HiveMinds

mswas · Royalty Joined: 08 Nov 2002 Posts: 1090 Location: NJ, USA

Two concepts - one following University layout, the other following the print material they just got done:

http://www.bgwdesigns.com/edison0914/layout.gif

http://www.bgwdesigns.com/edison0914/layout2.gif

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
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"There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who love chocolate, and communists." -- Leslie Moak Murray

The Boy Hope · Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2004 8:07 pm Post subject:

You just want us to pick one?

I prefer the first.
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Let's all lobby for mandatory blood and urine testing of all politicians on a weekly basis. They have nothing to hide.

caddickj · Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2004 9:54 pm Post subject:

Yep. #1 is cool.
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When . . . it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly. - Edward Teller

Tim · Posted: Mon Oct 04, 2004 10:40 pm Post subject:

Are those circles in the top right of #1 meant as navigation?

Visually I like #1 better. The red in #2 is too strong and modern feeling for the subject matter to me. #1 is also much more cohesive feeling.

How much of those 5 million pages are you giving access to? Has the information architecture work of figuring out how to classify and organize all that already been done? Why do only 3 of the 5 featured sections get in the main nav? Are there unfeatured sections? How would I get to them quickly?

For something like this I think "form follows function" is the rule of the day, so I would want to know more about if the site is presenting the actual material, documenting the material (like a card catalogue), documenting the progress of restoring the material etc. Depending on site structure you may need a more in depth nav system and that could mean major changes to what you have.

mswas · Royalty Joined: 08 Nov 2002 Posts: 1090 Location: NJ, USA

Well, I was just looking for comments. Both concepts are out for approval.

The site currently exists, so this is a redesign:

edison.rutgers.edu (not linking so we don't show up in referrers)

We're not really touching the current search function, except to simplify how to get to it, as this project might be incorporated into the university libraries.

The circles aren't nav, right now, but that could change.

They are presenting the material - scanned in as images.

Oh and the nav that you see will have pulldowns to expand to the sub sections.
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"There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who love chocolate, and communists." -- Leslie Moak Murray

Susanna · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 10:15 am Post subject:

I also like the first one best. I think the horizontal navigation works better for a site that will be displaying scanned documents. It gives a nice, wide window below the nav for document display. The left-side nav takes up too much of the screen for this purpose.
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I like my fonts like I like my coffee: bold and condensed.

mswas · Royalty Joined: 08 Nov 2002 Posts: 1090 Location: NJ, USA

C · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 11:56 am Post subject:

I am partial to the first one. I went to them at different intervals. The first ones layout seemed to stick in memory for some reason.

I am a die hard Edison fan. I hope this project sees light soon.

Uhh, that pun was not intentional Smile

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I was annoyed by the fact that God was testing my atheism by sending aliens to my door to ask for proof of his existence.
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mswas · Royalty Joined: 08 Nov 2002 Posts: 1090 Location: NJ, USA

Well, I just got the word that they chose the first one!!

Does everyone get the impression that the circles are some kind of nav?

They tie in with their letterhead (a series of the circles listed vertically down the left margin), but I can do something else with them to tie the circle theme in...

And if you are interested in seeing some of the documents on the site now, here is a decent Document Sampler:

http://edison.rutgers.edu/docsamp.htm
_________________
"There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who love chocolate, and communists." -- Leslie Moak Murray

The Boy Hope · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 2:00 pm Post subject:

Well, I'd have moused over them the first time cause they kinda look like they would be, yeah.
_________________
Let's all lobby for mandatory blood and urine testing of all politicians on a weekly basis. They have nothing to hide.

Tim · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 2:12 pm Post subject:

I thought they might be but was hoping they weren't since you really can't tell at all what they would take you to so they aren't very good for navigation.

mswas · Royalty Joined: 08 Nov 2002 Posts: 1090 Location: NJ, USA

Do you think I should take them out?
_________________
"There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who love chocolate, and communists." -- Leslie Moak Murray

C · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 2:34 pm Post subject:

how big are those sample docs 500kb 600kb? Acrobat reader 6 keeps crashing and causing firefox to lock up. I don't have enough clean memory or something. I think this could be a problem later.
_________________
I was annoyed by the fact that God was testing my atheism by sending aliens to my door to ask for proof of his existence.
hiveminds.co.uk

caddickj · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 2:34 pm Post subject:

They do look like they should serve some function. I like they way they look, too, though, so I'd be disappointed if they were gone.

Maybe you could figure something out to use them for -- though that's a sucky way to design....
_________________
When . . . it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly. - Edward Teller

Tim · Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 3:01 pm Post subject:

If you lowered the contrast between the circles and the green they are on they would probably be OK. Right now they draw the eye a lot more than almost anything else on the page. And now that I think of that, the nav really doesn't draw the eye at all.