Re-architecting screens for V2.0

[IVB]

Given the value-add that popups can provide, i'm heavily leaning towards throwing out all my screens (34 or so), and going with a popup-based solution. I would need very little in the way of a menu structure, which could drive up usability.

Here's what I've done so far. Well, in the past 3-4 hours including server setup time, given that I re-installed the latest 2.0Beta on a different machine. I should hopefully be able to get CD done tomorrow. I'll have to hold off on XM and full mzone as I don't want to be reliant upon 2.0 in case there's another desctructive install.

You'll notice that I currently decided to make the popup look like a windows popup. That's b/c I wanted to make sure folks wouldn't be confused, and always knew what to do. Not sure if that'll stay or not, but if it works...

FYI - all these screens have live, functioning stuff, no hardcoded static images like some of you saw this am.

http://www.myhometheaterpc.com/screenshots/VS20/av_view.jpg

http://www.myhometheaterpc.com/screenshots/VS20/av_famrm.jpg

[IVB]

I must be hanging out with you guys too much. The wife had a shockingly bad reaction to the new main menu, and said it looked far too sci-fi. She also pointed out that her anti-techie family understands the current page with the bubbles, even if it's not as info-rich, so it looks like i'll be ripping out the above main menu, and going back to the bubbles.

Live and learn. It's a good thing I only spent until 2am both Fri/Sat night tweaking the above menu to be feature-rich...

[jpants]

You should know by now to get the bosses approval first!


John

[ellisr63]

I must be hanging out with you guys too much. The wife had a shockingly bad reaction to the new main menu, and said it looked far too sci-fi. She also pointed out that her anti-techie family understands the current page with the bubbles, even if it's not as info-rich, so it looks like i'll be ripping out the above main menu, and going back to the bubbles.

Live and learn. It's a good thing I only spent until 2am both Fri/Sat night tweaking the above menu to be feature-rich...
I was wondering why you had changed your style to a more Techy style :-)

[beelzerob]

I'm looking forward to the pop-up interfaces. I'm interested in developing a use-centered approach to interfaces...so, the starting screen simply asks "What do you want to do?", and then options are "Check the weather", "Listen to music.", etc I want to try and get away from an interface that basically mimics a remote control. History has shown that remotes are NOT good examples of an intuitive interface....

[IVB]

What i'm finding is that there's 2 questions to answer, doesn't really matter which order to do it in.

Q1) What do you want to do?
Q2) Which room do you want to do it in?

I'm still going to re-architect my setup using pop-ups, and even though I need to go back to my initial sceen layout/etc, I still want to decide what order to do those questions in. I might use a room-selection popup between screens so that I can determine where to begin playing the movie in.

[klindy]

I think it depends. It depends on the device (screen) you use for control.

If you have a permanent TS or something in the room, Q2 is already answered.

If you are using a 3400 or something that can move from room to room, you probably want to answer Q1 first since which room you are in will give you some finite list of possibilities.

There are some cases where it may depend WHO you are (Q3?) as to what you want to do. Security, Admin stuff, perhaps even HVAC may fall into that category.

[IVB]

I think it depends. It depends on the device (screen) you use for control.

If you have a permanent TS or something in the room, Q2 is already answered.

If you are using a 3400 or something that can move from room to room, you probably want to answer Q1 first since which room you are in will give you some finite list of possibilities.

There are some cases where it may depend WHO you are (Q3?) as to what you want to do. Security, Admin stuff, perhaps even HVAC may fall into that category.

But if you have multiple TV rooms, then unless you need a mechanism to determine which room you're in. The only options I've come up with are either asking the user or creating multiple templates. Did you have a 3rd option to determine that?

[ellisr63]

I'm looking forward to the pop-up interfaces. I'm interested in developing a use-centered approach to interfaces...so, the starting screen simply asks "What do you want to do?", and then options are "Check the weather", "Listen to music.", etc I want to try and get away from an interface that basically mimics a remote control. History has shown that remotes are NOT good examples of an intuitive interface....
that is very similar to the series I was working on before my current Rack templates

[ellisr63]

But if you have multiple TV rooms, then unless you need a mechanism to determine which room you're in. The only options I've come up with are either asking the user or creating multiple templates. Did you have a 3rd option to determine that?
I think he is saying the 3rd option is... Who are you?... this could be for security or even to limit what your kids can do with the interface

[Dean Roddey]

You know, with the new popup system, you could implement you own security. Make them enter a login, and based on that, decide whether you'll actually load the new template/overlay, or just do nothing.

[IVB]

And now, the main screen is back. Kinda - took some of what we talked about into acct, will have 3 menu screens. That's the A/V one.

[jpants]

With the popup style you can create a help system that will do some trouble shooting like if they are watching tv but there is no picture on the tv they can hit the help button that will popup a screen that will ask some questions like no picture click here. Then the command to turn on the tv can be given again ect ect. I want a system that anyone can use. I often have a babysitter or relative at our house and I have to always leave instructions to use the remotes (not fully done with my CQC yet as I am waiting on 2.0) So I was thinking of having a windows logon screen for me and a guest where my templates will have access to all the equipment and the guests will be more user friendly.


John