TPR Front Page RE-Design Contest!

[Moose]

Doug, I like yours best, but one thing that bothers me is the lack of space between the columns.

[DougMJr]

^You know what, now that you point it out... I completely agree. I don't want to add alot of space, but enough to make it look like they are not on top of each other. That is something I'll tackle tomorrow. Thanks for the feedback!

[Angry_Gumball]

Larrygator was right...definitely some clashing going on, doesn't quite fit now that I've looked at it again.

 

New and improved, down to a single column to clean things up. The "Random Update" could always reside in the first row, and more rows could be used if needed but as of right now, this seems to have the cleanest appearance. I'll post more ideas as they come.

[sspaz1000]

DKR,

 

I'm liking yours more and more.

 

 

Doug,

Yours is nice, but I agree with the spacing from the poster a couple above me. Also it just seems the right side is really text heavy while the left side isn't. It feels off balance.

 

Please let me know if I'm helping or hurting with these suggestions. Or what can I do to be more specific or anything.

[DougMJr]

^Thanks for the suggestion. Do you think it would help if I simply switched the "Announcements" Section with "Parks, News, Trip Reports, Ect." Section? The only issues I see with doing this is it will not be a clean collumn down the right side. I'll see if I can come up with a better solution.

 

My most important concern is if anything seems confusing to anybody? Does anything seem counterintuitive? Do you feel somewhat familiar with it or does it alienate you?

 

-Doug "I reject your reality and photoshop my own" Mandell Jr.

[Angry_Gumball]

I don't know if I should keep posting new ones in a new post as I come up with ideas and improvements to my existing design or give users a chance to digest but here's a 'last one' for now... I've always heard that after doing some design, leave it for an hour, do something else and completely drain your brain of what you just did...then come back to it after your brain-draining break to see what your first impressions are on what you just did. Do be warned though, it could go from what you think is 'killer' to something that's as pretty as a dried up turd. Which is what I'm going to do...LittleBigPlanet, here I come! See you Photoshop and TPR in a little bit!

[ernierocker]

Larrygator was right...definitely some clashing going on, doesn't quite fit now that I've looked at it again.

 

New and improved, down to a single column to clean things up. The "Random Update" could always reside in the first row, and more rows could be used if needed but as of right now, this seems to have the cleanest appearance. I'll post more ideas as they come.

 

You really need more than just the one column. There is a lot of wasted space otherwise.

[sspaz1000]

Doug,

 

Switch those two up and see what happens. If it looks really off balance without it being clean columns on the right, then I'm stumped at the moment. Maybe I'll have an epiphany in my sleep

 

It seems familiar yet different to me. Like the logo and the buttons on the top are similar to what is there, but different that it's newer and sleeker. And I think that gives it the familiarity of TPR.

[Chroniq]

Jerrykoala2112 and I were talking about what existing sites might be good inspiration for a TPR redesign and he came up with this. It's graphically heavy, but clean, dynamic, interesting, and has enough places to click for a site as rich with content as TPR

 

 

I'm as surprised as you are, but, yes, billboard.com.

[adamico2]

Doug, I really like your design. Keeping the "Parks, News, Trip Reports, etc." column on the right side is important to me. I don't know what it would contain, but a third column in the middle would look better from an aesthetic standpoint. Also, I would encourage independent scrolling of the "Parks, News, Trip Reports, etc." column. This will allow users to be able to view several days worth of material without having to navigate away from the home page (like the current home page, but without having to scroll the entire page).

[PriestofSyrinx]

DKR and Adian's need to have a baby. Combine that with the pull down menus and it would be very easy to navigate!

 

Reasons:

 

1. They seem very mobile/tablet friendly. It would be alot easier for people to report from in the park, and look up info on the park while in the park.

