Author Topic: Win10 Style [Concepts] [Discussion]  (Read 221431 times)

endeavour1934

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Last week Microsoft presented a mature version of the most important Windows release ever, Windows 10. Most of the problems with Win8.1 are being dealt with, universal apps are finally useful, and it comes with some interesting design changes.

I would like to start a thread with some unfinished concepts for a new skin based on the new "Modern v2" design language.
A lot of the elements shown below are not implemented on MusicBee, they are just ideas, some may be interesting, some may not.
This is not a request thread for Steven, it's just brainstorming. And who knows, maybe something ends up being useful!

Of course, everyone is invited to discuss and add their own ideas and concepts!






Last Edit: January 28, 2015, 10:48:42 PM by endeavour1934

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Wow, very well done endeavour. I would love to see that concept implemented.

mikebo

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Fantastic work! I really like the artist overview page, it would be a massive improvement over the current one.


silvestreccf

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Nice skin!! , I hope That Windows 10 Come with a good and beautiful player . Aesthetics is all . many music players in the world .

I Will try some work with the best interface at moment...how you can see here:
I will try to create a skin for bee... if in the future, Bee use the Tags to create dynamics album-cover, how you see in the image showing the related artist.

(This is a Web player!!) unfortunately
https://uploaddeimagens.com.br/imagens/interf-1-jpg--2
https://uploaddeimagens.com.br/imagens/interf2-jpg
https://uploaddeimagens.com.br/imagens/nowplay-jpg


You can visit my metroSkim RightHere:
http://getmusicbee.com/forum/index.php?topic=12808.0
http://getmusicbee.com/forum/index.php?topic=12895.0
http://getmusicbee.com/forum/index.php?topic=13332.0

redwing

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What a pack of great ideas! Especially delighted to see the horizontal navigator. As in my proposal (http://getmusicbee.com/forum/index.php?topic=14253.0), those nodes could be replaced with icons if there are many filters.
Also like the round artist picture in thumbnail browser and the playlist-style vertical track details panel in artwork view.
Looking forward to lively discussion about this fantastic proposal!

redwing

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One of the major points in the proposal seems to be how to conceptualize the 2nd & 3rd screenshots.
The 2nd one looks like the current playing track panel, and 3rd one is details tab of the panel. I like the ideas proposed here. "Artist details" panel doesn't have to be always linked to playing track. Something like "Explore Artist" context menu command could be added to any artists in the program that will open "Artist details" panel in a separate tab. Then the user could explore a particular artist and its local collection in depth (including last.fm plugins like stats and similar artists).
Then do we still need playing track panel? It could remain as is along with artist details panel, or could be removed except its details tab given to now playing node as proposed.

endeavour1934

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I Will try some work with the best interface at moment...how you can see here:
I will try to create a skin for bee... if in the future, Bee use the Tags to create dynamics album-cover, how you see in the image showing the related artist.
(This is a Web player!!) unfortunately
https://uploaddeimagens.com.br/imagens/interf-1-jpg--2
The Spotify player is very nice, but in my concept I also tried to make a more touch-friendly interface, as Microsoft is really pushing hard for this (Surface, Touch enabled computers, universal apps...). I think it's still mostly a point&click interface, but it's more usable with touch input, thanks to bigger margins between elements.

What a pack of great ideas! Especially delighted to see the horizontal navigator. As in my proposal (http://getmusicbee.com/forum/index.php?topic=14253.0), those nodes could be replaced with icons if there are many filters.
Yes, and the + at the end of the list should open a "new tab" or a drop down menu with all available "tabs": music browser / genre browser / artist browser / audiobooks / podcasts / visualization / autodj / custom filters / stores, etc...

There is one thing that I think still belongs on a left panel: a file browser (that's what the folder icon on the main toolbar is for). I think a lot of people would like to have it no matter what.

One of the major points in the proposal seems to be how to conceptualize the 2nd & 3rd screenshots.
The 2nd one looks like the current playing track panel, and 3rd one is details tab of the panel. I like the ideas proposed here. "Artist details" panel doesn't have to be always linked to playing track. Something like "Explore Artist" context menu command could be added to any artists in the program that will open "Artist details" panel in a separate tab.
Yes, I would even use it when you click on an artist on the left thumbnail browser (and browsing the library by Artists in the main panel)

Then the user could explore a particular artist and its local collection in depth (including last.fm plugins like stats and similar artists).
The "Album and Stats" view from the second image may be another main window layout, as "albums", "album and tracks" and "track details". Maybe "albums with customizable sidebar", with a sidebar that could display most played tracks, best rated tracks, related artists, etc.
Then do we still need playing track panel? It could remain as is along with artist details panel, or could be removed except its details tab given to now playing node as proposed.
The third image is just a "embedded theater view" panel. I think it's something interesting to have, but maybe it shouldn't be one of the default items in the horizontal navigator.


