Revamping Play Online - Want Some Opinions

[Scourge]

This is a minor nitpick, but how come the art and image boxes do not have curved corners like the text boxes?

[mollipen]

If you have an idea of how to do the rounded corners without (a) using transparent .pngs, or (b) rounding the actual artwork itself in Photoshop, let me know. Plus, I dunno, I like the contrast of the sharp corners on the art with the softer corners on the content blocks.

[Advocate]

I don't mind the difference. Anything new you do? How did the meeting with the higher ups go. What changes did they want? LOL.

[mollipen]

Dave ended up being completely blown away by what I've put together, but he also wants a few "simpler" ways for people to be able to find content. I can kind of agree: what I've put together requires people to have at least some common sense, and thinking about it I've unfortunately seen many people to whom navigating a site is like rocket science. So, the changes I'll be doing in that regard are just clarify some thing and adding a few new elements of alternative content displaying.

As for newer stuff, it has mostly been work to make things more refined and whatnot, but here are a few examples:

Magazine page
When all of the data has been entered in, this will be a full backlisting of issues of Play, including the ability to find out which issue had certain content.

Content page
Was originally going to have a different type of toolbar, but now I'm going with icons for when there is additional / related content to what you're looking at. So, for Persona 3 FES for example, there is now a PS2 icon because that review is dealing with the PS2 version of the game. (For reviews that cover more than one platform, all platforms will be listed.) Clicking on the related hardware icon would then take you to the specific information to that version of the game.

In addition to the "Images" icon, there will also be "Videos" and "Content" icons when applicable. My original intention was to have links directly to other related content, like the preview, and interview, etc. - as shown here in this old re-working I was trying out - but I then decided that I want to allow for multiple types of content for the exact same product. So, say, I want to allow for more than one review of Persona 3 FES, more than just one linked-to interview, etc. So instead I'm going to have the "Content" icon that shows up if any related content exists, and you'll then be taken to a list.

At this point, it seems like I have a lot of little refinement stuff left to do, but other than the few new pages I need to put together for what Dave wants, a majority of the site is actually done. I plan to spend another week or so just tightening things up, then I have to get the old content in line with the new system (which I'm not looking forward to, but is more time consuming than hard). Past that, the site should be ready to go by mid-July.

[Advocate]

... sounds awesome. And I really like the icon idea. I kinda knew they would be impressed. I just think sometimes as a web designer, we tend overthink things. In a certain way I think you did. Remember people are stupid. You don't want overtly complex things. I still wanna see that OTHER toolbar you were working on.

[Kidnemo]

Nothing really to add at this point because I'm exhausted, but I just wanna say I've always been a fan of your design flavor 'doshi.

[mollipen]

Okay, so... one of the things Dave didn't like about my design, funny enough, is the word "content". He wasn't exactly clear on what the word meant, and didn't think others would be as well.

I'm trying to come up with a word that could be used instead, but my brain keeps saying "content." Any suggestions for a word that would convey "this is where you will find the reviews, previews, news, features, and other writing that has been done for the site"?

[Scourge]

...

[Advocate]

Okay, so... one of the things Dave didn't like about my design, funny enough, is the word "content". He wasn't exactly clear on what the word meant, and didn't think others would be as well.

I'm trying to come up with a word that could be used instead, but my brain keeps saying "content." Any suggestions for a word that would convey "this is where you will find the reviews, previews, news, features, and other writing that has been done for the site"?

who is dave anyway? Is he an editor? Shouldn't he fucking KNOW what content meant?

Holy shit. Now I'm getting angry. wtf?

[mollipen]

Dave Halverson, aka the big boss. His opinion was that "content" isn't clear enough when you're trying to find stuff. Obviously, since I built the site to have one of the major sections be "content," I disagree, but he thinks it might be confusing to some visitors.