The new deviantART.com

check it out

Saturday, August 19, 2006 by Frogboy | Discussion: WinCustomize News

Our friends at deviantART have done a full-blown make over.  We're not just talking a cosmetic change here, but a complete re-envisioning of how deviantART should look, feel, and interact with users.

I recently spoke on the phone at length with co-founder Angelo Sotira about some of the plans they have to take deviantART to the next level.

deviantART started out as a skin site much like WinCustomize.com is but branched out into being a general art site. Today, it is one of the largest art sites in the world.  They have some very impressive features in the works.

The new deviantART has been designed to be even faster than before and provide users with more information with less clutter.  The site has always tried to balance community with function and the new deviantART has some innovative features designed to help achieve that balance.

We're currently working on our own re-design in the form of WinCustomize 2K7. It's taking a different direction than deviantART has since we deal with a very different kind of audience.  But the new features on deviantART are impressive combined with, IMO, an excellent overall site design I think will take deviantART to new levels of popularity.

While no longer focused on skinning, the site still contains a lot of good skins and themes and continues to receive good support from the skinning community.

Feel free to share what you like, what you think should be improved and where you think community content sites are going next.

 

29 Reply 16 Referrals
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jark
Reply #1 Saturday, August 19, 2006 1:48 AM
I wrote up some initial thoughts on DAv5. Those interested can read them at http://jarkolicious.com/probes/2006/08/08/initial-dav5-thoughts/

So you spoke on the phone to Angelo eh? Wonder what kind of PR he threw in your direction.

Jafo
Reply #2 Saturday, August 19, 2006 2:12 AM
I haven't been to DA too much since the make-over....it looked absolutely attrocious in IE7beta...and not much better in Opera.  Hopefully that was just a temporary thing, but the page formatting was all over the place like a madman's dinner....

Fuzzy Logic
Reply #3 Saturday, August 19, 2006 7:29 AM
The whole thing looks clumsy to me

WebGizmos
Reply #4 Saturday, August 19, 2006 7:35 AM
Yeah...I wasn't to thrilled with it either. The navigation seems to need a navigator.

Beesley
Reply #5 Saturday, August 19, 2006 9:02 AM
I'm with Jafo . . . I go there frequently but it's a mess . . . the alignment is totally screwed up and the categories button doesn't work. As WebGizmos says, "the navigation seems to need a navigator."

Astyanax
Reply #6 Saturday, August 19, 2006 9:31 AM
Yep. The navagation is the killer. It looks nice but the navagation is just terrible.

_02
Reply #7 Saturday, August 19, 2006 9:43 AM
I have to agree with everyone here. The look is okay through FireFox, but navigating is an utter nightmare.

Kperry
Reply #8 Saturday, August 19, 2006 9:45 AM
In IE6 everything seems to be running smoothly. I love how they set the navagation up.

RPGFX
Reply #9 Saturday, August 19, 2006 10:43 AM
I use Firefox, and I think the new layout and navigation are awesome. I love everything about the new site except that they didn't dump that babypoop green color scheme. Bleckh!

Adamness
Reply #10 Saturday, August 19, 2006 12:18 PM
It seems they went with the 'cool and flashy' navigation rather than 'useable' navigation.

Whatever happened to 'form follows function?'

blackcat77
Reply #11 Saturday, August 19, 2006 12:49 PM
It was the slowness of the place that caused me to stop visiting about two years ago. I've been stopping in again recently but that place has a little too much attitude for my tastes. I'm mainly interested in their WB skins -- since to be honest, most of their "art" just sucks -- but almost everything there is either a clone of Vista or a clone of Mac. All in all, I think WinCust will remain my choice for skins.