Another thing i'd like to point out is the use of section titles (with the little arrow on the right) as clickable menus (this is also one of the design elements of windows 10). They could be used to quickly switch between most used views. The main panel should open a menu with "albums - album and tracks - track details" (and maybe checkboxes for the thumbnail browser, a-z bar...). And the right panel should open a menu with "now playing - lyrics - bio" for example.
The ellipsis "..." on the top right of the main panel could be a dropdown for other commonly used customization options of the panel, like order, grouping, etc.


Last Edit: January 29, 2015, 12:39:53 PM by endeavour1934

Steven

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I am genuinely impressed by this and plan to do something for the next MB series.
However I think it will be really hard to integrate with the existing MusicBee layout options without complicating/ compromising the configuration options and MusicBee itself. Also I imagine many existing skins wont work well with it.

So I see three realistic ways to tackle this
1a. just make it a Compact player thing but maybe incorporate some aspects in the main player;
1b. just incorporate some aspects in the main player;
2. start afresh in terms of the layout configurations that musicbee supports. I see this as an opportunity to simplify the layout options but of course that will upset some people,
It would also mean existing skins would no longer work ie. a new set of skins would need to be done
Those are my initial thoughts.

I have a question though. Can you confirm "Music" "Soundtracks" etc are tabs (and not a predefined set of all the choices that might have been found in the left navigator)? And clicking +, how to you see the user selecting what they want to be displayed in the tab? (perhaps the main panel fills with all the choices in a grid such as: Music, AudioBooks, Podcasts, Playlists etc for the user to choose)
I like having the left panel in first screenshot because i can imagine when Playlists is selected all the playlists display there or if Computer is selected all the computer folders display without having a special panel opening like in iTunes12 does for playlists

redwing

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The "Album and Stats" view from the second image may be another main window layout, as "albums", "album and tracks" and "track details". Maybe "albums with customizable sidebar", with a sidebar that could display most played tracks, best rated tracks, related artists, etc.

I also thought about that, but it won't work as the panel is all about a particular artist. To be another "view", it should be able to list all tracks, not just one artist's tracks, in a unique way.

redwing

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However I think it will be really hard to integrate with the existing MusicBee layout options without complicating/ compromising the configuration options and MusicBee itself. Also I imagine many existing skins wont work well with it.

So I see three realistic ways to tackle this
1a. just make it a Compact player thing but maybe incorporate some aspects in the main player;
1b. just incorporate some aspects in the main player;
2. start afresh in terms of the layout configurations that musicbee supports. I see this as an opportunity to simplify the layout options but of course that will upset some people,
It would also mean existing skins would no longer work ie. a new set of skins would need to be done

I think that has to be your call. Probably it depends on what changes will be entailed with the upcoming versions.
I wouldn't worry much about #2 if that's the way to go. If demand is high for some abandoned skins, people would certainly re-create or modify them like other popular skins.

Alumni

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I am genuinely impressed by this and plan to do something for the next MB series.
However I think it will be really hard to integrate with the existing MusicBee layout options without complicating/ compromising the configuration options and MusicBee itself. Also I imagine many existing skins wont work well with it.

So I see three realistic ways to tackle this
1a. just make it a Compact player thing but maybe incorporate some aspects in the main player;
1b. just incorporate some aspects in the main player;
2. start afresh in terms of the layout configurations that musicbee supports. I see this as an opportunity to simplify the layout options but of course that will upset some people,
It would also mean existing skins would no longer work ie. a new set of skins would need to be done
Those are my initial thoughts.

Starting with a fresh layout might be the best option in the long-term, but that's a big decision and I can't speak for everyone.

psychoadept

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Quote from: Steven
2. start afresh in terms of the layout configurations that musicbee supports. I see this as an opportunity to simplify the layout options but of course that will upset some people,
It would also mean existing skins would no longer work ie. a new set of skins would need to be done

Yes, some people will be upset by it, but I've felt for a while that backwards compatibility was becoming an obstacle to improvement.  I think this is the way to go.  People are inevitably upset by change, but sometimes you have to commit to a change and let older things go.

My only concern about the design as shown, which is amazing, is that as sometime who works a lot with smaller screens (1366x768 and 1024x600), I would still prefer the navigation elements be at the side rather than the top.  I would prefer that even on my larger screen, but at least there vertical space isn't as critical.
Last Edit: January 29, 2015, 03:41:05 PM by psychoadept
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silvestreccf

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I love the Image 2, with most played track...of course if this wasn't made with the ugly Lastfm plugin, but with native TAgs from BEE.
You know you are a artist, and you clean work uts base for me and my layouts in many ways and works.

redwing

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Regarding the fourth "artist view" idea, one way would be to separate the current group by settings in artwork view to album and all sorts of artists. Then "artwork view" will be always grouped by square album picture, while "artist view" could be grouped by (album) artist and (sort) composer with round artist picture. If you click on an artist picture, then it would open up the 2nd image of the proposal.