MySites – a review from a UI perspective
Posted by: Savannara on: August 11, 2008
I promised a buddy of mine that I would provide him a review of his company. Ramine Darabiha, who is the founder and CEO of MySites, a social OS where you can create and use apps that work anywhere. We’re talking about all types of media imaginable, no limits, except you get ONLY 10 GB of space to store your stuff. I meant that in a funny way. That is a ridiculous amount of space for an individual user to store content. What’s great about the service is that it is compatible with a mobile device.
I will leave the service and architecture reviews to the expert, so I will focus primarily on the user interface (UI) aspect of the site with a hint of user experience as well – as we know, both go hand-in-hand.
Homepage (register) layout
This is what you get when you first go to the site. There is a company logo on the top-left corner and login/register credentials on the top-right side of the page. And there is totally nothing in the middle of the top pane or header. Nada. It’s left totally empty. I see the point of balancing the pane with an item on the left and right, but the emptiness in the center doesn’t provide an added value to me. It needs to be used somehow.
The user thumbnail and login input fields appear to be placed too close to the top and right borders. They are overlapping the horizontal line. And the blue dialogue box, which is the status update, is overlapping the main pane area. This is okay, but the whole area is not nice at all. It definitely needs work.
On the left hand side, there are boxes that has a collapse/expand icon on the top-right corner – this ought to be familiar to anyone using a computer. I must say that the outline of the box in gray is okay, but the bottom line of these boxes appear thicker – around 2 pixels while the rest are 1 pixel. I believe the boxes might be placed adjacent to each other and not actually overlapping. Improvements are needed here. One suggestion is to leave a gap between the boxes.
The News box is fine, but I would rather see a link to read more instead of the scrollbar.
Then again, I’m not so sure about the placement of these boxes on the left hand side. I would rather see it in the center content.
Coming to the content, I thought the information on the top part could somehow be combined with “Browsers, Features and Tech Features” boxes. They are related with one another, so why separate them? You can place similar types of information in one section so the users’ eyes do not wonder around the screen.
The next item below that is a slideshow (illustrations) of features. After looking at this for awhile, it became annoying because it was looping. Again, the illustrations are a bit cartoonish and trying to be funny and needs to be more of a professional grade.
Also, there is a Flash demo below the slideshow. It is not playing by default, unlike the slideshow. Sure, the demo might be needed to tell the story of the service, but at the same time, the animation is lacking smooth transitions. Perhaps it was meant this way, but it doesn’t provide me a good storytelling experience because of the intermittent pauses in between sequences. When the demo is ended, it doesn’t really end, there is a loop of flag waving and you can’t stop it. So when you have the slideshow and the demo continuously playing simultaneously, it becomes really annoying. Of course, you can stop the slideshow, but it ought to stop at the end and if a user decides to replay it, provide the option for that.
Moving to the right side of the content section, there are a couple of promotional boxes – for bands and more informational texts. These ought to be more powerful looking. Right now, I’m seeing it as just another box with text. It needs to appear more like a commercial ad. Then there is the “Register Now, for free” invitation, but with the light blue hues, it doesn’t draw my attention. It appears to be part of the background. There is a “…….mysites.com” field, but I had no idea what I’m supposed to do here. I guessed it was a username field and it is automatically filled in when you pressed “Go.”
The outline frames of these content boxes are way too thick – at 3 pixels. This is not pleasing to the eyes. You can see alignment errors easily (the band information box is not aligned to the bottom of the slideshow box). I think 1 pixel outline would suffice and more universal with other sites out there. It’s more of a standards issue.
After I clicked on the “Go” button, I get a pop-up with user credentials to complete. The pop-up idea is great, but it is not nice-looking from a UI point of view. First of all, the appearance of the whole pop-up doesn’t appear like a pop-up. It is just a box of input fields with a gray outline and a glossy sheen on top. The pop-up needs to stand out more. Nowadays, sites use a dimming technology when a pop-up is intentionally used for this kind of purpose. If it isn’t used, I suggest having some kind of shadow or edge glow with semi-transparency. Something like that so you get the feeling of a pop-up. I noticed that if I kept on pressing “Go”, I would always get another pop-up stacked on top of the previous pop-up. You can still perform actions behind the pop-up, except for things directly behind the pop-up.
