Navigation Concept: SpiderWebPanel (4 Viewers)

[Spragleknas]

Also:
I see you (offbyone) use the term "home". IMO, MP2 should not have a homescreen like MP1 (who actually got two).

The navigation should "explode" (as you say) from whatever screen you're at when pressing TGB ("the green button"). No need to change screens first.

The "homescreen" should be replaced with an "infoscreen", which displays useful stuff, like RSS-news, weather, last added/watched music/movie etc (predefined by skincreator or configured by user). This would be the startup screen of MP by default, but should be possible to change bu user (ie replaced by (full) wethaer, news).

 

[offbyone]

We could realize this by opening a dialog on TGB that holds the "main menu", so you can navigate to any other screen.

Currently there is a screen named "home" which is the default screen that opens when starting MP2. What is on that screen is totally up to the skin designer. so you could also call it "info screen" instead The menu could also here be made available via that dialog.

 

[offbyone]

I started to implement it in WPF Since moving to MP2 is not too hard.
I know it might not be good to show this before it's more mature, but here's an exe (.net 4.0 req.) to show where I'm heading.

 

[offbyone]

Hey, 16 downloads and no comment on the exe yet? Time for a new and improved one I guess:

 

[Mike Lowrey]

Looks good, but controlling it with the arrow keys is currently unpredictable

 

[offbyone]

Yeah I noticed the navigation calculation of the .net framework are a bit strange - not sure why But that can be done better in MP2, hehe.

 

[Spragleknas]

Not sure I get this.... From "home", why can't I use one tap to go to Videso (left)?

EDIT: Post 7K

 

[offbyone]

The first keypress is somehow messed up (the element seems not to really have focus). Once you have pressed a key, it should work as expected?

 

[chefkoch]

AW: Re: Navigation Concept: SpiderWebPanel

Hey, 16 downloads and no comment on the exe yet? Time for a new and improved one I guess:

Hehe, first for your ideas and your work.
I like the idea of a "new" navigation concept and agree with you to "blow" new users away

Also the design not using a list is great, especially when I image that animations, shadows, mirrors and other effects could be added.
The navigation itself can be a bit tricky, but maybe MP2 does the focus handling better

What about the lines between objects? Are those created randomly ? are the linked objects related to each others?

Sorry if I asking the wrong questions or giving the wrong hints, but I am not so good with design related stuffs.

 

[offbyone]

No wrong questions! Every feedback is good!

The line are there as visual divider, basically to represent the spiderweb. I tried without them and the layout looked messy. With the lines the eye has some clear reasoning why elements are positioned where they are. I can leave them out? Draw them differently? Remove only the ones that go to the center? Let's collaborate on that I am bad in design as well *g