Forum Redesign Thread v2.0

[nikvoodoo]

So after a little mishap from this morning....uh...the original Forum redesign thread is no more.:mad:

I start this thread to replace it since the other one has joined the aether and is never coming back (unless someone can pull some magic out of the vbulletin hat). My apologies for the inconvenience to you all, and I hope everyone remembers the ideas they suggested about apartments and what not. Here's Kc's original post lifted from the article:



The Tower




IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN GETTING INVOLVED! POST HERE! OUR FIRST MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE NEXT MONDAY 5:15 PST/8:15 EST on Skype.


Here are some preliminary designs for what I'd like to do to the forum over the next few months. It's called "The Tower".
The Tower would treat the forum as it would be part of the story. Each floor of the tower would be a different rank, so to speak. 1st Floor- Admins, 2nd Floor Moderators, etc...
Blogs would become "Journals" And would correspond with graphics from the series. Your profile page would become an "Apartment". The Chatbox, would be the "Lobby". You get the idea.

I have put together a few of these layout ideas and will post them below. This won't be an easy task to say the least, BUT when done it will be amazing!

Much of the Artwork will be custom made to fit what we want, and these are just mockups, so bear with us for now.

EDIT* KC: This thread might be good to look at for Forum upgrades: http://www.dragonbyte-tech.com/

[Magrat]

Posted this here (http://zombiepodcast.com/forum/content.php?177), assuming it is about the same thing.

"I like the idea and how it fits into the whole ethos of We're Alive. Can't wait to see how it evolves!

Thoughts (Contain SPOILERS of a sort!): I really enjoy the ranking system attached to the posts (although it can encourage people to just post flippantly in an effort to spam up their count) and would love to see some expansion of the rankings applied to other sections of "The Tower". Changing/adding elements that reward people with different titles/duties for being eloquent, or interestingly vocal in the chat log, or 'repping' a post with merit, or having x amount of comments attached to their 'journals'. Make the titles something like achievements, that people can aspire to without it becoming a spam race.

Also a thought, not sure if possible, but letting people select and display what episodes they've listened to/are up to? Would allow them to 'live' on certain floors that are no longer available to others who have listened ahead, also could be used to curtail their access to certain spoiler-filled sections of the site? ie, once past the point where the lower floors have burnt, they are moved rooms to the higher floors? Once they've listened to Chapter 18 they can access the Chapter 18 discussion section and no higher. Again, not sure if such specific restrictions can be applied, nor if they're even wanted, but it would make for a neat bit of immersion.

Would also like to see phrases such as 'on a supply run' or 'stuck in the elevator' or 'trapped at The Arena' used somewhere, again only if the restriction thing works, otherwise people will know about the arena before they're meant to. Specific Chat Rooms would be another cool idea. They could be called 'raiding parties' or something to that effect. Anywho, those were a few ideas, god knows how you'd implement them. Love the new look/feel of the thing and like the idea of having rooms in the tower. Will post other thoughts if and when I have them, unless I'm told to be quiet before then.

Also, would love to be attached to the skype chat, if I'm awake then (evil evil Australian time)!

Cheers, Magrat."

[Kc]

I know Revolver will most likely post the other stages, but
STAGE 1:
Compact the "Home Page" IE This page: http://zombiepodcast.com/forum/content.php
Into the Forum Home Page.

Things to Keep:
1 News Bulletin Article.
Twitter Feed

Maybe Keep:
Current Poll
Schedule

Where would this content go? In the side bar. "Top News" would get removed. What to do with the other categories remains to be seen.

WHAT are your thoughts on this? What to keep, or get rid of?

[Creem_Filling]

I would say get rid of the current poll and most recent posts. They are sometimes spoiler worthy and I would hate for all j0bes work with the cb to be redundant. I like the schedule, but I would not miss it if it weren't on the front page, so my vote is for it to go if we're looking to really compact things. I think that the top news, twitter feed, and youtube channel to stay. And maybe add forum statics on there? I think it would be neat to see those when you first get on.

I also had an idea for the cb. J0bes been working crazy hard on making it un-spoilerish and I think he's done a great job. But what if we just add a filter. Kinda like the one on zombie pandemic. You can click a button that will determine whether the gatekeepers messages show up or not. That way if you wanna see what he is saying on the forum page it's nbd, but if you're new you don't have to see spoilers.

[nikvoodoo]

I agree with eliminating the polls from the front page.

