New Muppet Central Site Design

[Chilly Down]

Great intro! And when it went to the new screen, a Fiery popped up. Woo-hoo!!

 

[jeffy]

Two suggestions and a question

I am still discovering new things about the site. Still periodically picking my jaw off the floor. It was not an understatement for the person who said that this site was now the best muppet site on the web. Even the previous/original official Henson site (the current one is not an improvement, in my opinion). The only site I don't think MC can be compared to is MuppetWorld. MuppetWorld is pretty incredible but (1) it hasn't been updated since August of 1812, and (2) it's not an informational site.

Question: As a programmer, I'm curious how you've designed removing and adding (and configuring...such as Stadtler and Waldorf are together always, should appear X%, and only on the main page toolbar) new characters as you move forward, to the toolbar banners accross the site. I'm not familiar with Flash programming, but I'm pretty good with Java, JavaScript, Oracle, and ColdFusion, and I'd like to hear how you've designed this...at least conceptually. It's really cool, all the random characters.

Suggestion one: Could you please not activate a clicked link until the user mouses *up*. This will give the user a way out when they change their mind. With actual text links, when you click it, hold the mouse down, and then change your mind, you can just drag your mouse off the link before releasing the mouse button. This is not possible with the toolbars you've created. Instead, the toolbar links activate the moment of mouse *down*. Only slightly frustrating, but it would be an easy and definite improvement.

Suggestion two: I've always been a bit annoyed with how you can't go back to the website when you're in the forums (am I missing something?). Could you change the "Muppet Central forum" graphic link, at the top, to take you to the MC home page, instead of the forum home page? It's redundant anyway: You can click on "Muppet Central Forum", the text to the left-most in the "link ladder" (as you're reading this, go to the top of this page. The link ladder is currently "Muppet Central Forum > Muppet Central > Announcements > New Muppet Central Site Design"). Is it possible to change the "HOME" link in the forum toolbar? That'd actually be a good alternative.


:' )
Jeffy
http://www.jeffyjeffy.com

 

[Phillip]

Hi Jeff,

Hope you are doing great!

I'll let Jamie address the Flash questions you brought up, but I will mention that the forum will soon have a menu just like all the other sections in the site itself. This should help make navigation to and from the forum much easier. Most importantly it will allow the forum to more cohesively fit in with the whole site.

There are some other elements to the design that are being worked on and they'll be rolled out in more stages in the future. We tried to lay the most solid foundation possible, then continue to build upon it.

 

[jeffy]

Two suggestions and a question

Hey, Phillip!

(...and Sherrie and I loved the candy mailbox and ornaments... :')

Thanks for the update. Looking forward to it. And I just remembered another suggestion!

The transition page (from the old site to the new) was so awesome! Could there be a permanent link to it, somewhere?



:' )
Jeffy
http://www.jeffyjeffy.com

 

[Luke]

The forum flash header was up for a while on the sites relauch night - it looked pretty cool.

The other thing that would be good if there was a similar button next to 'user cp' on every forum page where you could access the 'new/unread posts' screen. I think i might have suggested this once before, can't remember.

 

[frogboy4]

We are working on solving that next month. As for the click states - I kind of get what you mean - and I believe it is set on release states. Don't quite get why you'd click the element and hold it there without wanting to connect someplace, but we'll look into it. We intend to put some fan input on these elements.

 

[jeffy]

Originally posted by frogboy4
We are working on solving that next month. As for the click states - I kind of get what you mean - and I believe it is set on release states. Don't quite get why you'd click the element and hold it there without wanting to connect someplace, but we'll look into it. We intend to put some fan input on these elements.

It is a small thing, but in my experience with users and personally (especially when I'm reaching obsessive mode, am avoiding life, am just tired, or should somehow otherwise not be on the web any more), it's an extra touch that adds something.

It definitely will not hurt. It won't change the user's current experience, and will potentially add the benefit I mention.

Note that I save this level of criticism for things I really respect. I love it when things that are great get even greater.

 

[jeffy]

Two suggestions and a question

...and although I don't have experience with Flash, my instinct is that it is easy to implement...

 

[beaker]

I have a question for Phil and Jamie...

Phil, how does it feel, that after 4.5 years you now have what many would consider is thee #1 Muppet site online? (And Jamie how do ya feel to have been a part of that graphic design percipitating this?)

Let's look at the "official" JHC sites.

muppets.com: loved that site back in 1997...doesnt seem to have been updated since Pepe was a bellhop.

muppetworld.com: for some reason on official JHC ad spots they use this one. why? Flash filled and and out of the loop, this one was strictly MFS era. HAs some nice Muppet labs stuff though.

and finally...

henson.com: This seems to require the newest plugin every week, yet fails to have half the charm of the old henson.com site.
When a very indie fan site like TP has vastly more updated news and scoops than the official site, well...

So verdict...while I love TP as an alternative spin on things, and as a main merchandise and behind the scnes politics scooper,
the new upgrade and look to MC no doubt in my mind places it as the NUMBER ONE Muppet related site online.

 

[jeffy]

Originally posted by beaker
Phil, how does it feel, that after 4.5 years you now have what many would consider is thee #1 Muppet site online? (And Jamie how do ya feel to have been a part of that graphic design percipitating this?)

Remember, the information has largely not changed from the old design (still can't quite swallow "old"). What *has* changed is the cleaned up navigation and exquisite-yet-still-small-kb graphics--both in the toolbar and elsewhere, enhancing the look and feel of the site both emotionally and as a web user.

The new graphics and navigation is exactly what nudged MC from "great" to "best".