Looking for usability feedback.
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- autonoma
I just launched a slightly redesigned, completely recoded version of A Memoir Project and would love to get any usability feedback I can get. The most notable changes are:
1. The navigation at the very top of the screen, which now behaves like a "drawer" at the top of the screen;
2. The stationary "cover" image and footer on chapter pages;
3. Typography throughout (moved from Chronicle to Mercury and updated line lengths and sizes for readability); and
4. Responsive breakpoints (have basically been narrowed down from 2–3 to 1).Here's the link: http://cloud.smallparade.com/Ov7…
Looking for usability feedback, specifically, but keep in mind this site is essentially like a book, so if there are features you think could be useful, please feel free to share!
Really appreciate any feedback I can get! Thanks.
- doesnotexist0
would it make more sense to have the top navigation drawer be on the bottom since you scroll down to advance?
- and have the next/prev chapers be on the l/r respectively so arrow nav is more cleardoesnotexist
- *chaptersdoesnotexist
- autonoma0
Hmm. I'm not sure. It's a very unexpected place to put a menu. I'd have to be convinced that it's the right move.
- isn't more annoying to have to go back up to the top once you've reached the bottom? news sites do this.doesnotexist
- monNom0
I'd ditch the cover page and go straight to the last article/posting.The splash screen is redundant and un-intuitive for me. Though I've visited your website before, so I kind of new what was up.
I was searching for what to do for a bit on the splash-screen, FWIW
- autonoma0
Thanks for the input.
I'd be concerned about skipping the landing page as this is where the introduction to the project is, as well as the name of the book.
- wordssssss0
I've seen this mentioned here a couple times and always thought nice things in regards to the look and feel.
That being said, I do not the blur/scale effect you apply to the content area when the drawer is activated. It distracts my attention to the non-active background (something happened to it- what happened) as opposed to solely focusing me on the drawer content. As well it is buggy in chrome/safari on a mac (drawer flashes/bg image repositions itself on close of drawer). Id just apply the overlay and be done with it. The animation doesn't do anything positive for the experience, and feels like animation for animations sake.
- robotron3k0
I'm still feeling at full site expansion the type looses readability as the text increases in size and the line count zooms up. It is splitting hairs a bit but the type seems to read better at with you adjust the site to 320 pixel porportions. you can still have a nice book look and still keep the font size under 25pt bu adding a gutter. just a thought but overall nice work.
- stoplying0
I really like the estimated reading time.
Sometimes when you start reading something and found out it's an 8-page commitment, it's easy to bail.- Good to know. Thank you!autonoma
- would love an option for it to read the story to you in a thick Texas accent...robotron3k
- Actually, that's coming up. :)
We're working on audio versions.autonoma
- uan0
I had problems figuring out that you have to scroll, that's because of the splash page where I clicked something animated on the right. I was expecting some similar hint on the chapter page on what to do (and as nothing happened, I was searching for something to happen horizontally before I discovered the vertical scroll).
then the Loading... page felt a bit to static. I would implement a slight animation there, maybe some cycle fading background or at least a '.' '..' '...' sequence. otherwise the risk is high to surf away because nothing is happening there; my internet got some hickups, so the loading page was there quite a moment.
- on osx chrome that is.uan
- Great feedback! Thanks. Will consider for sure.autonoma
- oh very true, no hints that it scrolls!!robotron3k
- Oh there is a hint. Are you not seeing the moving arrow? http://cloud.smallpa…autonoma
- I see it now. after some delay it shows, didn't see it the first time, maybe a slow loading issue.uan
- autonoma0
@wordssssss — Removed the scaling content. Feels much better.
- yeah, it does feel better. I'm still seeing the page jump slightly.wordssssss
- autonoma0
@wordssssss — I suspect you're on a large monitor? Say, greater than 2000px wide?
- Hey, my monitor is set at 1440pxwordssssss
- der.. i mean browserwordssssss
- autonoma0
Okeedokee. I added a little loading animation.
- autonoma0
Anyone here see writing a book / short story in this format?