I would also say eliminate the youtube panel, but instead add a panel of links to Twitter, facebook, youtube page, and possibly blogtalk radio/justin tv links. I agree the schedule should be there too, but perhaps redesigned to fit more into the style of the page and put that more centrally located since it's an important part of why people are on the site.

I personally like having two articles, but if it went down to just one I'd be ok with that, too. I was talking to Revolver about this the other day about featuring more (soon to be) journal posts as we head into next season. So promoting kick ass journals to articles so they get more facetime on the site, and if that happens often enough I'd hate to keep pushing an important news article off the only spot on the front page.

[Kc]

I would say get rid of the current poll and most recent posts. They are sometimes spoiler worthy and I would hate for all j0bes work with the cb to be redundant. I like the schedule, but I would not miss it if it weren't on the front page, so my vote is for it to go if we're looking to really compact things. I think that the top news, twitter feed, and youtube channel to stay. And maybe add forum statics on there? I think it would be neat to see those when you first get on.

I also had an idea for the cb. J0bes been working crazy hard on making it un-spoilerish and I think he's done a great job. But what if we just add a filter. Kinda like the one on zombie pandemic. You can click a button that will determine whether the gatekeepers messages show up or not. That way if you wanna see what he is saying on the forum page it's nbd, but if you're new you don't have to see spoilers.
Yup, the filter is in the works...

[Kc]

I agree with eliminating the polls from the front page.

I would also say eliminate the youtube panel, but instead add a panel of links to Twitter, facebook, youtube page, and possibly blogtalk radio/justin tv links. I agree the schedule should be there too, but perhaps redesigned to fit more into the style of the page and put that more centrally located since it's an important part of why people are on the site.

I personally like having two articles, but if it went down to just one I'd be ok with that, too. I was talking to Revolver about this the other day about featuring more (soon to be) journal posts as we head into next season. So promoting kick ass journals to articles so they get more facetime on the site, and if that happens often enough I'd hate to keep pushing an important news article off the only spot on the front page.

We can easily add the facebook, twitter, youtube, blah blah, icons in a small bar. The 2 new items would be great to have!

[Ra1th]

We can easily add the facebook, twitter, youtube, blah blah, icons in a small bar. The 2 new items would be great to have!

I'm not a huge fan of the side bars, it makes everything so cluttered, is it possible to just create another page for social media? You could have one page dedicated to facebook/twitter/youtube?

[nikvoodoo]

Check what kc and I just worked out for the social media connection below the small chat box. Its pretty small and unobtrusive

[Ra1th]

Check what kc and I just worked out for the social media connection below the small chat box. Its pretty small and unobtrusive

ohhh ok, I was expecting a transplant of the twitter sidebar that was on the front page. I still think that it might be a good idea to give social media it's own tab and just have a larger, drawn out version of facebook and twitter so that the forum could be better integrated into both of those outlets.

[Kc]

ohhh ok, I was expecting a transplant of the twitter sidebar that was on the front page. I still think that it might be a good idea to give social media it's own tab and just have a larger, drawn out version of facebook and twitter so that the forum could be better integrated into both of those outlets.
Yeah, nothing too big.
BUT, I will say we are looking for ways to get the CMS Articles to appear just like they do on the home page... Once we get that done... Home page be gone!

PS. I dunno, is this beneficial? http://www.theadminzone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=81363

[Kc]

Also, for the Tech-Savy amongst us... would there be any benefit to getting this? : http://www.vbseo.com/en/feature-matrix/

[7oddisdead]

Not to change the subject totally. But with the actual user apartment pages, would it be possible to have the entire background (ie: the header artwork as well) be modifiable for each "resident"? My thinking here is a default "apartment" that members can swap out to say, their own room/ computer desk/cave whathaveyou. That would be a simple way to give members a bit more control over their own page without affecting the overall feel of the forum, that seems to be the biggest issue with most ideas thrown around..

[Zombiehead]

I drew a quickie mock up of my idea for a forum home page redesign. This is just an example so forgive the quality.

Front Forum Page before the User (aka Resident) logs in:
http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/4659/forumfrontpage.jpg

TOP BAR
This represents the lobby of the Tower. The actual image would show part of the room and service desk for people to check in and get their room key. The WA logo would blend into the image and the word "Community" would be splashed on the wall behind the desk as if someone wrote it to give the scene more depth and just plain look creepy. (like the church in the beginning of 28 Days Later)

MENU
Self-explanatory. "Bill's Log" is the Wiki. Each button has a roll-over animation (simple or complex, w/e you want). Example will be in my next image link.