Homepage (logged-in) layout
Once you have signed up and logged in, you’ll get five tabs in the middle area – aligned to right side of the company logo. The five tabs are: Home, My Services, My Buddies, My Messages and My Preferences.
In each of these tabs and to the right of the text, there is a terrible looking question mark. If you move your cursor over them, you’ll get a yellow hint text box. Perhaps the question mark is not necessary and could be replaced by something more meaningful – like in the new Facebook.
Company logotype
The overall look-and-feel of the logo portrays a bubbly and wavy feel, with blue blots in the background. The circular shape has the characteristics of water. The site is targeted towards gamers, students and everyone else who might want to share files with their cohorts. The blue hues are okay, but a bit muted in my opinion. The logo appears to be a tad amateurish. It needs to be more professional looking. Currently, it lacks power and some basic design principles.
It reminds me a lot of the Pepsi logo.
In the “About” section, MySites is written with a capital “M,” while the logo uses a small “m”. I don’t know if this was intentional, but it could be more consistent.
The question that boggles my mind is why are “About, Legal Information, Help” links superimposed on the bottom part of the logo? These links are barely legible because a portion of the logo is behind the texts. Normally, these links would be located on the bottom of the page, like a footer. If this is intentional, perhaps create a cell below the logo so that the text links do not overlap the logo.
Today’s standard sites usually provide the ability to click on the logo to return to the homepage, and MySites is no exception. For some reason, my arrow cursor doesn’t change to a pointing hand cursor when I move my mouse over the logo. Therefore, it provides uncertainty of the functionality, but after clicking on the logo, I am taken to the homepage.
Thumbnail icon
I actually don’t understand this icon at all. This icon appears to be used for the default thumbnail of the user and buddies. The icon looks like aliens in a capsule. The blue hues appear to be a bit dirty looking. A better icon is needed here.
Although it is definitely cool to scale the icon, the graphic designer forgot to optimize the icon so that when it is scaled to the fullest, it shouldn’t appear pixilated. The icon itself ought to be created at the maximum size for scaling down, not up.
My Services icons
All icons are using blue hues color palette. In general, it could be markedly improved for better visibility.
My Updates
The “My Updates” section, again located on the left hand side with cramped spacing, shows all the content uploaded by your buddies. If there is a folder, a default icon, again with this capsule-looking object. If there are photos, then a thumbnail is shown. Above it, there is textual information about the item. This is where it’s a little messy. The status of the upload is displayed right after an icon, followed by the item storage directory and to the right; you have “Share this Picture”. These items need to be situated in a table – perhaps with cell borders visible.
Final thoughts
The concept idea of MySites is good. Of course there are others with similar service offerings, but in order for MySites to gain a foothold on a large user base, it needs to have an overall UI renewal. It also needs a customization option so that I can move contents around – like drag-and-dropping because I don’t want to look to the left of my screen all the time – focus on the center of attention. As for the color palette, this area needs a total overhaul. Currently, the whole UI has a muted feeling because there are no other colors. Too much gradient usage is not good. The logo, IMHO, needs to be redesigned with a more dynamic personality.
Inconvenient truth of Firefox 3.0
Posted by: Savannara on: July 7, 2008
- In: Browsing| Firefox| Internet| Technology
- 1 Comment
I’m an avid fan of the Firefox browser and use it on a daily basis, unless a particular site requires the use of IE. Firefox 2.0 was great – I had cool add-on extensions to help me ease my browsing experience such as Tab Mix, which is great for enhanced tab personalization, email notifier, weather, etc. In the beginning, I had this problem with my cursor disappearing. This meant that everytime I typed something in a text field, every so often, the cursor moved somewhere else. Therefore, I would have to click in the text field again to continue typing. Image writing this blog entry with this problem. So far, I’ve had about five disappearance thus far.