 

2. No Clutter. Now this is purely for aesthetic reasons, not bashing, but web site like this: http://www.wdwmagic.com/ or seem way too busy. Your designs have none of that, which is excellent. It makes the site more professional looking, than just amateurishness (I am a member of WDWMagic, and contributor, and I enjoy the site, just not the front page)

 

3. Minimalist Text. I cannot stress this enough... Too many links= Confusion. Its why people use Google over Yahoo.

 

4. Pull down menues: If done effectively (http://www.cedarpoint.com/) it can reduce the clutter and keep the text minimal.

 

Other Websites that I frequent that are very appealing:

Failblog.org (sans the Ads.)

 

Cracked.com ( A layout like this could fit TPR very well)

 

I dont like this style though:

Phonearena.com (Too much going on, contrasting colors)

 

I hope this helps

[Swiminn6]

Haha Robb and Elissa, I don't remember if you remember this "incident" since it was in 2009 but when I opened this, I immediately thought of something weird. I remember when I first joined I was young and well stupid! I was like, I could help design a new logo and design even though I was like 13 and I got banned, which led to me begging you to let me back on! I am so embarrassed by that thinking back on it!! Glad I got let back on here because I love TPR! Told you, you could trust me!

 

Anyway, Doug your design is my favorite so far but it just looks 2009ish. When I think modern I think of a clean and simple font. Also I kind of like the idea of the Apple homepage for the buttons at the top.

 

Angry_Gumball, I think you should make the light gray outlines a little more bold because they just look like little strings right now. Also I think you should replace the text of "forum" "park index" etc with buttons similar to the ones on the Apple homepage as I mentioned above! Also, I like gradient but I don't think it fits this space.

 

I took a photoshop design class in school last year so maybe Ill take that chance now to come up with a new design! Haha! Ill work on it over the weekend since I'm so busy with school and swimming during the week.

[DougMJr]

^^^I will definitly consider that. Perhaps that third collumn could be the "random" section I still have to add. I was thinking about the scrollbars earlier, a good idea. Not sure why I didn't implement it earlier, probably just had other stuff on my mind.

 

^I understand the desire to have a ultra-modern apple-esque website, but I'm not sure if that is really TPR's style. This site to me has never seemed like a minimalist san-serif type of community. I currently like my navi bar because it's kinda a mix between new and old, familiar yet more modern. I hope you enjoyed your photoshop class and I would definatly encourage you to submit a design of your own! Even if it isn't chosen keep the files because you could always use it in a portfolio or recycle some of the icons you create for another project.

 

On a side note, I'm really impressed with how many great ideas and designs everyone has created in less than 24hrs. I'm partial to DKR's, AidanCKY's, & Angry_Gumball's designs.

 

Anyway I really should call it a night. I've been sitting at my computer for far too long!

Edited January 11, 2012 by DougMJr

[Angry_Gumball]

Here's another to digest, better use of spacing. I'm not sure if I like the Random Update and Random Video together, may or may not work. Thoughts? Too cramped? Is there a way to get a random Coastertube video to load on the home page?

[SoCalCoasters]

One thing I would really like to see in the new main menu, is more love for the Games Forum, the last time a project was feature on the main menu, it was CD5's Six Flags South Carolina.

 

Maybe some kind of an idea like Gumball's screen swap, but have one of the how many slides be games related with a single screen to make people go: Woah! -clicky-

 

I think it would sort of give the games forum a little more prominence without disrupting the new layout.

 

 

 

Anyone have any thoughts on this? Love or hate?

[XYZ]

OK, so I read all 14 pages of this topic and there is a lot to digest, just like what Robb said.

 

I really like Coaster-Lab's design:

 

 

Though, it needs clean-up and take those Expedition GeForce pics out of there! Put the sliding menu to the right, shift the updates up, and put a "rotating picture" thingamajiga above everything (except the menu).

[Angry_Gumball]

One thing I would really like to see in the new main menu, is more love for the Games Forum, the last time a project was feature on the main menu, it was CD5's Six Flags South Carolina.

