The new website has shipped! There are some TODOs that need to be tackled, however. It is now also a good time for the community to provide feedback [0].
[0] Ideally these change requests will be trivial tweaks. If they are non-trivial, note that I will ask the submitter to contribute to the implementation of said change request.
Thanks,
Matthew
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
The new website is leaps and bounds better than our previous site.
That being said, the designer in me is going to get very picky for a moment.
The background of the body and the background on the content wrapper should be the same. The days of blocked and bordered centered content are gone, horizontal space is far more important today than it was 5 years ago.
The main graphic has no transition, should be a fade or push. The cut from graphic to graphic is too harsh. Also, I feel the backgrounds need to be more neutral and dark, my eyes are focusing on the shifting backgrounds more often than the actual content.
Slide 1 I like as a background, but I feel that slide lacks content.
The help needed slide graphic looks out of place, too cartoonish.
Also, I dislike how we are now displaying the wiki. It looks incredibly out of place, as if we just dropped the wiki inside our design without matching styles (which is what I’m assuming we did). I think we should yank the slider from the wiki, that’s a homepage type of element, shouldn’t be on each page.
I know these are very picky issues, and some of you may not think they are worth fixing, but we’ve come this far, and made significant strides forward, we should see it through. I can work on several of these changes and submit a PR.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Yep, Totally agree with Robert on his points. They are all small changes that will make a much better website.
With the Wiki, I feel we need to go full page to make the most of screen real estate but still keep the menu bar at the top and bottom. (yes get rid of the slider... maybe add images to the left hand wiki nav menu?)
Would also like to see an actual button on the donate slide. I think it would be more inviting for users to either donate money/time.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
@Scott, @Robert: how are your tasks coming? Need anything from me?
Updates:
Just gave Brady's Google Analytics commit a second try on my local machine for debuging purposes... nothing wrong with it. I wonder what the PHP version the Sourceforge server has. Hope they get back to us soon.
I assigned myself to the "Improve README documentation (mention how to pull in Mediawiki as well)" task so it's clear how to run the site locally.
I spent ~20 minutes on the "Sliders should have fading transition" task and didn't make any progress (tried CSS3 transition animations, jQuery fadeIn/Out, and jQuery UI enhanced addClass/removeClass API which includes easing). Removed the task from our list because I don't want to spend anymore time on it... it's a nice to have, but the current implementation looks fine. (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻)
Thanks,
Matthew
Last edit: Matthew Vita 2016-09-05
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Something else that should be added higher up on the to do list is working in a donation link somewhere outside of the slider (since the slider is not showing up on small screens).
I will throw what little bit of weight I have behind some of the task. I will try to get setup by next week and see what I can do with the tasks at hand. I'll signup for a few of them.
The site is now impressive.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Thanks Sherwin. Feel free to pick up any task that interests you. Also, I would be open to do pair programming (Google Hangouts for the win!) with you.
-m
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Still no word from soruceforge. I'll ping them again. If don't get any help from sourceforge, then when i have a block of time late at night, plan to proceed with the super sophisticated echo "hey1" etc. debugging technique :)
@Sherwin, @Brady, @Robert, @Scott: I noticed that Brady placed "COMPLETE" next to an item rather than removing it. I figured it would be more encouraging to have a "completed" task list at the bottom of the page so I added that. I also split the remaining task list into "need-to-do" and "nice-to-have". We're getting close!
There is still the issue of finalizing our logo. The current color scheme was used just so we had something to ship with the new site, but I think the green/blue/purple colors pose several problems.
First, the green and purple colors give the logo a look commonly found in the 1990s. These colors are not commonly used in today's logos (as that was 20 years ago). The give the appearance of a mis-dated logo.
Second, while initially I liked the idea of 3 colors on the circle I've come to find it very difficult to find a triad of colors that work well together and in the context of our logo.
Third, I think these particular colors are too dark for our application. I think they bring down the overall feel of the logo, something we should be lightening up.
I have found a niche hobby over the last several years in design, logos, and typography. I am by no means a professional graphic artist but I do like to think I keep an eye on how logos and styles designed and where design trends are moving.
I have attached a new color scheme (same logo). Let me provide some rationales for why I made the choices I did.
First, the color blue is a fairly neutral color used in a lot of technology-based companies. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Dell, IBM -- and those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Blue is a safe color and often creates a sense of trust and stability (There's a reason why banks often have blue logos, think Chase, Citibank, SunTrust, Bank of America). The particular shade of blue I use is a bit on the lighter side, with the hopes of maintaining the trust and reliability while also allow users to feel a bit more "open."
Second, the color red. Color psychology purists will say that red evokes anger, passion, lust, but when coupled with the blue I think they work nicely together. Consider how many flags in the world utilize the blue and red color combination (I'm not even going to attempt to list them)
I think the red color is easily assimilated into the health arena and humanitarian aid (Think the Red Cross). I can't quite pinpoint why I associate red with healthcare but I definitely do.
