Topic: PsPong.com layout Proposals (Page 2 of 2)

Doc: Cool - you've got a better grasp of the Big Picture (and I like the idea of the spectator area and the changing room being different) - how would you think we clearly show which role people are in?

I've got to say I'd envioned the users panel as containing say a login in part at the top followed by a players section containing links to the various pages where they can change their options, upload a new return, etc. and then a spectators section with flagged matches and players but I like your way too.

I suppose I could see people sitting there scartching their heads wonderin where their player controls have gone because they slipped into spectator mode without thinking about it (things being a bit more liquid than they are at Wimbledon - McEnroe never served and went and watched another match before wandering around and then eventually hitting his service).

Emps


You're my wife now Dave

I was thinking we could take the nice shiny spectator interface and darken it up more than a bit, ad tons of "grunge" and new menu choices. It should be easy to tell the difference, I'd hope! I have seen services where the back-end was *so* much like the front end, people made stupid mistakes.

Your pal, -doc-

Doc: I'm sure whichever way it is done someone will get confused (we can put big banners on saying players' area and throw some sweat socks and jockstraps round and they still might not catch on). So if people want to have a crack at that - take one design and produce 2 different looks for spectators and players and we'll see what comes of this.

Emps


You're my wife now Dave

I never stop :-)

blue
Don't get confused about the coloruse... I love to experiment with colors. This was supposed to be the player site, but I guess Doc is comming with something brilliant on this front. This one is based on what I did with DSs PSD yesterday, I took it a little further. Now the searching options are better, and I made room for [advanced search] so the players can search for a spesific date, position, etc...

It's also very easy for a player to flag a match... and a link to top 10, top 20 etc..

Edit profile and old games is added to the profile, easier for the player...
So do you like this? Am I moving forward or backward? Just have to mention, really like this design - this is me! :-) It need som "action" at the top, but that could be fixed...

So...?

Softhead

SH: Forward as far as I'm concerned. I'm still thinking we should keep the number of windows down as much as possible - user area good, 5 last volleys good but I would move the search for player into the bottom of the user area or just provide a link (I see most of the users finding matches from their flagged players/matches or from the 5 active matches window. Last volleys and current matches are the same so we could get rid of that. News - hmmm... I'm not sure - it might be that we can have a news panel that appears when there is news which might not be that often. So again I think we are back to 3 main panels for non-match games. The user panel on the left the current matches in the middle and some kind of window with rankings on the right.

I can really see a working look amongst the recent sets of designs that are emerging but I'd be interested in what other people think (like the Doc in particular). Its a good clean look with good controls, usability should be fine, the ability to expand from top five to top ten, etc. is good. However, I'm just seeing this from my perspective and it would work the way I would use it which might be different from the way other people might.

Anyway good work everyone.

Emps


You're my wife now Dave

now thinking about it, since it is a website for a game which is mainly for graphics, the website should be made with graphics and image rollovers and stuff...... when i get some spare time i will try to compose one...

InSiDeR: Well that would be good although it might be a little time consuming and people are just knocking around the ideas in image form but whatever medium you feel comfortable with. There could, however, be an opposite arguement that since it is all about the graphics of the games we should keep all the others as light and unobtrusive as possible. But lets see your ideas - don't spend too much time on it just sketch out your ideas we can have a more indepth play later.

On the ideas already in play SH asked what should be done with the top area? I'm finding myself liking the Doc's idea of two areas more and more and so we could use this area as the main link and indicator of the section we are in.

When one first enters the site you start in the 'Spectator Gallery' marked out pos. top left with links below to switch between here and the 'Players Lounge'. I like DS' original idea of a largish 'background' image this could also be used to reflect the section one is currently in. Following the Doc's idea we could use similar sets of colours but use a darker set for the players section (for example in SH's last post he used a very light blue - perhaps a darker one could signify the players area).

In the spectator section we have on the opening page the user section on the left (as plaid out previously but minus any player controls), the most recent matches in the centre and some kind of ranking area on the right (pretty much as is) with the game areas containing the centre court in the middle with comments/dribble on the right (spectators can probably call up another window with the active games in if they need one way to navigate out, others would be through flagged players or matches and a link back to the main area).

Players sections would feature their game in the centre court or signing up/changing preferences with player controls on the right (upload next return, get last PSD, go to preference changing page, go to current match(es), etc.).

Anyway thats me done for the night and it was just a collection of thoughts I'd had - have a think about that do what you like with it I'm tring to get a something simple: 2 main areas - spectator and player; 2 sub areas: spectator gets a main area with links to various matches and the match area with comments; the player gets a main area where they can alter there preferences, etc. and see what matches they are in and their status and the match area with player controls. Common features include the top bar and the left hand (or right if you wish) user panel and pos. a lower area (which still seems a bit vague).

I'm not sure that makes any sense but you can have it on an as is basis.

Emps


You're my wife now Dave

Hey - DarkShadow - just out of curiosity, what font did you use for http://www.pspong.com/work/layouts/darkshadow/Pspong02.jpg ?

sorry, but why in the world would I want to flag a match on the front page???
I understand of 'flagging' or maybe 'bookmarking' matches that I like so I can find them more easily, but shouldn't I at least look at them before I flag them. I don't think it belongs on the front page, softhead.

and yes, I also think two different front pages for players/spectators is a good idea. But we also need one 'admin' page for things like deleting inappropriate comments and kicking players who don't want to conform to the rules...

yours,

Tyberius Prime

[This message has been edited by Tyberius Prime (edited 12-05-2001).]

