Member Avatar for rhendrickson

http://www.famster.com

Looking for any type of problems using different browsers. Overall layout. Creating an account is free as well, so give it a try please.

Also friend us @ http://www.myspace.com/famster !!!

Thanks in advance
Ryan Hendrickson
Famster's Offical Website

  • 4 Contributors
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  • 1 Month Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Member #114696

Dani AI

Generated

Good thread — the replies already hit two useful concerns: visual theming and the business model. raised the question of charging, and and touched on cross‑platform look-and-feel. Below are concise, practical suggestions to move from feedback to measurable improvements without throwing out what’s working.

Treat the theme as a user preference, not the primary UI. Use a neutral default skin so navigation and affordances work the same across platforms, and expose optional skins for users who want them. Replace raster icons with scalable vector icons or high‑resolution assets so they look sharp on all devices. Keep navigation labels clear (recognition > recall), run simple first‑click and 5‑second tests, and prioritise the paths that lead to account activation and core social actions.

On the technical and accessibility side: remove plugin dependencies (Flash) or provide HTML5 fallbacks so the site works on modern mobile and desktop browsers. Test keyboard navigation, ARIA roles, and color contrast to avoid excluding users with assistive tech. Run a small cross‑browser checklist (latest Chrome/Firefox/Edge/Safari + a recent mobile browser), validate HTML/CSS, and monitor the console for layout/JS errors. Performance matters: compress images, defer nonessential scripts, and measure with simple metrics (page load and Time To Interactive).

If considering charging, start with low-friction monetization: freemium upgrades, cosmetic themes, or feature add-ons rather than gating core social flows. Track the registration funnel, time‑to‑first‑action, and retention before and after any price or UX change. Use short A/B tests to validate hypotheses and make changes based on conversion data rather than opinions.

Quick checklist to act on this week: confirm non‑Flash fallbacks, swap to SVG icons, test sign‑up flow on mobile, add basic accessibility checks, and instrument analytics for funnel conversion.

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All 12 Replies

Member Avatar for roryt

Excellent site, well done. Incredibly good idea. I have actually thought about doing some of that kind of stuff myself before.

Have you thought about charging?

Member Avatar for Member #46692

Interesting idea, nice flash work as well.

Member Avatar for Member #46692

Just one other thing, do you plan to change your entire site design from an xp theme to a vista theme when vista ships?

Just thought I'd mention it.

commented: a bit too harsh and useless comment +0
Member Avatar for roryt

Thats a bit below the belt isn't it. I don't think he really deserved that it's a great site and looks spectacular.

Member Avatar for Member #46692

Thats a bit below the belt isn't it. I don't think he really deserved that it's a great site and looks spectacular.

Well actually, I thought my point was quite relevant seeing as vista is about to ship, I don't know when exactly, but it will ship and it probably will assume the same mantle as xp has.

I understand why he's using an xp theme. I.e to give his users a better sense of familiarity. Most ppl use xp.

But if vista does become as popular as xp, he will probably have to change his design to follow suit. I stress the word probably and yes it's his choice.

A non-themed site would have no such problem.

[edit] Although having said that he appears to have his own theme facility, or as he puts it -'theme park', so perhaps it's not as restricted as I thought.[/edit]

Oh well.

Member Avatar for Member #114696

I think i reviewed this site, anyways it better than vbefore.

Member Avatar for roryt

Well actually, I thought my point was quite relevant seeing as vista is about to ship, I don't know when exactly, but it will ship and it probably will assume the same mantle as xp has.

I understand why he's using an xp theme. I.e to give his users a better sense of familiarity. Most ppl use xp.

But if vista does become as popular as xp, he will probably have to change his design to follow suit. I stress the word probably and yes it's his choice.

A non-themed site would have no such problem.

[edit] Although having said that he appears to have his own theme facility, or as he puts it -'theme park', so perhaps it's not as restricted as I thought.[/edit]

Oh well.

To be honest I think the only things that really look XP are the icons. I doubt vista icons will be very different anyway.

Member Avatar for Member #46692

To be honest I think the only things that really look XP are the icons. I doubt vista icons will be very different anyway.

Well what about the people who use linux as their operating system, or mac users (does his site even cater for these people? This is a rhetorical question by the way) ;)

Anyway, I wasn't having a go just delivering out my point of view. As long as the navigation and usability is intuitive I'm sure he won't have a problem.

Member Avatar for roryt

:lol: Good god we are the most stuborn people on the planet.

I think I should summarise:

1. Nice site
2. Well done you used the XP style navigation and icons.
3. Vista is coming out and you might consider changing a few bits just to keep people comfortable because if you expect to have lots of new users coming then you need to cater for all ages and it could be that some children will never have used XP. But it shouldn't be that hard.

Most importantly a big Good Luck to Famster from everyone here at Daniweb IT Community!!!!


(sigh of relief);)

Member Avatar for Member #46692

Good god we are the most stuborn people on the planet.

I'm not stubborn: -just always right though. ;)

Member Avatar for roryt

I'm not stubborn: -just always right though. ;)

hehe Me too!

Member Avatar for Member #114696

Well, I think it will take atleast one year for Vista to be popular. So see that after 1 year. Vista is releasing at 30th Jan of next year. Its requirements are really very high and several people would like to change several things before they upgrade. And yes those who would use Vista of course have used XP, so stay tuned till you realise any real problem. :)

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