[WIP] Revised Tea UI Concept

[Esherido]

Tea is a website statistics solution that is a cross between Mint and Google Analytics. It is in Beta 2 right now, Beta 1 is still in progress as I analyze performance and collect data. Anyway, here it is, please let me know what you think about to colors and the over-all layout. I hope to have the graphs and charts coded within the next week or two.

[Pasquale]

I like the sidebar idea a bunch. I think it would be cool if you could make it expand and collapse into the left of screen to give more real estate to the graph widget things. Also, I think you need to show us what the graphs will look like to get a better understanding of how it will all slot into place!

[ajcates]

Yea darkmotion is right, have the sidebar slide to left, also lots of cool javascript animations thur out the whole thing to make it seem slick and sexy.

[Esherido]

I think I will decrease the width of the sidebar like you suggested some, and I might try some slick JS effect with it. Maybe have it normally show just the icons, but on mouse-over it will widen out to show the text.

The "colorful HTML graph/chart" will be something similar to what Mint does so that it will be scalable. I also hope to have the option of showing 2-graphs side-by-side for comparison. So that's why there's a blue box at the top right. Eventually there will be two stacked boxes to for the side-by-side option.

One thing I've been fretting over is the height of the top-bar. Should I decrease the font size some and make it a bit smaller? It just feels a bit too dominating. I want it to always be there and be immediately recognizeable and accessible. But still not dominate the user interface.

[Pasquale]

is the top bar completely necessary? I think if anything, make it a bottom bar.

[Esherido]

^ I might try that when I get back to the computer I have this on. I do kind of like the darkness at the top that then transitions to light.

[nobody]

It's like 3 boxes and some icons you didn't make.

You might as well have just put a picture that said (Some Content and Design Will Go Here)

[Templarian]

^Kinda was what I was thinking, but my better side had me not post.

Would be nice to see some custom icons that fit the design.

[Esherido]

^ & ^^: I put this up mainly to see what you guys thought of the overall layout and had any ideas. Pasquale did exactly what I wanted made a very worthwhile and constructive answer with ideas for how to improve the global interface concept. If you don't like the fact that I'm still working on a graph and don't have the time right now to work up some custom icons that's just too bad.

[evildrummer]

Nice to see your working on Tea still, was worried you gave up :)

With the JS talk about the side bar try not to make it slide to say text on mouse over... would be really annoying, as I always just slide my mouse out the way when looking at something like a graph but if I were to slide it to the left then the whole side would expand and the graph move and scale...

The top bar can stay but only if you make more use of it... I know you wanted your plugin thing (forgotten what you called them... like mints peppers thing?) so you could have that link up there, same with log out and other site functions.

For the graphing system, what do you mean by HTML? As in static sort of thing or javascript built (maybe use Flot)... or maybe just use a flash system like customising one of Flex's graphing tools.

Also your menu seems like it won't have room for much; especially if you plan on not having too much vertical scrolling... just seems like Screen Size could count as a sub part of another page.

Single graph per page + Split graph seems to me a bit bad... personally I think a good idea would be to let the users set up their pages and choose what graphs go in what page. So I could make a page called 'design specs' and in it have a graph for Screen Size, colour ratio, java or flash enabled. Then for each graph there can be a link saying view fullscreen and also a checkbox for comparing several together... Would just seem like a cleverer application.



I would offer more help but I have to go offline. Will aim to finish my rant and advice soon... latest will be tuesday when I start my 9-5:30 again.

[Esherido]

This is just a quick reply, I write a longer one in a little. But to the point: Why does your footer say you're engaged? April Fools or not?

[evildrummer]

^ No april fools, I have a ring account now... so I'm technically engaged... just still paying off ring debt... £1,700. yay!

[Esherido]

Congratulations! £1,700 is a fair amount of mulah, why don't you just buy her a sweet gaming rig instead? :lol: Just kidding, anyway, congrats and best wishes to both of you.

[evildrummer]

^ Thanks man, ... she actually said I should wait a year and use the money to get myself a MBP I was like :hugegrin: :love: Anyway I'll stop spamming your thread now

[Theros]

^ Thanks man, ... she actually said I should wait a year and use the money to get myself a MBP I was like :hugegrin: :love: Anyway I'll stop spamming your thread now

Sorry, this is really off-topic. But I'll still continue to use the beta in the future :P

Your getting married at age 15?

[evildrummer]

^ I'm 16, she's nearly 17 and well it will be hard to explain everything but anyway we've been through one hell of a lot, and well I don't need to explain myself... plans to be long engagement anyway...

[Anogar]

You're engaged at 16? :stare:

I'm not going to say that it won't work, because I don't know you, but you must know the odds of that succeeding are awfully slim.

[TheCanadian]

I don't even know what to say, but don't let your 'rents find out :huh:

[evildrummer]

Well I'm flattered that I've ended up the topic of discussion, but maybe we should get back to having some tea?

And @Anogar; I know what you mean but I know it will work.

If a mod wants to clear up this thread or something that's fine

[Esherido]

^ I don't mind; heck, maybe even I'll change the title and ask a mod to move it. Would probably get Tea some more coverage being the topic of discussion on the first page of the most popular thread in the Random forum. Heh-heh-heh. :D

[evildrummer]

^ True, but you still owe me a reply to my actual post. haha 10, wait now 11 posts without really even mentioning Tea... what have you started dirk.

[Pasquale]

wow

[Templarian]

I think it needs some work done on it before we crit it anyway so the threads gone in a nice direction instead of dying off.

Meh... if people have a ton in common it could last. Never know how these things go, because theres those rough things and those are the parts that decide it anyway.

[BS]

Dirk, I think you should build an air app for Tea.

[TheCanadian]

Sorry esh, it's not everyday you hear someone getting engaged at 16.

[ajcates]

Yea I'd love to see tea tie into the desktop, this way I can easily check my sites stats.

[Seb Hughes]

1,700.00 GBP (3,390.34 USD) debt at 16...****.

Whats wrong with the onion rings at Mcdonalds?

[evildrummer]

^ Not in debt, I have a deposit and just like getting last bits together

[Esherido]

After spending about 5 hours trying to build a fully compliant and simple HTML graph similar to the one in Mint I've decided to give up and use Google Charts and the Sparkline PHP library. The downside to this is bye-bye fully-scalable user interface. So now I'm looking for the best way to implement non-scalable charts into a scalable user interface. Or if I should just go back to the old UI I was doing, even though I absolutely hated it. Any ideas?

Stuart: Your post did get me thinking some about the user interface, and I would like to code in a customizable dashboard. I'm just puzzles out how I'm going to do that with my non-scalable graphs.

[evildrummer]

If you use jQuery, there's an awesome plugin for graphs called flot. Should be easy to make it scale.

[Esherido]

^ That is amazing. Thank you for telling me about it! :D :party:

[evildrummer]

^ Any problems just ask... I'm pretty much sure I've run into a whacky and weird solution for most things.

keep me informed on progress!

[Esoltas]

looks really great. I sent you a message on your contact form.

[Esherido]

^ :lol: I haven't checked the address that it sends those emails to in weeks! I guess I better go check it now.