Third, the "open" text is now a dark shade of grey. I chose this as it provides a nice, neutral color to offset the 2 colors we are already using.
Overall I feel this logo is simpler and I think that is important. OpenEMR has been in the process of simplifying a lot of its user interface (with much success in my opinion), we've launched a new, modern and simple website, and even behind the scenes we have moved to a more streamlined (and simple) method of tracking issues (through GitHub). Simplicity is "in" right now, but more importantly it allows us to focus on the content and maintain the user's attention.
The point I am trying to make here is that these colors weren't just thrown onto the logo because I like them. They were meticulously chosen with very specific meaning behind each decision. Below is a link to a PDF displaying the color scheme I am proposing. I've also shown an inverted logo as it is important to have the ability to define our logo on a dark background, granted the logo is even simpler on a dark background. I have also shown a "block" logo, a second type of mark that we will utilize where we need a square logo.
I want to emphasize a couple of things. The logo itself is already set, we are not looking for feedback on that. The question at hand is specifically regarding the colors.
We will be finalizing the logo early next week, so if you have an opinion, please share over the weekend.
Site looks nice. Would be nice if folks could get these logo options displayed side by side. In my non-designer eye's Robert's does seem more modern.The logo examples on the pdf also seem fuzzy.
-brady
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
As for the "fuzzienss" of the logo, yes it is. We are waiting on the actual vector file from the designer at which point we can export any sized image with full quality. Final version will be crisp, regardless of the color.
In the Comparison,pdf I would vote for A. Although I would go for very dark blue and not for black. Dark blue to show the night, light blue the day. Representing the 24 hour medical profession and the world wide coverage of OpenEMR. The red line and M for the Cardiologist, M for the surgeon, and a good representation of the profession.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Hi all,
The new website has shipped! There are some TODOs that need to be tackled, however. It is now also a good time for the community to provide feedback [0].
If anyone is interested, feel free to assign yourself to a task that sounds interesting on this project page: http://open-emr.org/wiki/index.php/New_Website#Context
[0] Ideally these change requests will be trivial tweaks. If they are non-trivial, note that I will ask the submitter to contribute to the implementation of said change request.
Thanks,
Matthew
Looks fantastic Matthew!
Scott
Agree that the site and logo are simply awesome.
It looks like the website styling is affecting some of the wiki table styling. For example, the following barometer now looks weird:
http://www.open-emr.org/wiki/index.php/OpenEMR_Certification_Stage_II_Meaningful_Use#Completion_Barometer
(all the items had borders and more spacing/padding before)
-brady
OpenEMR
Last edit: Brady Miller 2016-08-29
The new website is leaps and bounds better than our previous site.
That being said, the designer in me is going to get very picky for a moment.
The background of the body and the background on the content wrapper should be the same. The days of blocked and bordered centered content are gone, horizontal space is far more important today than it was 5 years ago.
The main graphic has no transition, should be a fade or push. The cut from graphic to graphic is too harsh. Also, I feel the backgrounds need to be more neutral and dark, my eyes are focusing on the shifting backgrounds more often than the actual content.
Slide 1 I like as a background, but I feel that slide lacks content.
The help needed slide graphic looks out of place, too cartoonish.
Also, I dislike how we are now displaying the wiki. It looks incredibly out of place, as if we just dropped the wiki inside our design without matching styles (which is what I’m assuming we did). I think we should yank the slider from the wiki, that’s a homepage type of element, shouldn’t be on each page.
I know these are very picky issues, and some of you may not think they are worth fixing, but we’ve come this far, and made significant strides forward, we should see it through. I can work on several of these changes and submit a PR.
Yep, Totally agree with Robert on his points. They are all small changes that will make a much better website.
With the Wiki, I feel we need to go full page to make the most of screen real estate but still keep the menu bar at the top and bottom. (yes get rid of the slider... maybe add images to the left hand wiki nav menu?)
Would also like to see an actual button on the donate slide. I think it would be more inviting for users to either donate money/time.
Scott, Robert, Brady,
You guys are awesome. Thanks for the follow-ups. I have turned your feedback into tasks: http://open-emr.org/wiki/index.php/New_Website
Everyone has at least 2 tasks to work on. Let's do this!
-m
In review: "Learn how to contribute today" needs to be a link to a relevant page
https://github.com/openemr/website-openemr/pull/9
-m
Updates:
-m
@Scott, @Robert: how are your tasks coming? Need anything from me?
Updates:
Thanks,
Matthew
Last edit: Matthew Vita 2016-09-05
I’m good at the moment, just playing catch up after a several very hectic weeks
Something else that should be added higher up on the to do list is working in a donation link somewhere outside of the slider (since the slider is not showing up on small screens).
thanks,
-brady
OpenEMR
Great job on the website!!
I will throw what little bit of weight I have behind some of the task. I will try to get setup by next week and see what I can do with the tasks at hand. I'll signup for a few of them.
The site is now impressive.
Thanks Sherwin. Feel free to pick up any task that interests you. Also, I would be open to do pair programming (Google Hangouts for the win!) with you.
