Simplicity is the key (part 2)

Play online bingo with friends in the UK at Jackpotjoy Bingo.

Sunday, November 29. 2009

Posted by Filip Rachunek in BrainKing News and Events at 22:33 | Comments (4) | Trackbacks (0)

This is a follow-up of the first part.

Links
- Problem: Too many menu items (left column) and too many links to favorite boards or fellowships (right column) significantly increase total size of all BrainKing pages.
- Solution: 1) All left column menu items will be removed. 2) All right column links will be removed as well. 3) A new pull-down menu system will be placed at the page top and made always visible, even when the page content is scrolled down. Likewise, a new pull-up link system will be placed at the page bottom, containing favorite boards, fellowships and similar elements that do not have to be always displayed but only on a user's demand (click).

Friends
- Problem: Clicking a friend's name only leads to their profile pages and more clicks must be done to invoke a particular action (game invitation, personal message, tournament invitation, ...). Furthermore, a plain textual list does not look nice.
- Solution: Instead of showing a list of friends at a fixed position, a box containing a two column table with friend names and icons will be displayed at the left column, by default. Like all column boxes of this type, it will be possible to drag and drop it to another place (at the same or the opposite side column), turn it off completely or change settings - max number of displayed friends, list of actions to pop up when a friend's icon is clicked, etc.

Messages and notification
- Problem: All types of messages are sent to the user's inbox, no matter if they come from another person or are system generated. As a consequence, it creates a big mess at the user's message box page, especially when they do not log in BrainKing for a couple of weeks.
- Solution: Only personal messages will be sent to message boxes, just like it works now. All other notifications (game finished, tournament won, tournament started, opinion poll closed, ...) will be stored at a specific part of the bottom pull-up system and separated by their types. A similar functionality can be found on Facebook and I think that it is a very good and convenient approach.

To be continued, if I think up more details.

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In your comments on links you mention having a bar at the top of the screen that stays at the top of the screen even when you scroll down. I don't like that idea, because value my vertical screen space. I want to be able to see as much of the tables and games as possible, and I don't want a bar permanently stuck to the top of the screen.
Also, you don't specifically mention having the bottom bar on the screen permanently, but it's it's like facebook's bar, it will be. This might be acceptable, but it better be pretty skinny.

nodnarbo

#1 Anonymous on 2009-11-30 12:36 (Reply)

I don't think that 20 pixels would steal too much vertical space and yes, it will be similar to Facebook style. Furthermore, a switch to turn of the menu bar optionally might be added as well.

#1.1 Filip Rachunek on 2009-11-30 12:56 (Reply)

well, 20 pixels on the top and bottom is just about 6% of my vertical screen space, and that's after all of my unique customization, it would be more if I didn't have my Windows start bar and FF tab bar on the right and left sides of my screen. I suppose most people probably won't care near as much as I do, but an on/off switch would be nice.

nodnarbo

#1.1.1 Anonymous on 2009-12-01 12:25 (Reply)

I am sure that 20 pixels is really not much, especially when we save a lot of space in both columns.
Anyway, may I ask what display resolution do you use?

#1.1.1.1 Filip Rachunek on 2009-12-01 14:16 (Reply)

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