WinCustomize Homepage concepts

Would like your input

from WinCustomize Forums

As some of you know, the main goal of WC2K7 was to rebuild the backend of the site to be more robust and much faster.  The actual look of the site was basically the existing site with a new skin.

So the next step is to start comign up with how we would like the pages to work.  We would like to get your input on some of this.

Below is a diagram of the home page:

So the top would continue to have the logo and the button bar (exept forums changed to community but we'll get more to that later).

But rather than giant news items spread out on the site, the news items would intead focus on displaying just the headling and a description with the user clicking on the link if they're interested. This would free up room to display more things.

Under that would be highlighted articles.  We would probably merge posts and articles to be the same thing with user ratings causing them to float to the top (so questions for support woudl stick in the help area whereas someone writing about skinnign woudl likely float up).

Over on the right we would use the new space to display more things. The boxes represent thumbnails. How many woudl be displayed depends on the resolution the user is viewing the site with.

But youw oudl get a good run-down at a galnce of what's been going on on the site.

At the bottom, The Popular Galleries woudl be displayed like you see keywords on some sites. It woudl be based on the popularity of the given gallery rather than WinCustomize choosing (annoiting) which galleries are to be displayed.

The Gallery page (gallery.wincustomize.com) woudl instead become the place where users would browse through the galleries in detail which we'll get to in one of the next posts on this subject.

My feeling is that this is a cleaner, more effective way to view the home page than what we currently have.

Thoughts?

10,906 views 29 replies
Reply #1 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Overall it does appear to be a cleaner home page compared to the current one. For some reason I find it cluttered & scroll down to read the news or head over to the right side bar.

On an unrelated note glad to see those art classes are paying off!
Reply #2 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I dont like it, how about like maybe something like the navigation bar on the left and the cool stuffo n the right and important stuff in the middle... Thats a cool site skin heh, Also for the colors of the site how about for the inner box of the cool stuff in the middle how about like a navy blue and in the background of the site, kind of a smokey black color with little grey colored smoke lines and such.. kinda cool heh

This was done in Ms paint but this is a concept work of what i mean heh

Object Desktop - Get all of our enhancement utilities in one suite
Reply #3 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Hey newbieprogrammerX, I believe that was the old, old style? If I'm not mistaken.

Research has shown that many users don't even look at a left sidebar anymore. That layout is also somewhat cluttered IMO.
Reply #4 from WinCustomize Forums Top
After all this time, the site finally gets a layout (I) like, so of course it's going to change.
I'd have to see the new site in action before I could say, yea or nay.
Reply #6 from WinCustomize Forums Top
....Would like to see under recent forum activity the list of currently active members...This would help bring the *community more together and allow people to get familiar with the names of people who regularly post..it doesn't matter that you may not *know them..it would make it more personable...& as a result would naturally encourage more to access the forums.

Really like the setup of Featured, newest ect. & the rest of the plan sounds great....hope also to see a section for WIP & screenshots of upcoming skins...come on tempt us.. ....

Have a separate button at the top for tutorials.

It's My Secret
Reply #7 from WinCustomize Forums Top
While I think that it's great you would like to web-2.0 the design, the current one actually works effectively for me.
Reply #8 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Keeping with the use of the word community...instead of recent Forum activity follow through with Recent Community Activity & with the names of currently active members.. this will increase that community feeling.

It's My Secret
Reply #9 from WinCustomize Forums Top

This would help bring the *community more together and allow people to get familiar with the names of people who regularly post..it doesn't matter that you may not *know them..it would make it more personable...& as a result would naturally encourage more to access the forums.

That woudl be in the Community area. 

I like the idea of Recent Community activity though.

Reply #10 from WinCustomize Forums Top

While I think that it's great you would like to web-2.0 the design, the current one actually works effectively for me.

I'm actually not a big fan of Web 2.0. But I do like the idee of proportionally sized fonts based on popularity.

 

Reply #12 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Thoughts?

Thunk well...

Cleaner is good...

Reply #14 from WinCustomize Forums Top

I guess what I mean is that I don't want to see WinCustomize look like Flickr or Digg or one of the other popular Web 2.0 sites.  I am looking for us to do a clean design but I don't want it to be just a web application.

