ePortfolio homepage sketches
I shall be updating this page with lots of different sketches so if you’re commenting, please refer to the sketch number!
#001 – Here’s everything
A dashboard that gives prominence to the ‘add stuff’ function but allowing for browsing, searching and creating new stuff. Potentially too many options to decipher but once our viewer gets familiar with the interface s/he can can quickly get to the task s/he wants to undertake.
#002 – A bunch of options
This is the actually first homepage sketch I came up with. It enables our viewers to quickly get to a variety of different actions without putting a particular emphasis on any of them.
I might have a specific task in mind when I arrive at this page and at least one of the lables might have some scent to get me to the thing I want to do.
On the other hand, I might just be browsing around and some of these lables might grab my attention and prompt me into some action.
The one thing missing here could be a lack of context. Seems like I can do do lots of things but I might not be able to directly relate these things to a specific course or programme of study I might be involved with. But that’s where the Quick Guide link comes in.
I even have a HTML prototype of this version!
#003 – It’s all about the adding
Here we can add things and see see what we recently uploaded. The browse and search options are all moved to the margins. Quite bloggy in the chronological ordering of stuff which might not be entirely appropriate for this project.
See a HTML prototype of this method.
#004 – Get creative
This a task-based view. Our intrepid viewer is given a bunch of tasks – things to create. You’ll remember something similar from Microsoft Word. The viewer can also see what they recently created and go back and make changes to those things. If they don’t want to create something they can look to the right-hand column where they will find the usual search, browse and upload options.
Tags: Eportfolio, User experience, Web design, Wireframes
I think your 4 screens cover the essence of the entry screens.
As a suggestion, could you do a storyboard of how a user will navigate these screens.
For the storyboard, I suggest the scenario that the user is loading a series of pictures and diary notes that describe a Mountain climbing field trip or something like that. The key content being documents from their own desktop computer.
This task may also flesh out the screens for some of the functions.
August 7th, 2006 at 10:30 am
Yes, I will do just that. You want the same scenario for all four types?
Am I to assume our user will be retrieving some pictures and diary notes from the system rather than uploading new ones?
Maybe a little more detail would help me here. Can you describe the scenario (give me a little context, imagine I know nothing..). If you can describe exactly what you’d want to do it’d be easier for me to create the storyboard to suit.
August 7th, 2006 at 10:42 am
Can I ask why there is an inbox of each screen? This suggests that the ePortfolio/’Your Stuff’ functions as an entry page (portal) to the student experience.
August 7th, 2006 at 11:10 am
The inbox is incorrectly titled. It should read “Stuff that people want to share with you” or something more meaningful. It is not to replace the student inbox..
Let’s say a Tutor wants to share a document with a student – this is one place where they’d be notified of this.
August 7th, 2006 at 11:13 am
Right. From a usability perspective then the user will have to be checking their ePortfolio frequently for such messages, unless this information is also conveyed at a higher level within our student communications.
August 7th, 2006 at 2:07 pm
@Dan – indeed. Open to any suggestions you might have. This is all in a very conceptual stage at the moment. Keen to integrate stuff as much as possible!
August 7th, 2006 at 2:21 pm