"Programmer Meet Designer" - Is it usable?

It doesn't matter if you do all the error checking in the world, or if you have the most beautiful graphics, if your site or application design isn't usable, it's not going to do well. Get input and advice on usability and user interface issues here.

Moderator: General Moderators

kasrak
Forum Commoner
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 9:46 am

Post by kasrak »

Alright logo aside, I finished the messaging system today! Tell me what you think.

Oh and if you have some time, send me a test message so I know it's working properly (login, click Inbox, click "Compose Message". My username is kasrak)

And I apologize for the intervals of downtime. DreamHost has really been sucking lately. If it continues, I'll buy a cheap computer and run the site from my house for a while until a better alternative is found.

Thanks!
matthijs
DevNet Master
Posts: 3360
Joined: Thu Oct 06, 2005 3:57 pm

Post by matthijs »

The speech bubble's are way to busy, in my humble opinion. Without them, the logo would be very nice and clear.

Another design consideration:
As the design is now, all areas have about the same visual weight and (lack of) contrast. While reading the black text on green background, my eyes are attracted to the white border around the area. Would it be an idea to get rid of the green box in the main content area and just use dark grey/black text on a white background? That would let the main area stand out more and direct the attention of a viewer to that main-content area. Which is a good thing, since that's the most important area, isn't it?

(sorry for not commenting the message system, i'll leave that to others)
thiscatis
Forum Contributor
Posts: 434
Joined: Thu Jul 20, 2006 11:00 am

Post by thiscatis »

Kasrak, i'm automaticly logged out when I browse away from my inbox.
kasrak
Forum Commoner
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 9:46 am

Post by kasrak »

Thanks matthijs, I'll try it out tommorow to see if it looks better.

@thiscatis: That's odd. I (and some other people) haven't had this problem. What browser/OS are you on. I apologize for the issue. Anyone else having similar problems?
thiscatis
Forum Contributor
Posts: 434
Joined: Thu Jul 20, 2006 11:00 am

Post by thiscatis »

I updated Firefox, removed cookies & cache, rebooted and it works fine now!
kasrak
Forum Commoner
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 9:46 am

Post by kasrak »

Awesome, I was begining to panick (a bug?? oh no!) =). Well, I asked DreamHost to switch me to another server today and it seems to be going better, no downtime yet. But I don't want to speak too soon. :D
kasrak
Forum Commoner
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 9:46 am

Post by kasrak »

Ok, I'm going to start working on a Block feature so if someone keeps spamming your PMD inbox, you can bounce their messages =)

By the way, if you like the site and have some time, could you please digg it? Thanks!
User avatar
wtf
Forum Contributor
Posts: 331
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2005 5:27 pm

Post by wtf »

OMG.... bastard got DUGG!!!! I'm diggin' it....
Good luck man, hopefully your host holds up.
User avatar
wtf
Forum Contributor
Posts: 331
Joined: Thu Nov 03, 2005 5:27 pm

Post by wtf »

OMG... he's getting a digg almost every 3 sec.
User avatar
Luke
The Ninja Space Mod
Posts: 6424
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 1:53 pm
Location: Paradise, CA

Post by Luke »

You should allow users to report a listing as "suspected spam"... once this thing gets around, it's going to be hard to keep it clean of that crap.
kasrak
Forum Commoner
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 9:46 am

Post by kasrak »

Mhm..I'm getting some Digg love =)
My DreamHost help up surprisingly well, kudos to DreamHost.
The "Suspected Spam" idea just went on my todo list ;)
Thanks
User avatar
Luke
The Ninja Space Mod
Posts: 6424
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 1:53 pm
Location: Paradise, CA

Post by Luke »

I would really try to rely on your users for as much maintenance as possible. That's the beauty of the internet these days.
kasrak
Forum Commoner
Posts: 36
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 9:46 am

Post by kasrak »

Last night, I finished release 3 of the site. Tons of new features, including:
* Sexy new skin (at least I think so)
* Skill level — filter out the jobs that are too hard/easy for you
* Now when you accept an offer, you can still see all the other offers
* Email updates: you can have "us" email you everyone a new message gets delivered to your inbox
* Fixed tagging system
* Better (read: works now) RSS feeds
* Multi-search: search for people looking for designers and entrepreneurs (example) at the same time.
* User search: find other users on the site
* A lot of bug fixes

'Mark as Spam' is coming soon!

Check it out (http://programmermeetdesigner.com) and tell me what you think!
Thanks.
User avatar
Luke
The Ninja Space Mod
Posts: 6424
Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 1:53 pm
Location: Paradise, CA

Post by Luke »

found a bug...

if you click on a tag in your tag once you log in, it takes you to http://programmermeetdesigner.comlisting/whatever

Should be
http://programmermeetdesigner.com/listing/whatever

Also... site looks a little too wordy. I'd break it up with some icons/images or something
matt1019
Forum Contributor
Posts: 172
Joined: Thu Jul 06, 2006 6:41 pm

Post by matt1019 »

@kasrak

Hi, quick question: The "Tags" feature.... is it custom made or did you use a script that is available somewhere?

Thanks.

Great Site Design by the way ;)

-Matt
Post Reply