it's my job to push you to do that.
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