I believe the problem was resolved through updates.
I have recently upgraded to Firefox 3.0 and have found the problem to have risen from the dead. This is definitely one annoying nuisance. No matter how much an application has improved, containing a defect from a previous release is not acceptable.
I have lost the cursor six more times. The total of cursor disappearance for typing this much text in a text field came out to be 11 times.
I thought this feature would solve the problem, Caret Browsing – something to do with selecting text with the keyboard. Press F7 to get this pop-up and turn off the Caret Browsing. At least it has worked on my Google toolbar…for now.
I need to find a fix for this cursor disappearing problem. I read that it’s not just Firefox, it’s the whole Mozilla runtime.
My Parents are Coming to Town – to Finland That is
Posted by: Savannara on: April 21, 2008
My Parents
It really sounds amazing and a total 180 degrees when I learned that my parents have committed themselves to finally visit Katriina and me in Finland. I don’t know what made them to consider this visit, but Katriina and I look forward to welcoming them to our home in Kuru. One inclination would revolve around my father’s age of 69 and still rather healthy, and that they ought to visit us at least once. If not us, then Europe.
I have been waiting for this moment for the last couple of years and now the long wait is over. Obviously, it must have required a great deal of decision making because my parents have other priorities. We knew that this day would come, but it was just a matter of when. I have to admit that I’m happy and giddy about their visit. At the same time, I’m just afraid that they will be bored in Finland. I just hope that they will take this trip as an opportunity to relax as well.
The Past
This is a photograph of my parents with their four children being photographed for immigration. I’m the boy with the number five on my chest – the third child of four. This photograph is not reminiscent of the trials and tribulations we had to endure during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia during the late 70’s, but a photo of hope.
My parents have gone through so much pain and anguish during the Khmer Rouge regime that nothing could compare to that heinous period. Although my parents were not captured by the Khmer Rouge, in a sense, every Cambodians suffered all the same. We were one of the lucky ones who escaped to Khao-I-Dang refugee camp, based on the border of Thailand and Cambodia. I have to thank them for their struggles to save all of our lives no matter the circumstances. Many Cambodians have similar horrific experiences and real life stories, but it can not compare to your own sacrifices.
I cannot really say that I have struggled through these times, but through my parents’ stories, it makes me open my eyes and realize the difficult situation we had as a family. I cannot really say that I remember much of anything about the events, but through my parents’ stories, I have a history to reflect on and look forward to passing on to my own child(ren).
The Uncertainties
To rewind back to the first time I informed my parents about the news of my moving decision, they were definitely not pleased to hear about it. There were many “why” questions. And plenty of “if” questions as well. My mother had a really tough time understanding my planned decision. Why did I decide to leave the family to live with my Finnish wife? It was a very difficult decision with plenty of emphasis. It was not the first decision, but it was a joint decision between Katriina and me. We carefully analyzed the situation and felt that living together in Finland would prove to be the best decision.
One of the most difficult part of our relationship was not our own marriage, but was with the relationship we had with my mother. She appeared to have distant herself from Katriina for some reason – a level of prejudice of some sort. I suppose it might have nothing to do with race, but more of a mother-son relationship. The second year was especially difficult when we visited Seattle for the first time after my relocation.
Through time, situation changes, grudges are forgotten, but a change of heart is what happened to my mother. It took five years for it to happen, but we never lost faith in her. I’m certain that we’re not the only couple experiencing this type of situation. I’m very happy to see that my mother has realized Katriina’s heart-warming intentions.
The Present
It has been six successful years since I moved to the country of Finland and still going strong. It was at the end of December in 2001 when I packed a few bags and headed to the unfamiliar territory of the Scandinavian country. Honestly, it would be my second time. Therefore, I had some predisposed knowledge of the country’s environment and European culture beforehand.
