Shop by color prototype.

[joshchernoff]

I'm making a prototype of a way to search for items by color. I have the main functions working, but I would love to get a few ideas to add to it.

Remember this is a prototype and the GUI has no value as of yet. So please address the functionality and not the current GUI unless you have a new idea to add to the GUI that is unique.

thanks

http://mermadebaubles.com/mb.html

[Pasquale]

Very cool idea! I think one way to improve the usability of it is to display visual feedback of the spectrum of error. I'm guessing it would look like a section cutout of the colour picker multi gradient.

:)

[joshchernoff]

yeah I thought of that too. Like a bubble encompassing the error threshold so you can see what like colors will be included with your search.

Yet sad as it is I'm not a bitmap wizard. Very good idea yet very complex.

[Pasquale]

yeah I thought of that too. Like a bubble encompassing the error threshold so you can see what like colors will be included with your search.

Yet sad as it is I'm not a bitmap wizard. Very good idea yet very complex.
:( well you could always be a solitaire wizard!
http://www.solitairegames.com/images/wiz.gif

[joshchernoff]

well I'm not ruling it out it will just have to be one of them things that just come with training and practice.

PS. the open public beta will be at shop2color.com soon.

[haven]

very cool for sure. How did you do it? and where did that merchandise come from?

[joshchernoff]

for starters what I have now as for merchandise is from mermadebaubles.com and is my wife's website. Second shop2color.com which will have a API will also stand as a portal AD listings from other sites. But don't quote me as this just started today.

[prg9]

I'm making a prototype of a way to search for items by color. I have the main functions working, but I would love to get a few ideas to add to it........what I have ...........mermadebaubles.com ....is my wife's website.

hey joshchernoff, looks interesting. The general concept reminds me of the Shop by Color method of etsy.com (http://www.etsy.com/color.php), which of course you know about since your wife's site uses it ;-)

Interesting stuff, it will be interesting to see how far your push/develop it and what the API will be like when released (open public beta will be at shop2color.com soon). Stay encouraged joshchernoff looks promsing.

[joshchernoff]

hey joshchernoff, looks interesting. The general concept reminds me of the Shop by Color method of etsy.com (http://www.etsy.com/color.php), which of course you know about since your wife's site uses it ;-)

Interesting stuff, it will be interesting to see how far your push/develop it and what the API will be like when released (open public beta will be at shop2color.com soon). Stay encouraged joshchernoff looks promsing.

thanks,
that Shop by Color method of etsy.com (http://www.etsy.com/color.php) is really cool and uses HVS coloring, but I found out that it is a automated system that picks the color from the images and it's only it primary color("which is usually the background") so there is a misrepresentation of the object you looking at ("you picked green but got a red item with a green background jpg"). That and I hope to add more filters and search options to help look for listings better.

I'm waiting on a possible agreement with adobe's kuler to add the Kuler API as a way to import nice color from which to search by :thumb:. I just hope that they don't feel this is too much of a commercial site as I won't be selling the items from my site yet they are ads.

I have a question for every one. How do you think I should handle the thumbnails of the listing items? should I...

have the user upload a small jpg.
have the user point to a small jpg URL.
have the user point to a URL the take a snapshot of it on the my server.
skip the preview image all together ("not my favorite"),
your idea ("A idea that differs from the rest. Please explain")

[gilemon]

functionality is great!
GUI is a lil dodgy...

[joshchernoff]

functionality is great!
GUI is a lil dodgy...

@ GUI comment, it's still very much only an idea add in no way do I plan on using the current GUI. :+)

[gilemon]

@ GUI comment, it's still very much only an idea add in no way do I plan on using the current GUI. :+)

For your thumbnails of the listing I’d propose you to let the user upload a small jpg and also point to a small jpg URL. Like in forums.

For the GUI. It seems there are few bugs on focus events and I also had some “IOErrorEvent:. text=Error #2036: Load Never Completed.”
But generally speaking I’d propose you to go for something much simpler. The color matrix (18*12) you’re proposing when clicking on the chosen color might be enough.
Same for error margin. Just give 3 or 4 levels. And put it a 50 % by default.

Otherwise this is a really cool idea that deserves to be pushed forward!

Are you sure you need an agreement with adobe's kuler to use their API?

[joshchernoff]

Are you sure you need an agreement with adobe's kuler to use their API?

For commercial use yes. But I don't know if I can call me project a commercial site. Though if I even want to sell something it may help to get ideas from adobe as well as the ok on if I can use the API at a commercial level seeing as the current EUA states that you can't. On the 12th I did a very small presentation for the Kuler team at adobe's Tech Wednesday Meeting. Kuler showcased my blog header and my screensaver. Wile there I was able to ask about commercial use of the API seeing as I'v had this Idea for a long time. Their response was of that they may let select companies use the API in a commercial environment as long as it was ok'd by them first.

Never the less I have a few tricks hidden away just for the Kuler API that I will have to keep under my hat till the right time. :egg:

[haam]

this is a really cool idea. maybe i was doing it wrong but it kept freezing up on me and i had a hard time getting results.

needs pre-loaders, or at least some text that lets the user know it's searching, or thinking or whatever.

how does this work? on color specifically or do you have to create a database of all searchable items and what their relavent colors are?

[joshchernoff]

this is a really cool idea. maybe i was doing it wrong but it kept freezing up on me and i had a hard time getting results.

needs pre-loaders, or at least some text that lets the user know it's searching, or thinking or whatever.

how does this work? on color specifically or do you have to create a database of all searchable items and what their relavent colors are?

the algorithm is a complex one that takes a hex and brakes it down to a RGB value and searches the database with a lengthy sql query.

as of yet I have not put a lot of time in to it as I have a few others paying gigs I need to finish by the 27th. After that I may start this full time.

[haam]

fair enough.

so i assume you have to edit the database manually to make sure the right product has the right hex? or how does that work?

[joshchernoff]

fair enough.

so i assume you have to edit the database manually to make sure the right product has the right hex? or how does that work?

that's being worked out right now so it maybe different down the road, but I store not only the hex but the RGB too. Every item only has on primary color associated with it though that may change. My idea is just as you would have to name, price and or pic an image for a listing you will to pick its most complimenting color via a color that you pick from it's image or a color picker.