AppIndie Development Blog

I’ve been working toward finishing up the Mockup Process, and have a few things to show the group, and try to get some feedback on.  Here is the current mockup:

A couple of things to note:

1. Clearly defined edges between navigation buttons.
2. Clearly defined edges between story previews.
3. Each main Section is represent with the last few published stories.
4. The “Top Story” module is highlighted to grab attention.
5. The Footer is empty (more about this topic later)

I think that this mockup represents a clean, more modern approach to the vast amount of information that we are trying to portray throughout the site.  We have many sections and categories, so things can get a little hairy when talking about navigation around the site.

Top Story

The Top Story module is not quite pinned down with its functionality.  We could present the most recent article in that module, but that could lead to some tension between writers.

Two articles posted within an hour of each other would mean that the first article may not be highlighted and seen by our readers.  We are going to create some sort of algorithm to determine what the top story of the day should be (to be changed once a day, unless otherwise manually changed).  Most likely, it will involve something like this:

P / (Dp – Dc) – Tt

That formula looks a bit confusing, but hover over each of the letters in it for an explanation of its purpose.  This functionality will be hammered out when it comes time to start the coding process. (very soon)

Menu Structure

The menu at the top is a bit different from the current sidebar menu.  This is by design, and hopefully will give a better user experience for our readers.

Here are the menus as they are currently laid out:

As described before, the “Subscribe” menu will be different, and have a different set of features, offering ways for our readers to get automatic updates to our posts on the various online networks to which we belong.

A menu will be activated by simply pointing your mouse cursor over the menu name (which will be a direct link to either a Section or a Category itself), and it appears, allowing you to choose an option.

Member Login

As described before, the Member Login menu will be located at the very top of the page, and will fade in once the “Member Login” button is clicked.  It will look similar to this:

After a member has logged in, they will be presented with a User Menu, which will contain actions for the user to perform, such as:

• Submitting an Article
• Sending Feedback
• Logging Out
• Making a donation (this may remove the banner on the right sidebar, but maybe not)
• View/Edit their user details

Alright, this is the extent to which I have been working, and look forward to at least one more post in the Mockup Process series.  I will be contemplating the scenarios where the Footer section will be useful through delivering dynamic relevant information, possibly including:

• Writer Photo
• Writer Bio
• Writer Contact Information
• Related Articles

This hasn’t been set in stone yet, but I will be figuring out exactly what should be done, and how it will specifically benefit our readers.

As always, leave me feedback.  I need to know what everyone thinks of this setup, so I can modify things in a pleasing manner.  Thanks for reading!