Hello all - first post here... Just for background, I spent almost 40 years working in the software world, as a developer, engineering manager, product manager, and marketeer. I also spent quite a bit of time doing "voice of the customer" work with a UI usability focus as a product management manager/director for software products with approx $100M/yr revenue. Not trying to brag, but just provide some credibility.
I looked through the forum, as best I could, and saw one of my suggestions already, but not the others. So - I thought I'd post them all here in one place - take them for what they're worth - just one person's ideas. So, on to the real content...
1) Sorting / filtering. Especially on the "Member's Submissions" page. I would very much like to be able to sort by date, or by category. Clickable headers on each column seem to the the "standard" design for this kind of capability. Similarly I think a "filter" capability - perhaps a pop up or side panel where I can select check boxes for the things I want to see, or not see - also date filtering - show me stories since a date (could also be check boxes - last 30 days, last 90 days, last year, etc.)
1a) Sorting/filtering on "New Submissions" - e.g. only show certain categories, or suppress certain categories. (e.g. Maybe I have no interest in "Transsexuals and Crossdressers" category and eliminating that category would make it easier to find things I AM interested in).
2) Both in "New Submissions", and when I do a search, show stories from authors on my favorite list in a different color. Similarly, if I am reading a series I should be able to add Chapter 1 to my favorites and have new chapters highlighted. (Or a whole new capability around series where I could have a list of series I'm reading and every time a new chapter is published that entry in the list gets highlighted. (I can create the use-case, the design is best left to others... I hear Grady Booch in my mind preaching UML...).
2) Story linking. Sometimes it's really hard to find the right order for multi-part stores where the author doesn't call them by chapter or part number. So, I think having a link at the beginning and end of a story to the previous/next in the series would be useful.
3) Series "Table of Contents" "story". What I see here is the ability to have a "story" which is really a fuller description of the "series" and a set of links to all the actual stories that make up a series, with the description of each. It's a different solution to the same issue as in #2, but then, for instance, I can add this "Table of Contents" to my "Favorites", and by clicking on it I can quickly see if the author has added any new stories to the series. Especially when stories may not be in an actual "series", but have the same characters and a chronology, it would be a great way to follow that "universe' in a logical, easy way.
4) Android app - The app needs the same features as the web site, plus a few others like:
a) Unlock with fingerprint
b) Automatically save stories (preferably whole series) locally so they can be read when off-line.
Also, cache favorites lists locally and refresh when connected so I have access off-line. Maybe
a checkbox next to each Favorite Author to automatically download all their stories and cache
locally. Auto-download of new stories by those authors, too.
c) Ability to delete individual stories from "Last Read" as well as clearing the whole list. Also
choices for how many to keep in the list - not enough currently.
d) Fix bugs - I'm forever losing access to favorites, forcing me to log out and back in - losing
my "last read" list. Last read, favorites, etc., should be persistent across logout/login.
e) In new submissions be able to show all stories by an author like on web site.
f) Push notifications when authors on my favorite list publish, or when a new part of a series
in favorite stories gets published. Again, maybe a new "series" management capability in
app as well as on the web.
So - I could probably go on longer dreaming up new stuff, but I'll leave it here. No expectations, but i thought I share my ideas...
CMA
I looked through the forum, as best I could, and saw one of my suggestions already, but not the others. So - I thought I'd post them all here in one place - take them for what they're worth - just one person's ideas. So, on to the real content...
1) Sorting / filtering. Especially on the "Member's Submissions" page. I would very much like to be able to sort by date, or by category. Clickable headers on each column seem to the the "standard" design for this kind of capability. Similarly I think a "filter" capability - perhaps a pop up or side panel where I can select check boxes for the things I want to see, or not see - also date filtering - show me stories since a date (could also be check boxes - last 30 days, last 90 days, last year, etc.)
1a) Sorting/filtering on "New Submissions" - e.g. only show certain categories, or suppress certain categories. (e.g. Maybe I have no interest in "Transsexuals and Crossdressers" category and eliminating that category would make it easier to find things I AM interested in).
2) Both in "New Submissions", and when I do a search, show stories from authors on my favorite list in a different color. Similarly, if I am reading a series I should be able to add Chapter 1 to my favorites and have new chapters highlighted. (Or a whole new capability around series where I could have a list of series I'm reading and every time a new chapter is published that entry in the list gets highlighted. (I can create the use-case, the design is best left to others... I hear Grady Booch in my mind preaching UML...).
2) Story linking. Sometimes it's really hard to find the right order for multi-part stores where the author doesn't call them by chapter or part number. So, I think having a link at the beginning and end of a story to the previous/next in the series would be useful.
3) Series "Table of Contents" "story". What I see here is the ability to have a "story" which is really a fuller description of the "series" and a set of links to all the actual stories that make up a series, with the description of each. It's a different solution to the same issue as in #2, but then, for instance, I can add this "Table of Contents" to my "Favorites", and by clicking on it I can quickly see if the author has added any new stories to the series. Especially when stories may not be in an actual "series", but have the same characters and a chronology, it would be a great way to follow that "universe' in a logical, easy way.
4) Android app - The app needs the same features as the web site, plus a few others like:
a) Unlock with fingerprint
b) Automatically save stories (preferably whole series) locally so they can be read when off-line.
Also, cache favorites lists locally and refresh when connected so I have access off-line. Maybe
a checkbox next to each Favorite Author to automatically download all their stories and cache
locally. Auto-download of new stories by those authors, too.
c) Ability to delete individual stories from "Last Read" as well as clearing the whole list. Also
choices for how many to keep in the list - not enough currently.
d) Fix bugs - I'm forever losing access to favorites, forcing me to log out and back in - losing
my "last read" list. Last read, favorites, etc., should be persistent across logout/login.
e) In new submissions be able to show all stories by an author like on web site.
f) Push notifications when authors on my favorite list publish, or when a new part of a series
in favorite stories gets published. Again, maybe a new "series" management capability in
app as well as on the web.
So - I could probably go on longer dreaming up new stuff, but I'll leave it here. No expectations, but i thought I share my ideas...
CMA
