Hello CG people,
I know that you put a lot of effort into trying a new model for the cgtalk challenge forum. This being said, I think that there is a lot of room for improvement, to the point that I would definitely suggest rolling back most of the interface to the old cgtalk forums.
Positive points:____________________________________________
– The icons that showcase the most recent updates is a great idea, and definitely promotes constant updates by members.
– The interaction between facebook and other media is a plus, and helps promote the contest in other venues.
Negative:____________________________________________
– The interaction between users has been really minimized with this new confusing interface. You have to log in twice to post a comment (once into your account, then another time into Disqus or the like). The signature files are lost with this new posting method, along with the “see portfolio” link. Both of these, in my opinion, are what really promoted user interaction and curiosity. For example, if someone posts a comment on my artwork, I will simply respond to the comment on my own page, instead of following through to check out his own entry or his portfolio and commenting there.
– The segmented way in which you are posting the entries really just makes you want to see the most recent one, and not the creative process, or even the comments. The “last 5” link is a step in the right direction, but even then it is a bit cumbersome, and you have to keep going in and out to see the steps (or open multiple windows). Why not just show the last five on the same page? In the previous challenges, you could see the progression from start to finish, with embeded links and comments and etc. I remember going into various threads from artists whose artists caught my attention, and following the posts from start to finish, and getting a good feel for how the piece was made. Also, since each image has its own comments, most people won´t see previous comments or get a discussion going. It really kills the continuity of the creative process and feedback.
– The new interface feels like isolated images and comments as opposed to a conversation/creative process.
– Having the “join contest” and “upload image” be the same button (separate from a user´s upload area), to me was confusing. Also, you can´t remove images you have posted, you can´t remove yourself from the contest, and you can´t go back in and change an icon preview, etc. Usually not a big deal, but it just kills a bit the interactivity, and the feeling that you are creating an area of your own in the contest. In my case (which is rare, I must concede, since I have two accounts here – one of which I would love to kill or transfer to a friend), I ended up logging in with an account that I wasn´t using for the contest, and uploaded a “stray” image by mistake.
Suggestions:____________________________________________
– I would roll back the comments to the forum format (continuous), with embedded images and etc.
– Maybe add an icon timeline at the top of the page, with all of the entries posted sequentially, each with a hotlink to the appropriate spot on the comments timeline. When a user uploads a new entry, an image and comment goes on the comments (forum) section. As well, an icon is created at the top of every page, with a link to that particular post. So, at the top would be quick links to the points of interest in the conversation, that when clicked would take you to the right point. A design suggestion might be to make these large enough to see what´s in the image (200 pixel hight, at least), and placed sequentially in one line, from left to right (with a scroll bar). This scroll bar would be centered at the point of interest of the page. If the conversation is at WIP # 15, that icon would be at the center of the scroll bar, making it easier to see adjacent variations. The Disqus (and etc.) link could be added to the forum comments section as a plus, but not as a substitute interface.
– Maintain the old style contest user summary page, with all entries posted and owner comments. On this page, add the upload image button.
Anyway, this is my opinion. I am participating in the contest (and will try and finish my image, for once!), and will use the interface that is there. But since a lot was changed, and I haven´t seen anyone commenting on the new layout, I thought that I would get the conversation started.
cheers,
–Diego