I'd like to make sure the design has enough graphical elements and coloring that one could make skisn for the site.

Reply #15 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I'd like to make sure the design has enough graphical elements and coloring that one could make skins for the site


Knew that was one of the new things coming up....been waiting patiently for some mention that it was indeed still in the works.

It's My Secret
Reply #16 from WinCustomize Forums Top
You mean this is no good?   
Reply #17 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Ah, a proper skinning site, with messageboard threads about skinning, and a lot of familiar names. If only it were possible to go back   
Reply #18 from WinCustomize Forums Top

Fuzzy - yes, a time before there was an unfriendly environment and wallpapers were accepted if they made good wallpapers as opposed to being good art and newbies could ask questions without being patronized and people could upload screenshots without being attacked as a pedophile if a swimsuit model is on it.

That is where we are looking to get back to.  The first step to that goal you've seen. But getting back to Zubaz's point -- we've had the tri-column design. It's been done.

Next stop will be to show the gallery page concept.

But before that, what do you think of segregating the wallpapers from the skins so that skins don't get drowned out by wallpapers but at the same time people who really just want wallpapers can get them?

Reply #19 from WinCustomize Forums Top

But before that, what do you think of segregating the wallpapers from the skins so that skins don't get drowned out by wallpapers but at the same time people who really just want wallpapers can get them?

What do I think, personally?

A lot....

And, while we're at it we 'slightly' segregate screenshots from skins so that 'this just in' pertains to skins, not variation #xyz of 5pm today's icon arrangement....oh wait...5.05pm...must upload that moved icon layout......  [OK, tad 'extreme' but for the slaving-over-the-hot-stove WB skinner...to be shuffled off this mortal coil [front page] by a happy-snap spammer is just the pits].

Back to wallpaper drownings....how about a sub-section for walls called 'Moderator's Choice'.  Maybe a gallery shown/given more prominence....like a Featured Wall repository, perhaps....

Reply #20 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I like that idea ...Featured Wall.

...and the subsection thing, too.

...and the screenshot segregation.

All great ideas that will make things easier all-round.
Reply #21 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I rarely visit the Home Page. I generally land on the Forum Page and go to the gallery from there. I guess I like the current layout with the exception of having too many articles visible. With the "Featured Articles" list it makes having 10 displayed a bit of overkill. Might be nice to cut that down to 2 News Items and add a Recent Forum Activity List.

Looks like your trying to combine the Gallery Page with the homepage. Will this mean change for the Gallery page too? I kinda like it the way it is. Might be nice to have a column next to the Gallery sections that's shows the # of new skins added in the last 24 hours to that section. Sure would save some surfing time. Thanks for listening.
Reply #22 from WinCustomize Forums Top
But before that, what do you think of segregating the wallpapers from the skins so that skins don't get drowned out by wallpapers but at the same time people who really just want wallpapers can get them?


Yes please....First & formost it is the skins I look for..I pass over the walls....until I check the skins out...then go back to look at walls...don't want to take away from their hard work either....so I really like Jafo's ideas

Back to wallpaper drownings....how about a sub-section for walls called 'Moderator's Choice'. Maybe a gallery shown/given more prominence....like a Featured Wall repository, perhaps



What about the Bootskin drownings?....13 uploaded in a row in the gallery...right now.. Fortunately Vstyler's Stargate WB had to be updated.. ..becasue it had gotten drowned originally under those 13 bootskins.

And, while we're at it we 'slightly' segregate screenshots from skins so that 'this just in' pertains to skins, not variation #xyz of 5pm today's icon arrangement....oh wait...5.05pm...must upload that moved icon layout...... [OK, tad 'extreme' but for the slaving-over-the-hot-stove WB skinner...to be shuffled off this mortal coil [front page] by a happy-snap spammer is just the pits].


You are not far off at all.. Keep the just in to screenshots of WIP or upcoming skins & skins

It's My Secret

Reply #23 from WinCustomize Forums Top
*rubber stamps APPROVED across diagram of new layout*
Reply #24 from WinCustomize Forums Top
I think we should make an index2.aspx file with the new design.  This way we can allow people to test it and critique it.  And then we can tweak it before we make it live.
Reply #25 from WinCustomize Forums Top
Agree T-Man...enough people here who would like to test it

It's My Secret