Website Update - Help welcome :)

[gadgetoid]

Yes, however as the fading works in FF7, why not pre-transform the images with something gimpish?

If it could be done on the fly with ImageMagik, that would work. But otherwise it would defeat the point of getting screenshots live from the repo- which means that any popular or new app could appear on the Pandora screen automatically.


Automation = good. It's clear that ED doesn't have the time to make continuous changes, so everything should be hooked together; latest repo content, with images and search box, latest forum posts, forum link and search box. Lates bug reports, etc.


The Pandora homepage should be geared to aqeuately serve existing Pandora owners and, by extension, inform potential owners. If the Pandora is successful enough, it probably won't be the only sales channel anyway.


If we aim to deal with clueless users who want a "what is the Pandora" one-page-summary, then I think that's the job of a well crafted landing/info page. Turning the homepage into a blunt sales pitch will simply not work in this Market- the core features of the product are the community behind it, and the software they produce/support. Without these, it has little advantage over a smartphone and even less over a smartphone with an iControlPad. Not least of all because the Pandora is, forgive me, a convoluted mess in terms of UI; a shame considering such a device could be so much more consistent.

 

[Caine]

Automation = good.

Yes, but a design which relies on technologies which are only supported in experimental builds of current browsers is really, really bad.

 

[Binky]

Do existing owners use the homepage? or do they just bookmark the pages they visit frequently?

 

[Caine]

Do existing owners use the homepage?

I don't visit it all that often.

 

[fusion_power]

Automation = good.

Yes, but a design which relies on technologies which are only supported in experimental builds of current browsers is really, really bad.

I hope he was joking. You can't expect that everyone uses always the latest (beta) Browsers. So of course, the site should be as compatible as possible and even more important: fast loading. I hate jiggabyte big animation stuff on Homepages. Make it simple and clear. No Flash or Java crap or stuff that requires certain plugins.

 

[Caine]

I do like the idea to pull preview images from the repo have them link there.

 

[EvilDragon]

That automated preview images are nice, yeah!


However, I also think we should prepare those serverwise once a day (with ImageMagik).


It should at least be compatible with FIreFox 5 and Opera 10.

 

[milkshake]

why would u need to generate new preview images with ImageMagik when they are already available via the repo JSON? you can filter the apps with preview pic nodes easlily serverside using php and also client side with javascript, it would then work with and without javascript (its nicer to use javascript/jquery for those that like nice front end) and for those old school people that done like the cool effects it will still work, but require page loads.

 

[EvilDragon]

why would u need to generate new preview images with ImageMagik when they are already available via the repo JSON? you can filter the apps with preview pic nodes easlily serverside using php and also client side with javascript, it would then work with and without javascript (its nicer to use javascript/jquery for those that like nice front end) and for those old school people that done like the cool effects it will still work, but require page loads.

Would that also work with the perspective?

 

[fusion_power]

Well, how much Megabytes do these Preview Pics use on the Site? I hope it doesn't load ALL available Preview pics, my Pandora tends to disconnect the WIFI if a Internet site is to big. ^^""""

 

[milkshake]

Would that also work with the perspective?

well no it wouldn't work with the perspective I guess, imageMagik could go through them all perhaps once a day (cron job) i don't think it would be too difficult

Well, how much Megabytes do these Preview Pics use on the Site? I hope it doesn't load ALL available Preview pics, my Pandora tends to disconnect the WIFI if a Internet site is to big. ^^""""

no it wouldnt need to load all the images at once, with javascript/jquery/ajax it could just pull an image when needed

 

[gadgetoid]

Automation = good.

Yes, but a design which relies on technologies which are only supported in experimental builds of current browsers is really, really bad.

I hope he was joking.

Lord knows how you folks get "OMG BLEEDING EDGE JQUERY" from the word "Automation." Consult your nearest dictionary immediately!


I think folks are getting overly hung up on rotating shiny image things now, this is probably mostly my fault. We should be painting a picture of what needs to be fed into the front page and where it should come from.


What should be on the front page:

• News ( blog posts )
  
• Latest forum posts + search box
  
• Latest/most downloaded/top rated applications + search box
  
• Review coverage links, youtube video links? ( could probably embed a youtube video or two )
  
• A better "first steps with your pandora/pandora for beginners" summary
  
• The latest firmware update
  
• A picture of the Pandora
  

What shouldn't be on the front page:

• Price!
  