 

Maybe some kind of an idea like Gumball's screen swap, but have one of the how many slides be games related with a single screen to make people go: Woah! -clicky-

 

I think it would sort of give the games forum a little more prominence without disrupting the new layout.

 

 

 

Anyone have any thoughts on this? Love or hate?

 

Actually, you just gave me an idea...a random featured park/coaster from the games section with possibly a link below to the gaming segment of TPR.

 

Update: I did a screen grab on my iPhone and made it as though I were browsing the home page on a mobile device. It seems pretty easy to navigate.

[BeemerBoy]

I guess I'm liking a combination of Doug's and DKR's the best.....although stuff is updating so quick that it's hard to keep up while typing this and keeping a train of thought about what I've seen so far.

 

One thing that I'll just put out there for what it's worth is the "sensory overload" the current home page actually has. When Robb made his appearance on CNBC, it got me thinking about how many potential visitors may have clicked on out of sheer curiosity, and so I tried to take the mindset of a complete outsider who may be entering "our world" for the very first time.

 

If someone were to click on the current home page, there really is a LOT going on there. I'm a regular, so my routine is the same each and every time - I basically find everything I need in some way, shape, or form on the main forum (and I know how to get there quickly). But for a brand new visitor, where do you even start?

 

I'm with Chroniq when it comes to simplicity and clean lines. Couple that with Robb's vision of more images > more words, and it seems that would be the correct track to scale down the explosion of information that's currently presented. Just brainstorming here, but (again, taking the mindset of an "outsider") in looking at the current home page, as well as both of my favorite submissions so far, several of the categories just seem rather "vague."

 

For instance, "Theme Park Review Updates" and "Park News, Trip Reports, Etc." seem somewhat similar, and perhaps could be considered one in the same to some folks. Considering the consistent influx of new ride announcements, official TPR park visits/media day events/etc., Adam's news snippets, construction updates, etc., would a specific column along the lines of "Worldwide Theme Park News" work better? Perhaps you could still have the "official TPR Reports" (park visits, media days, Trips, Bashes, etc.) highlighted in some way to stand out?

 

And when it was time to retire those "official TPR Reports" (park visits, media days, Trips, Bashes, etc.), could you then move them to a column listed "Year-In-Review," which would stack the stories in sequential order as the year progresses (similar to how it appears on the current left hand side of the home page)?

 

That could leave member trip reports, podcasts, Game Exchange updates, and some of the more popular ongoing threads (Shane's Attic, Big Mike, Ice Bat, etc.) a separate spotlighted column? "Member Trip Reports, Park Visits, etc."? Does that work? I might even be confusing myself by this point.

 

 

Also, would changing "Announcements" to something a bit more specific make sense? Maybe "Trip / Event Announcements"?

 

And finally, this is just a pet peeve of mine, but any "random" category should be near the bottom of a page. I love the idea of a "potpourri" category of sorts because it's fun, but the word random has always bothered me for some strange reason when it's displayed prominently. It seems to convey a sense of "misguidedness," or "laziness," if that makes any sense.

 

Honestly though, like others, I'm not a person who cares much for change for the sake of change, but I really like the way the designs are progressing! Tip of the cap to all the designers who have pitched in to this point. I hope my 2 cents can be used in some helpful way.

[robbalvey]

Could something like Andy's latest design have the drop downs in it, that people seem to be liking from youngforever's design?

I'm going to make the assumption that whatever our nav bar ends up being, the drop down menu will be part of it as it was even part of our initial requirement.

7. Updated navigation bar with better functionality - this needs a lot of work. Something sleek, easy to read and navigate, with options that will pull down when you mouse over. Would also love to get some input on what you think those mouse over options should be.

[robbalvey]

One thing I would really like to see in the new main menu, is more love for the Games Forum, the last time a project was feature on the main menu, it was CD5's Six Flags South Carolina.