At first, Katriina and I lived in Helsinki, the capital of Finland. I was amazed that I was integrated to the country’s social system instantly after my immigration. Well, there were some paper works, but it was a painless procedure. I was also given some unemployment benefits, in the form of cash and language training. To this day, I still can’t speak Finnish very well. That’s what happens when you rely on English everyday for work.
After getting a hired at the country’s largest and world’s telecommunication company, we had to move to Tampere, a city approximately two hours north of Helsinki. After three years in a condo, we bought our first house and moved to Kuru. Fortunately for Finland, I haven’t considered returning back to Seattle yet.
The only family member to have visited me, so to speak, was my brother Savan. Actually he was at my wedding the year before my move to Finland. Therefore, it might have been semi-official. So Savan needs to come visit us for real. Now, my parents will be making their first visit to Finland. Let’s see if my two sisters will find their way to Finland someday. With a large family of their own, it might be too much of a challenge.
The Plans
With a month stay in Finland, we found it somewhat difficult to provide some sort of entertainment for my parents. There isn’t a concrete plan for tourism, but here are a few items we came up with:
1. Cambodian Night at Katriina’s mom’s restaurant for a charity event.
2. A 3-day cruise from Helsinki-Sweden-Helsinki on Viking Line
3. A tour to Finland’s Lapland and Artic Circle; to meet the real Santa Claus
4. A west coastal scenic tour
5. A tour of the Helsinki area
6. A tour of the Tampere area
7. A house party with Finnish family members and friends
8. Of course, my dad has promised to help me do some patio and driveway brick layering
Ovi: Nokia’s Door to Internet Services
Posted by: Savannara on: April 17, 2008
What is Ovi? Nokia has described it as their door to the Internet services. As a new Nokia business strategy to tackle the world of Internet services, Ovi was launched to compete with the likes of iTunes and other music and video services. Ovi, which means “door” in Finnish, has been launched to the public, but only to a few selected countries.
In addition to music and videos, Nokia Ovi also offers Share, Maps, N-Gage and Sync. The strategy here is not only to mimic other music and video services, but to offer some differentiators that could lure customers to join Ovi. This service will definitely attract die hard Nokia faithfuls or early adopting customers.
The Share service essentially allows a method of sharing media content via a mobile device. Consumers are already enjoying similar service with MMS, but only to a certain extent of the technology’s capability.
The Nokia Maps service includes over 150 countries and provides an easy method to send maps and directions to a friend’s mobile device. Upon purchasing NAVTEQ, a mapping service, Nokia has been pushing hard to promote the Maps service unto their terminals.
N-Gage started out as a music device, but due to low sales, it eventually got canceled. The brand name has now resurfaced, but in a service-oriented aspect. N-Gage is now a gaming channel. Consumers can subscribe to the service, try out games, and purchase after the trial period.
The Share service is simple as it sounds. It is nothing new either. It’s just integrated to the Ovi service. Basically, you can share pictures, videos and any other files you feel like sharing with your friends and family. You can also create your very own channels for sharing files. All this can be achieved via your mobile device.
I have only covered the basis of the differentiating factors that Nokia Ovi offers. What about music? Every once-a-month, the Nokia Music Store offers a free track you can download and keep forever. So far, these selective few have only been from artists I have never heard of. Before you can download or listen to a track, the service directs you to download and install a media bar that will be located to the left side of the browser’s scrollbar. Why wasn’t that already built in the site?
All said and done, Nokia needs to fix one giant problem: an incompatibility issue with other browsers like Firefox and Safari. I’m beginning to suspect that Ovi only supports IE at the moment. Isn’t that lame or what? I can’t believe in this age of cross-platform standardization, Nokia has made a bone-headed decision with their lack of support for other browsers. I have been using Firefox since 1.0 and now Ovi is telling me that I have to use a browser that I don’t want to use. I don’t think so. Fortunately for Nokia, it is still in its beta infancy.
One terrible annoyance is the carry-over problem of the account login information. I guessed I signed up at the UK store, but when changing to the Finnish store, my password didn’t work. Therefore, it leads me to believe that I will have to sign up for the Finnish store as well.
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