New Project: Usability focused VBB Skin/ Template

[avexzero]

Hi,
I'm an usability engineer and I am looking for an experienced template coder to partner up with this project.
I've conducted an usability evaluation on Vbb's default interface(templates) on first time forum users. They often find vbb's interface is sometimes overwhelming and complicated.

Therefore I want to find an experienced template coder to develop a user centered interface that minimize the available options the screens, and only shows basic necessary information to help novice users.

Please let me know if you are interested in this project and I'm looking forward to work with you!

this looks like a Services Request more than a discussion on usability...

btw, i think that it all depend on styles designers to what they will build as a display on the base of the default style provided with any system, not only vBulletin (VBB is for Versatile Bulletin Board not vBulletin!)

if you use the default style of any board, like phpBB, uBB, OpenBB, IPB etc, you will all see the same content, displayed similarily... this is a default template, not a forced to use style... if you're not ready to pay for a designer to create a look, you can use that default,... and usually, it's coder's point of view, not client... client is flexible, client can make anything from this tempalte when they have a solid editor like the one of vBulletin...

--nexia, W3C compliant developper!

[CommuneZoom]

What are you considering to be the "basic necessary information?" Also, what are you looking to have cut from the standard vBulletin style? Something could easily be worked out, but first you would need to fill in a few grey areas as to how many of the options you are looking to lose and which specific options you are looking to keep around.

[Marco van Herwaarden]

Is this a paid request?

PS We also don't deal with VBB modifications here, that bulletin board software got their own support board. We only deal with vBulletin (vB) here.

[avexzero]

Thanks for the replies.

I guess i didn't make my self clear on my first post. I am developing a series of UI designs in Photoshop slices, since I?m not very familiar with vBulletin 's template system, nor a HTML good coder, it would be much more efficient if an experienced template coder can help me translate my slices into working template files.

I understand it seems default styles seems easy to use for most computer literate users, but it still pose an challenge for senior users and less computer literate user groups.

The new user interface would be based on the user interaction flow, while taking into consideration user expectations and requirements.


Here is a list of Objectives I would like to achieve:

-Streamline user system interactions to focus on posting.
-Reduced user interactions with unnecessary vBulletin components.
-Reduced the number of pages with which the user had to interact.
-Significantly reduced the number of user mouse clicks.
-Removed all information not relevant to the user experience.

Of course all the above objective would change according to :

-UI and functional analysis.
-Discount usability testing.
-In-depth usability testing.

Some technical objectives I would also love to achieve
-W3C Compliant
-use more AJAX components
-If a Flash coder is available, utilize flash in the UI design (ie. Flickr's organizer app)

This UI focused style will be released here on vbulletin.org.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by MarcoH64

Is this a paid request?

PS We also don't deal with VBB modifications here, that bulletin board software got their own support board. We only deal with vBulletin (vB) here.

Sorry for the confusion. This is intended for vB
No, this is not a paid project, but an open source effort. All layered PSD / Template files will be released here.

Originally Posted by CommuneZoom

What are you considering to be the "basic necessary information?" Also, what are you looking to have cut from the standard vBulletin style? Something could easily be worked out, but first you would need to fill in a few grey areas as to how many of the options you are looking to lose and which specific options you are looking to keep around.

This is a good question.

What I intend to do is to reduce the available interaction choices for a user to go through, and provide more hierarchy how the information are presented.

ie, Is it really important for a new , casual user to know how many threads/posts are there in a forum?


Take the post editor template for example, a new casual user, say if they want to upload a picture , they have to make a good effort to find that "attachment" button down the page .

A lot of them wouldn't know you can "upload a picture" or gave up .


I know this might be hard to comprehend , how can an user not able to figure something this easy out themselves, but keep in mind there are people who's computer tasks are limited to IMs, Emails and basic browsing for few hours a week.