TrackStack mockup help request

[Michael Allan]

C and Alex,

I looked at the new ones, including 2f (which wasn't described) and
Alex's visual (more below), but I keep going back to 2b:
http://whiletaker.homeip.net/mockups/2b.xht

I still think the way forward is to enhance its strengths.

conseo wrote:
> So state could be shown partially in the toolbar (at least the sum
> in front of the selector makes some sense imo). Progress in a
> TrackStack and then social assembly/distribution in another
> TrackStack. What do you think?

I would call those "tracks" in my terminology.  Here is what I would
call a "track stack", meaning a vertical array of tracks:


   ----------- track ------->
   ----------- track ---------->
   ----------- track ------------->


What I like about 2b is its *combination* of segments and arrow.
Myself, I would not separate them.  Instead I would refocus more
intently on them, almost like this:


   -------------------------->


For me, this graphic comes a little closer to the ideal.  No more
unecessary colours, and the arrow is much enhanced.  I would build on
these strengths alone (segments + arrow) until something else was
clearly required.


alex at twister11.de wrote:

> I gave it a try, but already have some suggestions for further
> improvement.  ...
> >  http://imageshack.us/f/9/22890400.png/

I copied the image here (no ads):
http://zelea.com/var/tmp-public/alex-track.png

Is that your own mockup, Alex?  I'm afraid it uses too much vertical
space.  A track must be thin, preferably thinner than text height.
You see, we need to stack several tracks at the top of the main view.
The main view can vary, but it's often this one:
http://zelea.com/project/votorola/a/xf/vote/_/3.xht

There's a toolbar along the top (not shown here, but shown in C's
mockups).  The tracks hang beneath the toolbar.  They shouldn't
encroach on (or even distract from) the main view; rather they should
complement it.

-- 
Michael Allan

Toronto, +1 416-699-9528
http://zelea.com/


conseo wrote:
> Hey Thomas,
> 
> Thomas von der Elbe wrote:
> > Hey Conseo,
> > 
> > I am very excited about the progress you have made, even though I'm not
> > sure yet, how far it goes. Is the connection in the background between
> > the visuals and the real data already programmed?
> 
> @Thomas
> 
> Nope this always comes last, because otherwise I would have to do the Ui over 
> and over again. I was busy during August to rewrite the harvester, because 
> Mike and me came to the conclusion that we need a web scraper rather than 
> clients for each medium, because we need to be able to search back once a 
> forum becomes interesting and we always need an external Url as we don't 
> provide a communication channel in the Outcast Ui.
> I have really missed you, as I need your feedback for this stuff. Mike and me 
> have coined the term superalphauser for you, because so many important 
> concepts have been invented with your help. The term definitely makes me laugh 
> :-D
> 
> Mike has promised to provide the model (for the connection between the counts 
> and the Ui) once we have a good Ui concept, but this is crucial and most 
> likely the most difficult part to do. We also don't know yet which data we 
> need to visualize it perfectly, both in social and historical terms.
> I have gained experience and my new development setup is much more convenient 
> for me, so things go quicker finally. For example the new harvester is really 
> easy to adjust to new web-forums. Likely only one afternoon to write a scraper 
> for a new forum.
> Sorry that I can't offer you more yet, I will come up with a development plan 
> in my next E-Mail and try to convince people to contribute labour to it (as in 
> reaching out to projects, copying positions, using the resources framework to 
> do something or some kind of development work). I hope you don't get 
> distracted or disappointed, I will do what I can to keep you happy (same with 
> Mike) :-) I have also tried to reach you on IRC, but had no luck yet. Mail me 
> if you like to skype. 
> 
> > 
> > more in your text:
> > > No mnemonics and no colors, but target and sum are more distinct now.
> > 
> > The latter is good!
> > 
> > > The segments of the thermometer showing the contribution of one of the
> > > voters, can have a hover box showing their contribution and maybe any
> > > other information for that pledge.
> > I like that.
> > 
> > >   We can also highlight a segment on voter selection.
> > 
> > And that too.
> > 
> > > But the collective aspect which was in their through the rainbow colors
> > > (so they had information, just not for each segment), is now gone. Does
> > > this still visualize the collective effort? I feel uncomfortable with
> > > it... looks a bit boring.
> > It wouldn't bring out the collective aspect more, but how if we take the
> > thermometer analogy further and colour the thing from grey on the left
> > to gradually orange or green (or yet another one) on the right. This
> > would indicate progress. Also, why not have an arrow on the segment most
> > to the right?
> Each (super)account has a distinct colour already, so we can use that. See U 
> in green, V in orange, ...
> 
> Mockups are at http://whiletaker.homeip.net/mockups/
> I have also uploaded all svg sources, if anybody wants to play with inkscape, 
> go ahead :-D I start to love this tool.
> 
> I have added an arrow in 2ca, a gradient in 2cb, made it translucent in 2cc as 
> this strengthens the thermometer visual imho.
> 
> I have also moved the text to make it slimmer in 2d, as Mike suggests if we 
> have many trackstack visuals as in 2e. 2e uses a gradient to show progress. 
> The bar visuals the resource development over time, segmented e.g. in as many 
> segments as weeks since the counting started and is green at the segment if 
> the resources grew and blue if they shrunk. This is not intuitive, so we 
> should plot a graph on hover. I have also added the rainbow version without 
> the progress again here and have labeled the stacks despite the original 
> intention as this colour inflation is confusing otherwise. Maybe tactile 
> hovers make these labels unnecessary though. I have to sketch them up next.
> 
> I still like the Mnemonics version, esp. if we don't have votespace but only 
> this bar (like on the bridge or activist's homepages). The thermometer is not 
> really a visual analogy for the social thing going on. It also includes the 
> progress aspect, which we should move in a different visual (TrackStack) as in 
> 2e imo.
> 
> So state could be shown partially in the toolbar (at least the sum in front of 
> the selector makes some sense imo). Progress in a TrackStack and then social 
> assembly/distribution in another TrackStack. What do you think?
> 
> conseo


alex at twister11.de wrote:
> I gave it a try, but already have some suggestions for further improvement.
> 1. The "red box with low opacity" could contain the amount that user
> spent and the users number or mnemonic and the DATE he contributed.
> 2. All the date's should be removed, only the date which started the
> donation and the estimated end-date should stay. This allows the user
> avatars to be moved close to the progress bar.
> 
> (If a "red box" is too small, the space of that box might be to small
> to contain all the information that should be shown.)
> (If the "progress bar" reaches close to the "finish line", the current
> amount migh overlap with the amount that is aimed at (eg.10.000))
> 
> > http://imageshack.us/f/9/22890400.png/