The reality is this -

 

TPR has always been about:

 

1. Videos

2. Trip Reports

3. Discussion Forums

4. Park Reviews

 

I think pretty much in that order. The "games forum" is really just an extension of one of those areas. TPR has never, and won't ever be a "games' site." It's not what we do, it's not one of the areas we excel in. The fact that we have the games forum, have a separate moderating team for the games forum, and have our game exchange set up is pretty much where we'll end up in the roller coaster video games space. You WILL see games forum updates appear on the front page, but there won't be a section dedicated to it. It's just not one of our core competencies, and I'd rather focus on the areas that make TPR stand out.

 

Hope that makes sense.

[robbalvey]

One thing that I'll just put out there for what it's worth is the "sensory overload" the current home page actually has.

 

If someone were to click on the current home page, there really is a LOT going on there.

Agreed. What's interesting is that while there is a lot going on, there's only a little that you need each and ever day. For example, if I look at the front page right now, there are 11 different "updates" for me to click on, without scrolling.

 

I'm going to assume that for a large percentage of our frequent visitors, only 2-3 of those are relevant...TODAY. Which means, why do we need the rest of the clutter? I don't want to remove it entirely, because a lot of people will either not visit the site regularly, or will be new visits to the site.

 

But this is why I think something like this works....

 

While this doesn't...

[ILoveRides]

And finally, this is just a pet peeve of mine, but any "random" category should be near the bottom of a page. I love the idea of a "potpourri" category of sorts because it's fun, but the word random has always bothered me for some strange reason when it's displayed prominently. It seems to convey a sense of "misguidedness," or "laziness," if that makes any sense.

 

I completely agree with this. I would almost say do away with the random category, or if not, give it one of the least prominent places on the page. The main things that get your attention should either be announcements or high quality new content, not random stuff from years ago.

Edited January 11, 2012 by ILoveRides

[robbalvey]

Let me make some comments on Angry Gumball's latest....

 

I like what I cropped here. The rest of it, not so much. I had never thought of the idea of the daily updates being horizontally displayed, but now that I see that I go "huh....I kind of like that!" I'm almost picturing that the line of daily updates could either scroll or swipe horizontally as well.

 

Seems to be too much wasted space on the nav bar. And I'm not a fan of all lower case. Just doesn't look grammatically correct to me. I would like the nav bar to have some separation between each option so it's not one long run-on sentence. Someone mentioned the nav bar on http://www.apple.com - yeah, like that...but we'd have a pull down menu.

 

I kinda think there is some wasted space in the "View all updates" black area...but I'm not sure. Maybe that just needs to be slightly thinner.

 

This one DOES kind of look like it's from the same "family" as the Park Index pages, but still think it might need to be a bit closer. Please be sure you're looking at the park index pages.

[robbalvey]

And finally, this is just a pet peeve of mine, but any "random" category should be near the bottom of a page. I love the idea of a "potpourri" category of sorts because it's fun, but the word random has always bothered me for some strange reason when it's displayed prominently. It seems to convey a sense of "misguidedness," or "laziness," if that makes any sense.

 

I completely agree with this. I would almost say do away with the random category, or it not, give it one of the least prominent places on the page. The main things that get your attention should either be announcements or high quality new content, not random stuff from years ago.

I'm also in total agreement with this. The only reason why it ever appeared at the top of the page, was because with our current layout, the bottom of the page is a long way down!

Edited January 11, 2012 by robbalvey

[robbalvey]

My comments on this one:

 

- Too wordy. I feel like I want to remove more of the text and figure out a way to say the same thing, with less writing. I don't mind that there are the words that say "Jaws at Universal.....& video of the ride" in that area. In fact, I kind of think that might be the ONLY place we have a description. The rest of the areas can either be just pictures, or a picture and a header. No other descriptions.

- I also agree with Elissa that fewer obvious "lines" is something we like.

- I like the nav bar, but I don't "love" it.

- Drop down menu is pretty much exactly like I imaged the functionality would be.

- Like that there is one big image with an update. That looks good. The rest of it is just too wordy.

- Where Angry Gumballs feels like there is too much wasted space, this one feels too cramped.