TICKER
The space containing the WND logo is a slideshow that would flip to different advertisements for WA community activities, news, ect (sort of like the iTunes Store) and link to the forum/info page that they're promoting. The little round buttons can be clicked to manually scroll through the ads. This will catch the eye and keep people on the page long enough to view the next section.

FEATURED JOURNAL
My favorite part! I figure we can alternate ads for the blogs randomly every Monday (or daily) so each writer gets fair exposure. Bloggers can create their own logo for the front page or use the "standard sticky" shown in the picture if they have none.

OPEN SPACE [right]
This is just additional space to promote events that need the most attention. It's stationary and clickable.

MISC
Self-explanatory. Social media links, Donate button, Webmaster contact, and there's room for a Search feature if desired.


After the Resident Logs in:
http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/3487/forumfrontsignedin.jpg

TOP BAR
The hotel room photo is just a placeholder for the WA art. I'm not quite sure what plans are for the "furniture" idea so I made it into a simple banner. I'm assuming the whole layout after clicking INTO the forums area will be different. The right corner would contain the chosen room number, profile stuff, mailbox (rather than Notifications), and 'check-out' button. Example of a place for the Search bar is above the menu.

TICKER
It's ticked to the next ad!

MENU BAR
Basic drop down menu. Right now I only see Bill's Log having a use for it. The Journals could have one too but I don't know how difficult that is to edit if we add/remove blogs alot.

FEATURED JOURNAL
For writer's with ads.

[ComradeNarf]

Those are some really great ideas, Zombiehead! Even though there's a pretty detailed background, it still doesn't distract from the different section. I especially like the idea of the "Resident Name" and "Room Key."

[itsallgoodie]

I think that the designs are a great start but the minimalist in me is crying, there is no negative space in the designs, this means that the user feels like there is too much stuff being thrown towards them. Its a daunting task to find what you are looking for and the page feels a bit cluttered. I also like the idea of the pages in the BG but it is hard to tell if you should try and read them or not, and then you have a "featured Journal" and that stands out but has a very similar look to the pages in the BG and this makes it confusing to decide which one to read. Im planning on doing a "mockup" -- i am planning on using some of your ideas but putting my own take on them, obv. at the end of the day we need to go with the one everyone likes the best.

sorry if that seemed harsh it was only meant to be constructive criticism.

[Zombiehead]

No need to apologize Goodie, I welcome a critical eye. The whole idea of a group project is to collaborate some functional ideas and decide on what works best so I tossed a few of mine together in a few hours as a place to start. Even I'm not satisfied with the way it is so feel free to take any idea you like and improve on it. Graphics, design, layout, all of that needs to be discussed and not just from my own example. If there's something a person doesn't like, speak up or make it better. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

[nikvoodoo]

I agree with Goodie. The design is definitely awesome and looks great, but it does seem like a whole lot all at once. Maybe instead of words on the BG pages, it's just the blood splatter....maybe that would make it a little less busy and pop everything out a little better. I don't know, I are not a graphic designer.

I do really like the top bar of the welcome page before signing in, I also really like the look of the "apartment door" and the lay out of messages, blog etc.

And if I had my druthers (which I probably won't get because I used the word "druthers") I'd say that Bill's Log for the wiki is too confusing. I think using "Intel" puts it in a military setting, and it covers perfectly what a wiki does: has intel on a whole bunch of stuff. Maybe we could look into redesigning the wiki templates to that more of a government looking classified document...that would also add a huge step to the redesign.....maybe I should keep my fingers off the keyboard and my thoughts to myself....

[TCM Revolver]

And if I had my druthers (which I probably won't get because I used the word "druthers") I'd say that Bill's Log for the wiki is too confusing. I think using "Intel" puts it in a military setting, and it covers perfectly what a wiki does: has intel on a whole bunch of stuff. Maybe we could look into redesigning the wiki templates to that more of a government looking classified document...that would also add a huge step to the redesign.....maybe I should keep my fingers off the keyboard and my thoughts to myself....


Keep the ideas coming. This is all open for discussion. If we get a solid name for the wiki put it on the timeline thread. (I also like the military angle)

[MrScott101]

Yeah I like the military angle, but not the Bill's log I actually had to sit and think who's Bill and how does this relate. Also I agree that it looks a bit busy but it could still work if you use the "narrow escape" design flow. Burt's Intel might be better? or Tower Intel and really you could use just about any name just make sure to utilize icons that signify what the area is. For the wiki, use folders (maybe charred and blood splattered).