Rules?
No rules, "conditions of participation".
Rules suck. Just make sure to checksum your contestants on somethings and you dont need "rules"

Sadly there needs to be "rules" or rather "guidelines"

Without them, the ability to pass PSDs and files will be cut off, as well as someone destroying the PSD by accident by flattening layers, and thereby tying their opponents hands in certain ways.

No es bueno.

Pugzly: DS have used a font called 04b_08. You can download it here.

Softhead

blue2

Forward?

This is probably the last attemt form my side. Have much to do for some days now... I'll look forward to see what all the others make, like what Doc is comming up with :-)

Softhead

TP: The more opportunities we give people to flag games and players the better - I would imagine most of the flagging happening from the game pages but I don't really have a problem with being able to do it from the spectator main page, SMP, (if I turned up at the SMP and saw a few games had started that I'd really like to see I might flag one and go and visit another before flicking across to the other match via my new flag). If we can keep things simple the it shouldnt be too cluttered but it would still be functional.

SH: That is along the lines of what I was thinking off for the spectator/player area distinction although technically what is up there is the SMP not a page from the Players Lounge which would have various player related controls but it gives the idea (I might have Spectator and Player buttons top left to toggle between the two areas.

I also like your users online feature and it is possible (in PHP) to have a system of breadcrumbs through the site (at least the spectator side) so that it should be possible to show how many people are in what spectator game page, SGP. Anyone think that is worth looking into (I can dig out some resources to show this working).

I would probably leave the search feature to a dedicated page (there is a link from the top bar). Game of the week is interesting but I'm not sure how it might be calculated (it could be from the highest average poll result or something) but we could keep this as one of the ranking options on the right (where we could have the option of best/worst matches, best/worst players, best weekly game, etc.) just to keep the number of panels down.

Support link, copyright, supported by (Pugzly we'll need a Running Wolf button too), privacy policy should all be linked to from the bottom bar.

Arthemis: We need rules/guidelines otherwise some people won't know what to do and others will try and go and do things in an odd way and everything would go to Hell very quickly.

Anyway good input anyone else got an opinion?

Emps


You're my wife now Dave

Okee...since I dropped the "logo" idea in the other thread ( http://www.ozoneasylum.com/Forum13/HTML/000037.html )

I thought I'd drop the layout I was using it in, in here as well. Just for some different perspective. Fact of the matter is, I thieved a lot of the backend ideas that Softhead was working up in his layouts, but went with a more graphical layout. I was thinking flash menu for the navigation up top, having each link slide right and exposing the subdirectories of that section to click on.
http://salvagion.com/pong/pspong/TEMP1.jpg

Ideas?

DG: Good work. Love the details. I'm not sure about that menu at the top. It looks like a "gamesitemenu" (if I can call it that) Spacially with that big image under it... if you see what I mean. That's maybe just because I don't like all of those old game site with the same interface, would love to hear what the others think about that..

I'm wondering a little bit about the colors; grey, white, blue, red and orange. Those that match?

But, it's really a good work!

Emps: It's okey to keep the number of panels down, are you saying we should stay with 3 panels? I'm just wondering - are humans really that dumb? Can't they handle more than 3 panels? But I guess that's just me thinkin again - you guys know the best about usability :-)

[Edit: My stupid English, can't see the difference between here and hear :-)]


Softhead

[This message has been edited by Softhead (edited 12-05-2001).]

DG: As might be expected it kicks ass. Despite TP's doubts I think the 'flag it' idea works one here (the spectator main page). some thoughts which don't necessarily have anything specific to do with your design but might feed back into the features and layout:

1. How often would the search feature be used? I can only go from my own thoughts but I'm not sure what I'd search the site for as I'd probably be most likely (if at all) to use the player search.

2. How often would the news section be updated? Most of the information on ongoing events would come from the most recent matches and the ranking panel. The only things left for the news section would be: added new desktop. I think its an option but I think I'd want the most recent matches and the rankings high up.

3. Players ranking - you've gonne for number of votes but if we are voting on a scale of 1-5 then I could post a really poor return that is so bad people jump all over it giving me a massive number of 1 votes pushing me to the top. We could try multiplying the average by the total number of votes (which would reward those with a lot of games under their belts) or just give the players with the highest average (which would reward those who have done consitently well without taking into account match numbers which means someone could do a great serve get a 4.9 for it and jump to the top of the league). We could possibly offer people the option to mix and match the stats the way it suits them and save the settings in the DB to get around this.

4. I like the idea of a feature match but how would this be decided?

Anyway that is my take from the way I'd imagine I'd use the site which might be different from the way other people do.

I'm not sure about a Flash interface but that is just me.

I notice a pixelflo button seems to have sneaked in there - I wonder how that happened??

Any chance of the PSD so that people can play with that?

Anyone else?

Emps


You're my wife now Dave

SH: 'are humans really that dumb?' I can't speak for your species but one should always keep human stupidity in mind (I alwys find testing on myself to be a good judge os stupidity). I suspect we should try and keep the focus on around 3 panels to keep things focused (and pos. let people customise the content of one of them) but we could have other panels which could be minimised giving the user the maximimum amount of control.

Thoughts?

Emps

This thread is getting painfully long, I've opened a new one at http://www.ozoneasylum.com/Forum13/HTML/000042.html and will now close this one. Again, I'm displaying all of the layout suggestions at www.PSpong.com - I'll break it up further as it's getting to be one hell of a download as it stands!

Your pal, -doc-