UI Standardization

محروم.كوم · #1 11-16-2012, 12:30 PM

Hi,

I am a stickler for standardization. I could write this up as a Jira, but I want to point out the concept of standardization first and discuss it and from the discussion I'll make Jiras. I think keeping an eye out for standardization in the dev process is most likely missing and will most definitely bite vB in the ass through, at the least, unnecessary costs to re-standardize, at the most, user dissatisfaction, if it continues. So I am trying to help.

My example is the way I can add images into vB.

I'm going to point out three ways to add images into vB.

The title image

The profile image

Photos in a post

So to add a title image, I get this first view.

16.11.12.jpg

But to add a profile image I get this view.

17.11.12.jpg

Ok, you could argue one is a "page builder" view and the other is a user's view. But now, this.

With the profile image, I can crop it.

21.11.12.jpg

Why isn't this nice feature in the page builder for the title image?

And then there is the post editor. (God I hate it, and it was only a very good guess that I can drag and drop an image into the editor to get it to show up in the text field. I like that, but I had no idea it was actually possible. Good function, bad UI, Change the cursor to a drag and drop symbol instead of the finger please.).

But how about a cropping function here too?

22.11..12.jpg

Users like standardization, because it makes their lives better. Standardization is something that usually is subliminal. It is what makes a UI intuitive. Because, if the user has a function in one place, she'll expect it in another and if it is there, she already knows how it works.

As a user I can crop my profile pic. Great. As an admin (who is a user), I can't crop my title image, crappy. As a user I can't crop my post images (and as an admin I can't set a side ratio format for them either. ok, that last point would be a suggestion to improve the standard cropping function).

At any rate. Please always think across the board, when it comes to functionality. If you make a cool function, where else could it be implemented? If you find an answer, then it should be done. At a minimum I would expect the title image to also have a cropping function. And as a maximum, I would have cropping anywhere I can add an image and as an over the top function, as an admin I can set the side ratios dependent on the location of the images.

Scott
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