I also think we need to stick with darker colors being more prominent because that will make the apartment graphics and room numbers stand out that much more.

[Kc]

Generally I like the design, but I think that technically, it would require a bigger overhaul with the code. Perhaps something like that or along those lines for the Main site might be in order.

[h3half]

I don't know how I think the Wiki should look, but how it is now is just kind of silly. It feels like a copy/paste of most other wiki layouts (Which makes sense, that's kinda the idea of a wiki) but some things should be changed. Like after you choose a topic ("Characters", "Places", etc) it lists things alphabetically with a horizontal rule between letters, even when there is only one entry per letter (in some cases).

Like having a drawing of each zombie, a drawing of each place, etc. It would take a little work (and I am like a 3rd grader when it comes to Photoshop and related programs) but it would look awesome.

[Kc]

Another idea that came about today: Daily trivia on the forum! --- One question a day. You get points for getting it right. New question every day. Encourages people to come back. Stats keep up.

[Zombiehead]

Another idea that came about today: Daily trivia on the forum! --- One question a day. You get points for getting it right. New question every day. Encourages people to come back. Stats keep up. Like a poll or a live thing in the chatbox?

[Re1ndeer]

I would love to help in any way I can toward this project.

[TCM Revolver]

Found this link while doing some research...

https://www.vbulletin.com/forum/entry.php/2398-StyleVar-Visual-Dictionary-for-Forum-Blog-and-CMS-(PDF-Documents)

[Kc]

Here are some of the photo ideas for the top. Which ones do you like? AND WHY?
LABELED PHOTOS from Left to Right,
1, 2, 3, 4, 5

[Kc]

Next upload:
From left to right:
#6, 7, 8, 9, 10

[Kc]

#11, 12, 13

[Kn1ckerb0cker33]

9 & 13 have my vote for the hallway. I've personally always imagined some kind of "blue" filter whenever they are in the tower, unless of course sunlight is involved then I'd through in some yellow/orange

11 could be someone's room, but it has to be unique. Not all the rooms could possibly look like that XD.

12, the numbers could be nice for the apartment doors. Not crazy about the wood grain though. Probably better on painted doors.

[TCM Revolver]

#5 would be great for the profile page, have the room # and a glance down the hall way
#11 for the header of "your apartment" Has alot of open space we could customize with awards, etc

[Re1ndeer]

I like #13. I think it has the right vibe for the website.

Also, I like #12 as the apartment numbers.

[nikvoodoo]

I like #6 for the hallway. When I think of the Tower, I think of something a little more drab and dark. All the other hallways look too much like a hotel to me...too brightly lit, too many deep rich (comforting) colors.

I like the mood of 9 and 13, but the content leaves something to be desired for me. 9 has one doorway and 13 with the bright end of the hallway and the figure I don't care for.

I like 7 for maybe the wiki page. Seems like a subterranean corridor you might lock away information.

If I were to pick an apartment room, it would be 11, but i think it's too bright and modern. It seems like it should look a little more worn and not so showroom ready.

[Kc]

This document (http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBgQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vbulletin-germany.com%2Fforum%2Fattachment.php%3Fattachmenti d%3D11680%26d%3D1287484874&rct=j&q=vbulletin%20toolsmenu&ei=JhlcTr62OevssQKwqMXnBg&usg=AFQjCNE9-X1hpHLINQEu2mQ7c7wxVJFx2A&cad=rja) was VERY helpful to find out what piece was what in the stylevars:

[Kc]

1082 Here's an update of the hallway so far. There's still a lot of work to get done in terms of color and lighting. Not sure why this one turned out so red, but you get the idea. We're creating it in 3d. There might be further user for this later wherever, and it's reproducible over and over if need be.

[Kc]

1083Here's another one. I still need to work on the lighting and a few other effects, but here's where it's at.

[Kc]

1085What do you think of the number size? DO NOT PAY ATTENTION TO SHADOW!!!

[HaveCrowBarWillTravel]

KC,

The number size works. It's the right size in my opinion

[nikvoodoo]

Maybe just a skosh bigger. If it were to stay that size, I think it would be fine, but I think a little bigger will be better.

[Re1ndeer]

I like the size of the numbers, I looks good to me. Also, I like the hallway pictures. The updated forum is going to look awesome.

[nikvoodoo]

On second thought, leave the numbers the size they are. I forgot that we're into quadruple digits for member numbers. If they go much bigger they might not fit right on the door.