-m
Updates:
-m
Hi,
Still no word from soruceforge. I'll ping them again. If don't get any help from sourceforge, then when i have a block of time late at night, plan to proceed with the super sophisticated echo "hey1" etc. debugging technique :)
here's the sourceforge ticket:
https://sourceforge.net/p/forge/site-support/13391/
-brady
OpenEMR
@Sherwin, @Brady, @Robert, @Scott: I noticed that Brady placed "COMPLETE" next to an item rather than removing it. I figured it would be more encouraging to have a "completed" task list at the bottom of the page so I added that. I also split the remaining task list into "need-to-do" and "nice-to-have". We're getting close!
http://open-emr.org/wiki/index.php/New_Website
Thanks
-m
There is still the issue of finalizing our logo. The current color scheme was used just so we had something to ship with the new site, but I think the green/blue/purple colors pose several problems.
First, the green and purple colors give the logo a look commonly found in the 1990s. These colors are not commonly used in today's logos (as that was 20 years ago). The give the appearance of a mis-dated logo.
Second, while initially I liked the idea of 3 colors on the circle I've come to find it very difficult to find a triad of colors that work well together and in the context of our logo.
Third, I think these particular colors are too dark for our application. I think they bring down the overall feel of the logo, something we should be lightening up.
I have found a niche hobby over the last several years in design, logos, and typography. I am by no means a professional graphic artist but I do like to think I keep an eye on how logos and styles designed and where design trends are moving.
I have attached a new color scheme (same logo). Let me provide some rationales for why I made the choices I did.
First, the color blue is a fairly neutral color used in a lot of technology-based companies. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Dell, IBM -- and those are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Blue is a safe color and often creates a sense of trust and stability (There's a reason why banks often have blue logos, think Chase, Citibank, SunTrust, Bank of America). The particular shade of blue I use is a bit on the lighter side, with the hopes of maintaining the trust and reliability while also allow users to feel a bit more "open."
Second, the color red. Color psychology purists will say that red evokes anger, passion, lust, but when coupled with the blue I think they work nicely together. Consider how many flags in the world utilize the blue and red color combination (I'm not even going to attempt to list them)
I think the red color is easily assimilated into the health arena and humanitarian aid (Think the Red Cross). I can't quite pinpoint why I associate red with healthcare but I definitely do.
Third, the "open" text is now a dark shade of grey. I chose this as it provides a nice, neutral color to offset the 2 colors we are already using.
Overall I feel this logo is simpler and I think that is important. OpenEMR has been in the process of simplifying a lot of its user interface (with much success in my opinion), we've launched a new, modern and simple website, and even behind the scenes we have moved to a more streamlined (and simple) method of tracking issues (through GitHub). Simplicity is "in" right now, but more importantly it allows us to focus on the content and maintain the user's attention.
The point I am trying to make here is that these colors weren't just thrown onto the logo because I like them. They were meticulously chosen with very specific meaning behind each decision. Below is a link to a PDF displaying the color scheme I am proposing. I've also shown an inverted logo as it is important to have the ability to define our logo on a dark background, granted the logo is even simpler on a dark background. I have also shown a "block" logo, a second type of mark that we will utilize where we need a square logo.
I want to emphasize a couple of things. The logo itself is already set, we are not looking for feedback on that. The question at hand is specifically regarding the colors.
We will be finalizing the logo early next week, so if you have an opinion, please share over the weekend.
See this PDF: https://www.dropbox.com/s/o34kteld1ubvn3l/Logo%20Blue-Red.pdf?dl=0
Last edit: Robert Down 2016-09-24
Hi,
To provide more visual context, here are some snapshots of submitted website changes that are under review which incorporate Robert's logo:
https://github.com/openemr/website-openemr/pull/14
-brady
Last edit: Brady Miller 2016-09-23
The colors look rather harsh to me (please take this feedback with a grain of salt because I can't explain why).
I'm interested in what other folks think.
-m
Live demo of the homepage can be found at: http://robertdown.github.io/website-openemr/index.html
It's really only the frontpage, just using github pages as a place for people to see the changes
Site looks nice. Would be nice if folks could get these logo options displayed side by side. In my non-designer eye's Robert's does seem more modern.The logo examples on the pdf also seem fuzzy.
-brady
Comparison attached.
As for the "fuzzienss" of the logo, yes it is. We are waiting on the actual vector file from the designer at which point we can export any sized image with full quality. Final version will be crisp, regardless of the color.
Last edit: Robert Down 2016-09-27
In the Comparison,pdf I would vote for A. Although I would go for very dark blue and not for black. Dark blue to show the night, light blue the day. Representing the 24 hour medical profession and the world wide coverage of OpenEMR. The red line and M for the Cardiologist, M for the surgeon, and a good representation of the profession.
Thanks for the feedback, Pieter!
Thanks for the comparison. For logo A, why are the bordering of the lettering (open and the M) and the swirl more rough appearing than logo B?
-brady