Meltie
Reply #12 Saturday, August 19, 2006 1:35 PM
I also visited DeviantArt and had a problem locating buttons.I had heard somehwere that the new site was wreaking havoc with Java Script.Anyone care to comment on that? Also, I coudn't even see any categories!

rabidrobot
Reply #13 Saturday, August 19, 2006 2:40 PM
I like the new look, layout, and functionality for the most part. I just found the Next and Previous buttons last night, which let you run though someone's gallery like a slideshow. Although it is infrequent that I want to see too many items from a single gallery.

My biggest complaint is a "dumbing down" of the "Message Center". Before the change, you could be surfing dA, and at any time look to a spot and know how many Journals, Polls, Hot Topics, Personal Notes, Comments, Forum Replies, etc you had unviewed. So I could let journals and so-called Hot Topics go unread for days, waiting for a "1C" or "1M" to join the message center alerts, and I would go look at them all.

Now, though, it says only "X Messages" and I have to view another page to find out that they are all Journal updates, or something less interesting.

A widget to monitor the DA message center is looking like a better idea after the change.


Fairyy~
Reply #14 Saturday, August 19, 2006 2:46 PM
I still visit DA at least once a week - sometimes more. I'll still visit with or without the makeover. Although the site itself seemed to have improved on speed even before the makeover. That was a big issue for me - pages taking forever to load. But all in all...I still like the ART...but not the flaming at times. Enough strife in daily life without the cat calling comments. But - thats the tone of DA - speak and ye shall be heard .

etype2
Reply #15 Saturday, August 19, 2006 8:20 PM
Been a member since 2000 at DA.
I like version5. Nice fresh modern appearance.Easy to navigate,only 3 pages to deal with now.All the sub-sections are linked on any page,boom,your there.Eliminates scrolling.I think it is designed to be more user focused,less moderation,adminisrator friendly.

---and sure they have thier problems as any major rework would have. They will get it sorted out. In the long run,the site will be easier to maintain.


I want to correct my profile here at WC. I'm 60,not 22. lol  The site won't let me do this.

Lantec
Reply #16 Saturday, August 19, 2006 8:47 PM
The new deviantART has been designed to be even faster than before


In this area it's been a TOTAL failure. The site is many times slower than a coouple months ago and the new "menus" hang just about every other use. Most pages never finish loading at all.

I does look better, but the way it's set up, I now have to wade thru even more garbage to find that one or two worth while downloads.

etype2
Reply #17 Saturday, August 19, 2006 9:47 PM
A very fair assesment jark,maybe some "sour grapes"added.

Remember Bkaro? Now that was truely revoluntionary.

WebGizmos
Reply #18 Saturday, August 19, 2006 10:38 PM
Yeah...as far as the navigation...I used to be able to browse through DeviantArt with little effort...but the navigation now just gives me an instant headache...I won't be going back.

Mitsubishiman
Reply #19 Sunday, August 20, 2006 12:10 AM
Like all "site revisions" it was a bit of an initial shock, after a week it was just like it never changed, as far as navigation, if you are like me and are subject specific it is a vast improvement, there were several of the first days that had quirks and stalls, after the first hurdles were overcome it seems fine now, I have cable internet so speed was never an issue, I have found that despite the human races insistence on promoting change - it is never welcomed initially and the first reaction is always anger, I believe we all get accustomed to functionality and when the familiarity is altered anger is the first reaction, it challenges ones comfort level whether you will admit to it or not, I am 50 years old and still remember giving up a slide rule for a digital calculator and hand feeding yellow ribbon into an IBM computer just to perform a simple routine, when the first computer mouse came out I thought someone had flipped out, Windows 3.1 was the greatest thing I ever saw (Slide Rule ?) what was wrong with just punching buttons ?, as for the Hype about the new site, of course they are proud of the changes, it had to be a lot of effort and people should be proud of effort and accomplishment – and I am sure as stated it was probably as much behind the scene alteration as cosmetic, and after all isn’t anything to do with computers and cyber world a “Work in Progress”

MohsinNaqi
Reply #20 Sunday, August 20, 2006 12:25 AM
I am very disappointed about seclusion of the featured art and removal of the side bar.

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