• Elaborate attempts to demonstrate everything the Pandora can possibly do in one go
  
• CPU/DSP/RAM specifications- think iPhone, they don't tout these specs because they're simply not relevant... if these forums have told us anything, it's that the uninitiated will likely see "600mhz" and leave
  

 

[milkshake]

Lord knows how you folks get "OMG BLEEDING EDGE JQUERY" from the word "Automation." Consult your nearest dictionary immediately!

lol I was thinking the same thing, since javascript is oldskool anyway and jquery is backwards compatible (mostly).

 

[Caine]

@Rotated images.


Yes agreed. Let's not dwell on the technicalities of that.

We should be painting a picture of what needs to be fed into the front page and where it should come from.


What should be on the front page:

• News ( blog posts )
  
• Latest forum posts + search box
  
• Latest/most downloaded/top rated applications + search box
  
• Review coverage links, youtube video links? ( could probably embed a youtube video or two )
  
• A better "first steps with your pandora/pandora for beginners" summary
  
• The latest firmware update
  
• A picture of the Pandora
  

Good points. I certainly agree with them, though not with the order. E.g. I would not expect forum posts to dominate the front page (we have the boards for that). By all means, have some of them there and advocate the community as a fundamental part of the project.


@Latest/most downloaded/top rated applications + search box


The repo tends to include recent updates in latest as well. Personally, I don't care about that as PNDstore tackles updates for me. It would be quite useful to have a feed of recently released (i.e. new) software.


I like how you tackled videos on the iControlpad website. I think that's a good way to easily find important videos without having them dominate the entire page. At the very least I would include a getting started video and a video showing the many games and applications on the Pandora in quick succession (perhaps using a TV-out cable). Such a video could put some overlay links in it which bring you to the application/emulator shown. The other videos can be the latest or best user reviews.

What shouldn't be on the front page:

• Price!
  
• Elaborate attempts to demonstrate everything the Pandora can possibly do in one go
  
• CPU/DSP/RAM specifications- think iPhone, they don't tout these specs because they're simply not relevant... if these forums have told us anything, it's that the uninitiated will likely see "600mhz" and leave
  

Yes, the front page should provide an access point to this information, but not the information itself.

 

[MrChops]

imo, the actual size should be clearly shown. Maybe someone holding it or at least a reference to it being roughly the size of a ds fat listed. Being a pocketable sub-notebook with a full desktop environment is a key selling point. The battery is also a key feature that should be focused on, preferably in a visual manor. Then of course the controls would be the other thing that separates the pandora from the rest. Focusing on these 3 main selling features in an attractive visual manor would be a good idea.

 

[Mr_Loon]

Been having a good think about the Pandora website and keep coming back to the idea that we need to decide if the site should be easily viewable on a small screen, such as that of the Pandora. I know it is possible to make a site with differing style sheets for mobile & desktop browsing but my guess is that this additional level of complexity should be avoided.


The other thing I'm struggling with is the fact that the Pandora is such a unique device with no direct competitors, at least none that I can think of. Normally when helping someone with web design the first thing I'd suggest would be to find a web site that they like for a similar product / service. When you're dealing with a band, a restaurant or pub etc. then this is not too difficult.


So can anyone find an existing site layout that they believe would provide inspiration for the official Pandora site?

 

[gadgetoid]

I still stand by something in the vein of Maemo.org. But then I'm only a professional... what do I know?

 

[milkshake]

you can make your site "elestic" using css anyway, that way you wouldnt need different css layouts though in the long run tayloring the sites for different devices is always the best option.

elastic*

 

[Mr_Loon]

I still stand by something in the vein of Maemo.org. But then I'm only a professional... what do I know?

I think you're on to something there. The Maemo.org site scales nicely to fit a wide range of screen sizes, looks clean and professional and is easy to navigate. With fairly minimal tweaking this design would be highly usable on a Pandora as well as a desktop PC.

 

[EvilDragon]

Well, maemo.org is a community page, we need a product page with basic information and further links and inclusions to the community (wiki, webboards, repo) including a nice picture gallery where users can upload their Pandora related stuff.


That's what I think would be best.


I've already gotten an eMail from a few guys who would like to work on the website.


I'd love to create a team for that, anyone else interested joining a team?


I'd setup a website-development page, try to help as good as I can and will replace the old website once the new one is good enough