100 posts - check it

[VICH]

anyone remember this topic Visual Appeal well i have hit my big 100 posts...and for my 100 i thought i would show what that discussion has gotten me feel free to say good or bad about my layout here it is my layout to see it bigger click enlarge at the bottom right of the of the image

100 posts yay me

[VICH]

by the way this is what it looked like when i poseted the visual appeal topic old layout

[SteveB]

I would consider changing to a more readable type face, and I'd make the type on the buttons smaller. Look at Verdana for very readable text.

Steve

[VICH]

did you enlarge it when you looked at it because it doesn't look as good if you don't

[SteveB]

It filled my monitor. The font is too fussy for my taste.

Steve

[VICH]

other than that is it good? colors, desgin?

[Howard LeCanard]

other than that is it good? colors, desgin?

Please take my opinion for what it's worth, because I've designed much worse interface in the past, but I don't like it at all.

I've gotten to the point where I don't try to design creative or attractive interface anymore. I look at what people are used to working in: Windows, OSX, Office, MSN.com. In other words, all the GUI's we usually make fun of.

These GUI's are often a little clunky looking, so I try to improve on that, but I make sure the interface is nice and familiar.

[VICH]

well i tried to model it after the company website

www.amcasc.com

[Howard LeCanard]

Well that's an understandable place to start, but probably not appropriate in this case. The Web site is just an informational tool, while your database is meant to be an interactive piece of software.

I don't know what functions these screenshots are supposed to have, and I'll confess that I haven't read any of the 100 posts, but this has far too many buttons for my taste. I also don't know the purpose of these buttons. While you will have time to train your users, your interface should leave you a fairly good indication of what it does. This will minimize training.

If you absolutely must have all those buttons, then group them in an area that gives an indication of their purpose. Example, have a box in the left side of the layout that is labelled Navigation. Put buttons that relate to moving from screen to screen in that box.

You could probably do something similar with those boxes at the top of the screen that describe parts of a house.

I also try not to use more than two colours and a gray on any layout. Have most of the layout be a gray (or your light greeny-brown), then use the colours to emphasize areas that you want to draw people's attention to.

Look at the current design of this site as a good example. It's mostly white, but uses the shiny blue to draw your attention to headings and buttons.

Just some ideas. I'm certainly no guru in the area.