Oh boy I am nervous..here we go haha

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.

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CheebaHawk
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Oh boy I am nervous..here we go haha

Post by CheebaHawk »

Well as the title states I am a bit terrified right now, let me explain why. I got bit by the web 2.0 bug last summer and have spent the last year learning and learning about everything web. The whole time I have been working on a project that I accepted as being a "learner" with potentially no future use. I created a simple video aggregation/organization site and I am really curious to get some input on all aspects of the application from some seasoned pros (particularly the UI).

I should note that other than a 1 quarter junior college PHP course I am pretty much self taught...also I tried to avoid using 3rd party code and made everything in house. So be prepared for some rough corners but I am proud to present my first php/javascript project to the tech world haha...

http://robhome.mine.nu/vm

All input is appreciated...take it easy on her ;)

edit: Oh yeah this would be a good thing to add...a friend of mine made a prototype design that we may or may not go with...feel free to comment on this as well http://jurc.org/vookmark/alpha.jpg
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superdezign
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Post by superdezign »

They have PHP courses in school? Lucky you. Sounds like the easiest grade in the world. :D
CheebaHawk
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Post by CheebaHawk »

Haha yes quite true, I am lucky enough to live in silicon valley...our local junior college's all have amazing tech courses. I don't have enough time to take all that I would like to learn about...someday though
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RobertGonzalez
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Post by RobertGonzalez »

Quick review:

1. At 1280 X 1024 resolution, it looks like the entire right half of the display is dead space. If you are going to use a fixed with, at least center it.
2. HTML does not validate (4 errors)
3. CSS does not validate (13 warnings, 13 errors)
4. In Opera, the check box is cut off.
5. The link colors, in my opinion, should be switched. The brighter color attracts the eyes more than the darker gray.
6. Selecting a users bookmark puts the content all to the left (in about 200px worth of space).
7. The color scheme could use some balance. You have a little bit of gray, darker gray, black, Bright blue, brighter blue, purple and whites. Maybe throw in a little balance to tie them all in.
8. There is no footer. To me that feels like something is missing. (in fact, the closing mark up tags are not even present in the source).

On the bright side, it does not use tables as a layout schema. I like the larger font sizing and the upper navigation in pretty intuitive.
CheebaHawk
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Post by CheebaHawk »

Thanks so much for such a thorough review, I definitely should have forwarned everyone of the obvious loose ends there. I had envisioned a complete overhaul of the design in the future hence the current "design" markup is just filler in a sense. Although the interface for how video's are presented on any user page planned out and established. Does anyone have an opinion on how they enjoy watching video's online...for example: do you prefer to watch a video in the context of the page or in a full screen popup? Also does anyone think that they would want to save/categorize videos from the web? That question is one that I have been struggling with for ages. Well anyways I am looking forward to continuing chatting!
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RobertGonzalez
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Post by RobertGonzalez »

superdezign wrote:They have PHP courses in school? Lucky you. Sounds like the easiest grade in the world. :D
I have noticed more and more of these classes popping up around my home town. I know Cal is offering a PHP class, Cal State Easy Bay is, as well as the Junior Colleges. The only problem I see in the classes is the curriculum. It seems painfully lacking in items that I believe are core to PHP development, even for newbies.
CheebaHawk
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Post by CheebaHawk »

Everah wrote:
superdezign wrote:It seems painfully lacking in items that I believe are core to PHP development, even for newbies.
What particular subjects, just out of curiosity?
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RobertGonzalez
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Post by RobertGonzalez »

The list is long. Its just that there are a lot of things that a developer should be aware of beyond what you find in many entry level tutorial type classes. And alot of what I see in the curriculum seem to be just that, entry level type instruction. A move into OOP early would be beneficial, as would understanding of client server architecture and security. It just appears as though the focus in the classes is to get people getting sites up and working the way they want them to work, not necessarily working as they should.
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superdezign
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Post by superdezign »

Everah wrote:The list is long. Its just that there are a lot of things that a developer should be aware of beyond what you find in many entry level tutorial type classes. And alot of what I see in the curriculum seem to be just that, entry level type instruction. A move into OOP early would be beneficial, as would understanding of client server architecture and security. It just appears as though the focus in the classes is to get people getting sites up and working the way they want them to work, not necessarily working as they should.
Well, the only classes I've heard of that introduce OOP early on are Java classes since you really don't have a choice. Though, the explanations were... lacking. But it was enough to at least know that it was object-oriented, and that the objects needed to communicate to perform tasks.
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Kieran Huggins
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Post by Kieran Huggins »

the best thing I noticed was the large video space... the rest could use a graphic/UI designer.
CheebaHawk
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Post by CheebaHawk »

Thanks and yes I think I agree 100% that a graphics/ui designer could do wonders to the usability of the site.. I am definitely a starving student though and shelling out anything more than a modest amount of $$ is out of the picture. Are there any good tutorials or articles out there regarding general aspects of design and usability?

Oh yes I forgot...as long as we are focused on design how does everyone feel about this design concept http://jurc.org/vookmark/alpha.jpg . I would love to somehow merge what I like about the two of them...particularly implementing the large video space into this design example. Anyways, I am feeling leechy at the moment after getting such nice responses...I think I am going to go and try to help out some others while I wait to hear word, take care everyone!
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superdezign
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Post by superdezign »

CheebaHawk wrote:Thanks and yes I think I agree 100% that a graphics/ui designer could do wonders to the usability of the site.. I am definitely a starving student though and shelling out anything more than a modest amount of $$ is out of the picture. Are there any good tutorials or articles out there regarding general aspects of design and usability?
There are a million and one websites that you could study. The design you've got is generally the opposite of user-friendly. It leaves too much empty space, causes too much scrolling, and seems, generally, unorganized.

The "new" design you've posted seems a lot more professional. I'd take the new one as is.
CheebaHawk
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Post by CheebaHawk »

Ok in that case I think I have some work to do...I really appreciate everyones time and input. I am sure I will be back
CheebaHawk
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Post by CheebaHawk »

CheebaHawk wrote:Ok in that case I think I have some work to do...I really appreciate everyones time and input. I am sure I will be back
Hi everyone I am back! I have made some very significant updates to my site since I made this post. One of the updates was a complete overhaul of the user-interface/design. So I would love to get some more input on the new look/feel...any comments/suggestions are welcomed! Thanks!

ps. here is the link again just in case ya lost it ;)
http://robhome.mine.nu/vm/
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superdezign
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Post by superdezign »

Looks better, but feels empty. Don't know what it is...

I kinda feel as though there should be a left column, but I've know idea what you'd put there.
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