| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Alessio Viti |
Posted - 24 Dec 2008 : 17:27:03
Hi Guys,
As you have see I am working hard these days on new XMM.
The main problem of XMM seem to be the interface. There are tons of features and functions and it's hard to combine all toghether.
If anyone as good ideas how to improve the interface, to be more user friendly, please feel free to write it.
Any suggestion is really appreciated.
Alessio |
| 13 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Alessio Viti |
Posted - 27 Dec 2008 : 09:21:41
Hi Guys,
Thank you very much for suggestion. So, the best thisng is to "clean" as much as I can, maybe with options so all can show what to see (In the last release for example user can hide the Database Panel).
@Wizardfusion, thank you really very much for your help, but I cannot send the source, please understand me 
Guys,, I will try to do my best.
Alessio |
| Odin |
Posted - 27 Dec 2008 : 04:44:19
yeah thats the way i like it :) looking forward to see a new interface |
| WizardFusion |
Posted - 27 Dec 2008 : 01:18:57
Clean and efficient. It's the only way to go. |
| Odin |
Posted - 26 Dec 2008 : 20:12:13
just dont make the interface too heavy and bloated lol :p |
| WizardFusion |
Posted - 26 Dec 2008 : 16:52:45
If you want, you could send over the forms and I'll have a play around with them.
I am pretty good at UI for applications.
|
| Alessio Viti |
Posted - 26 Dec 2008 : 14:46:40
Thank you Mawu,
I will try to implement your suggestion. For now I have hide the functions not ready yet.
I will work next days to finish the Shelves view, then I will try to make more beautiful moviecards.
Any help on this will be appreciated, I am not good with graphic.
Thank you,
Alessio |
| Mawu |
Posted - 26 Dec 2008 : 14:24:06
Hi Alessio
quote:
You mean that there are more icons used for different functions? or you mean that is better remove completely icons from dropdown menu?(because icons are nice to see )
What I mean: all functions should be available in the dropdown menues - maybe a little bit better arranged and cleared from the not yet implemented things. For example when I want to add a list of movies to the database I can't find this function directly in the dropdown menu. Only when I click on the left icon, where another dropdown menu appears, I can select it. When there are two much topics you can think about a strategy Microsft uses for their office programs: ribbon interface or like in older versions only the most important or frequently used functions are available directly, but the dropdown menue can be extended to see all functions.
Icons are nice and I like it. But you should not put to much functionality to one icon. Only one function - or when this is not possible a wizard should be "conneted" with one icon. All functions that are "connected" with an icon should be also available in the ordinary dropdown menu. It will be nice to be able to customize thee icon bar. For example when I don't have a media center software installed a mediacenter icon is useless for me and the limited space in a the icon bar can be used for a "more useful" icon.
quote:
Yes, you are right. The shelves is here because I will activate it soon, take a look here :http://www.binaryworks.it/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4671
Hey, cool. I like it. It would be nice to be able to specify exactly the cover that will be displayed for each movie, e.g. always poster nr.3 in the collection. Then it would be possible to store the back of a cover in a specific position in the database and display the whole collection in that way: http://downloads.collectorz.com//templates/movie/DVDVirtualBookcase.gif
quote:
you mean the icon qith "quick import with default chain"?
Yes. Should be configurable by user. |
| Alessio Viti |
Posted - 26 Dec 2008 : 13:32:25
VB .NET 
Alessio |
| WizardFusion |
Posted - 26 Dec 2008 : 12:34:46
What language are you using for this app.? |
| Alessio Viti |
Posted - 26 Dec 2008 : 09:13:50
Hi Mawu!
Really thank you for your suggestions!
I have some questions:
quote:
A dropdown menu should be a dropdown menu and a icon bar an icon bar. No mixture, please. One icon = one feature
You mean that there are more icons used for different functions? or you mean that is better remove completely icons from dropdown menu?(because icons are nice to see )
quote:
5. Clear the dropdown menues from features that are not implemented at the moment. BTW: What is the "shelve" icon for? A new feature?
Yes, you are right. The shelves is here because I will activate it soon, take a look here : 
http://www.binaryworks.it/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4671
quote:
I always use the same chain script for movie import. I would like to see an own icon in the icon bar to select it directly by just pressing the icon (now I have do surf through the dropdown menu first)
you mean the icon qith "quick import with default chain"?
Thank you again Mawu!
Alessio |
| Mawu |
Posted - 25 Dec 2008 : 20:00:40
Hi Alessio,
I don't think that the interface is a main problem of xMM. It was a problem up to version 4.8 but for such an "over-featured" ()program it's almost ok.
Some suggestions:
1. see my posting in suggestions forum concerning the data fields that will help to improve most of all manual editing. BTW: Thank you for the integration of the text editor.
2. I have to admit that I only used the moviecard view in the "my entire collection" tab, because of it's amazing hyperlink function (BTW: should be extended to movie directors, too)
Reduce the number of moviecards to one version. Ordinary moviecards, (x)html and extended (x)html, action view cards - too much versions. One universal template format that contains all good features is enough.
3. A dropdown menu should be a dropdown menu and a icon bar an icon bar. No mixture, please. One icon = one feature
4. A feature should be only once in the program (see: database features). And maybe you can go to the dropdown menu and sort the topics a little bit. Some features seem to be in the wrong topic.
5. Clear the dropdown menues from features that are not implemented at the moment. BTW: What is the "shelve" icon for? A new feature?
6. Import: Like in 4.8 I'm missing to filter and/or sort out scripts
7. I always use the same chain script for movie import. I would like to see an own icon in the icon bar to select it directly by just pressing the icon (now I have do surf through the dropdown menu first)
8. What about a ribbon-like interface like in ms office 2007? |
| Jiriki |
Posted - 25 Dec 2008 : 15:00:09
If i am back at home i will check a bit more what could eventuelly be improved, mostly for that feature rich packed application the interface is very good.
Some small things: If importing from the web, if using a script chain, i find it sometimes complicated to scroll down to find the links for each script. It would be better to have the search result of every script on one screen, perhaps a combobox for each script in a chain, preselected the first result of each script?
If the informations are downloaded, i think its not necessary to have a new window just for the download information. A progress bar at the information windows, where is shown what informations are updated, is enough i would think. (Btw., the small download window shows italian language).
I even mostly don't need the window with the actual downloaded information, perhaps that could be configurable that if i don't need that much information, there would only be a small window with a progress bar, the film title currently importing, the number of films to be imported (4/20 e.g.) and perhaps based on the current download rate how long it will take until finished. Perhaps with a "Detail"-Button you still can open the old view to see all details of what is currently imported. |
| tofufish |
Posted - 25 Dec 2008 : 09:07:53
I think what XMM really needs is more themes for the MovieCard view, some nicer ones. At the moment there arent alot of simple and professional looking ones. While it is easy to make them, I am no designer so it is a difficult task for me :P
Another thing I think would improve the appearance is to replace all the current icons with similar looking ones. Right now it seems some of the icons are a little out of place (Mainly the bottom left hand corner icons).
Ill try and think of some more :) |
