November 14, 2011

  • The New Xanga App.
    I will design for Xanga credits, cardboard box housing, and food.

    http://x77.xanga.com/7afe117342d32279686252/w222802704.jpg

    It's been years, but alas, the Xanga gods have reached out their sexy cyborg-like arms and provided a shining light to us smartphone users. Walk towards the light, Xangans! The Xanga app is on its way. Prehistoric no more.

    From my mobile apps experience--albeit, quite limited--designing them can be quite tricky. For one, you have a very limited canvas to work with, so every pixel counts; which leads me to my second point. Because text oftentimes is kept to a minimal for mobile apps, and is usually replaced with icons or images to fill roles, this makes things an uphill battle. Why? Since Xanga is a blogsite that is heavily text-based, balancing the two is never easy. But that's why those UI designers get paid the big bucks, right? On that note, @John, @justin & @thexangateam, are you guys hiring?

    I won't go into full detail with each page, since the Xanga guys are doing a bang up job so far with the web-based mobile site. But here are some mockups I thought would be neat design/feature ideas (or minor improvements) on top of what we currently have available.

    Things that I considered most heavily:

    -Subscriptions. I set my bookmarks not to www.xanga.com, but my subscriptions page.
    -Updating. This should be made easy to access with the fewest button presses. I don't see many writing long posts on their phones (unless you're really that bored waiting at the airport).
    -Feedback. Your results may vary. There are a number of users who receive loads of feedback and comments like @roadlesstaken, @godlessliberal, and @thetheologianscafe. Going through past blogs to reply each comment can be very time consuming. The feedback page should help you sort through and be able to reply fairly quickly.
    -Top blogs/Featured content. Discovering new content and what's popular helps build the community.
    -Pr0n ads. It sells. XANGA PROFITS!

    The Home screen.
    Icons to quickly access the most popular actions and areas of Xanga. Future customization for buttons.

    http://x66.xanga.com/4cfe20fa10737279657942/w222779488.jpg
    Jump back to the homescreen at any time with a single click. The app would probably be a bit more colorful and vivid across the board.

    Subscriptions.
    When I view my subs, I identify the blogger not by their username, but by their profile pictures. I can quickly scan and look for updates from my favorite bloggers.

    http://x5b.xanga.com/c00e2467d3137279657945/w222779491.jpg
    Move across the tabs by either touching them or sliding your fingers across (from right to left).
    Hello, @lovejenny @armywife4life2007 @arenadi

    "Save draft" updating.
    Sometimes you're interrupted in the middle of writing something, or you want to complete your thoughts for the post at a later time. Or if you're in the middle of work and want to jot a few ideas down and refine the post at home. The "save draft" feature would be ideal. Many of us currently save our posts as "private" and edit later, but where this feature shines is for those with a lack of data signal. For example, you're in someone's basement and have an idea for a post. You can write your post (with full editing, style, and font features), save it, and when you have available data signal, update the draft.

    http://x56.xanga.com/d80e22fac5037279658165/w222779658.jpg
    Upload a draft now or later, at your convenience. *Data required

    Discover new content.
    With Top Blogs/Featured Content, see who's making a splash on Xanga. Or discover new people with the most recently updated Xanga blogs.

    http://xd4.xanga.com/e67e5265d3136279657946/w222779492.jpg
    See who's on top.

    http://xee.xanga.com/36fe016641335279658341/w222779805.jpg
    Possible future updates include a picture, audio, and video gallery.

    Messages.
    Quickly access your messages in you inbox. Keep in touch with your friends on Xangans in private.

    http://xef.xanga.com/6c2e24fa30737279657943/w222779489.jpg
    Whew, no spam!

    The compose screen should have an auto-fill feature when composing new messages to specific users, similar to Facebook's friend search feature. We don't always remember people's exact usernames, so this would help prevent the guessing.

    http://xf1.xanga.com/d95e006341c35279658360/w222779821.png

    Xanga Chat.
    Chatting? Yes, please. With the current Meebo partnership, I believe this could integrate smoothly with the Xanga app since Meebo is currently available for iPhone and Android.

    http://x41.xanga.com/c12e026746235279658501/w222779914.jpg
    Chat with your Xanga friends in realtime with Meebo!
    Instant message @aznspartan94 @christianplainandsimple @ctaretz @lausnesElam @MillySonka @Mind_of_Eplx for fun!

    Xanga Local™ (patent pending).
    How cool would it be to find out that a Xangan you subscribe to is located 5 minutes away with the press of a button? I think this feature (if you opt-in, for privacy reasons) would be awesome when coupled with a smartphone's GPS/Map function. Create local hangouts, chats, and groups. Blogging suddenly becomes even more social.

    http://x0a.xanga.com/542e2061d3137279657944/w222779490.jpg
    You can follow (stalk) your favorite Xangans like, @seedsower @maniacsicko and @vanedave.

    Xanga Widget (Android only. Sorry, iPhone users).
    Offers realtime updates (adjustable refresh time for managing battery life and data usage). The highlight of this widget is the Pulse Ticker. The user can quickly scroll through pulses directly from your home screen without ever having to open the app. This can also notify you of new updates, unread blogs, and comments on your posts.

    http://xf4.xanga.com/e77e51fa10736279657947/w222779493.jpg
    Keep up with all the latest Pulse updates right from your mobile device's home screen (like @medicmark's). You'll also be notified of any new blog posts and comments on your blog.

    Easy to read feedback and statistics.
    Keep track of traffic trends and hits to your site. Which days get the most visitors? Which blogs drew the most attention during the week? Who were the last 50 people who visited your site? You can find it all here on an easy to read feedback log.

    http://xbd.xanga.com/be2e276668737279659894/w222781092.jpg
    Giggity.

    Xanga Ads.
    So how can Xanga afford to keep their weekly caviar and champagne buffet lunches? Banner ads.

    There are over 70 million smartphone users in the US alone. That's a huge and growing market. Create two versions of this app. One that's free, but is ad-supported, and create another that's $1.99 (hypothetical price) which will be banner-free. If the user is a Premium user, they will also have access to the banner-free version as long as they are a Premium subscriber.

    http://x44.xanga.com/736e30fa30134279659228/w222780572.jpg
    Future option to make money from blogging, only with Xanga Premium users?

    Why have the Xanga app? I want to have the option to get into bed (and make sweet love to my phone), and do a quick check for any updates in my subscriptions. Or say goodnight to some users who are logged on Xanga Chat. Or have something to read while I'm using the toilet. It's about convenience and having the ability to blog on the go, or being spontaneous with your updates. I'm really hoping this app helps reach out to new users and brings in more traffic. I can't wait to write a blog in the middle of a Justin Bieber concert.

    What do you guys think? Would want to see some of these ideas in the app? Do you hate some (all) of these ideas? What kind of features would you want in a Xanga app?

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