This one is fairly selfish of me, but a topic that I believe to be of great value regardless.

Currently in the process of re-architecting a site of mine, I am in the process of pulling together a control panel at the moment.

Rather than design it entirely in isolation, and hoping that it will be easy to use, I thought it might prove valuable to crowdsource, in an attempt to pull together learnings from a cross-section of the Tangler community.

I'm thinking that I will make regular posts here, working throught the development of the interface, gathering feedback and advice as I go. There are time constraints to the project, but I'm hoping to counter these by posting early and often. My thought is that even though I am looking to build my own interface, the learnings that come from the project could be used universally.

Perhaps I'm dreaming.

I do not have a scanner at home, so will use a sketch program and a graphics tablet to put together rough drafts and jot down ideas.

Feel free to write over, draw over, cross out and discuss anything you see here.

Sounds good to me.

re : perhaps I'm dreaming.... but of such starts are great achievements made.... the toughest part of design is getting the UI that simply works.  But then it gets harder still (oxymoronish as that is)... getting a UI that eases adoption but doesn't get in the way of experienced users, that both hides and reveals power as required is incredibly tough.... on the product my company is just releasing, we think we're close... but we won't really know if our great ideas are even passibly close to being usable until the product is torn apart by actual users...

With that said, if I can help in any way with you journey.... well you'll catch me scribbling! 

... and with that said ... somes the topic of user testing. A HUGE topic in and of itself, but the only true method, that I know of, to create "a UI that eases adoption but doesn't get in the way of experienced users, that both hides and reveals power as required" is what user testing is all about.

Build it ... then break it ... then start over and build it again. As I heard a good friend of mine say once about a stubborn client with incredible bad taste, "Design it, then let the user's kick your client's a**".

Exactly... that's why I said we won't know until we are in the actual user stage (by this I did mean user testing... we're in first Alpha now, but this group had exposure during the design process so isn't likely to be the real test of fire...that's still to come.... and then its back to work to see how quickly we can put it all together again.)

Just joined you. Interested in any contructive comments about http://www.graphita.com? 

@Bricoleur: I agree - the first thing I usually do after installing an application is switching from Beginner to Advanced mode (if it has one) - which usually means "just cram all the widgets on a single pane instead of hiding them under several layers of 'Now what do you want to do?'"

Things have been mental over the last couple of weeks - in a good way. This has kind of meant that I've left this group hanging though.

As a topic of some interest, I thought I'd share our logo search. We are using a site named SitePoint, which I have until recently never heard of. Our technical director (new appointment) Jacob Chapel recommended it, and I'm finding it to be truly awesome. The site is basically about competing for fixed price design contracts. The quality that has come out within a day or so is unreal. I'd be interested in your thoughts...

http://www.sitepoint.com/marketplace/contest/3002

I've already given feedback to all current entries, so you won't be biasing any decisions.

I need to put some ownership in this group as well, but then again I can't spend too much time producing content where I need to be working on code. Thanks to Richard for the nod, the site actually was referred to a friend of mine who of course told me. He used it for his site logo as well, so I knew it should be something we could use for Not At All Strange. There still is some time left, so I can't wait to see what is altered and if anyone else can come in and surprise us more.

I like the 3rd one from left, 2nd row

Also like the imagery of the one above it (with the devil like thingy) but the colours are off

The others didn't immediately attract me

OK. So with 2 hours left to go, I'd be interested to hear anyones opinion. http://www.sitepoint.com/marketplace/contest/3002

I'm still amazed by the level of quality provided for such a small offered price. I'd guess there must be a lot of individuals portfolio building and seeking potential clients, because we had quite a few entries.

I've been trying to provide very detailed feedback, because I feel that anyone who puts in the time to enter a submission deserves time in return at the very least. If the entrant is using the site to build a portfolio, then the feedback might prove helpful in developing their skills. If they are seeking out new potential clients then they may simply remember that I am a good client to work with. Regardless though, I hope to help them feel good about what they've done no matter the level they have achieved - you get enough negativity from yourself as a designer.

I'm considering putting a site design or two through the process...

I still like this one the best:

(Is it ok for me to put the image here?)

I guess we'll find out

Thanks for the feedback by the way. I'll let you know how we go. We have a company meeting tonight, and one of the points of order is the selection of a winner...

Cool! I look forward to seeing the official one!

I'll post it here. I'll definitely be allowed at that point because we'll own it

Oh, should I delete that one then?

I wouldn't worry about it. I deep link to all sorts of stuff here, and I am sure many people do.

Okay, cool... thanks!