over the past few months we released several alpha versions, introducing new features, fixing bugs and making user interface changes. now we need to digest the feedback and insights we gathered and take the product to the next level. beta.
for us beta means that the user experience needs to be adjusted and optimized for the way people are actually using the product, that the user interface needs to be much more polished, and that the overall stability and usability need to improve.
we reached out to Whitney Hess to help us out in this process, and we are glad to announce that she has agreed to work with us on the project. Whitney brings a rich and diverse experience in the field of user experience design, she is a fellow New Yorker, and she has the type of energy and enthusiasm that should mesh well with ours.
the process is going to be:
- talk with existing boxee users about their experience. what you like, don’t like, what is missing, how are you using boxee, when and where are you using boxee, why are you using boxee, etc. many questions… (if you’re interested in helping out please reach out to Whitney on Twitter, or by emailing whitney [ a t ] whitneyhess d0t com we have started to collect feedback in a more organized fashion. please post your ideas, suggestions here)
- compile a list of personas, scenarios, features and prioritize them
- create wireframes and corresponding visual designs
- code, code, code
- test, test, test
- release to a select group of users for feedback
- repeat steps 4-6 till we’re ready for release
- launch beta
once we come up with initial conclusions, usage scenarios most important to support, features with highest priority, etc. we will share them with you so you could be part of the process and provide your feedback.
by taking this type of open, collaborative approach we hope to give our users a real say regarding the future of boxee. it also means we’ll be able to release a product that better matches your needs. should be fun!
UPDATE: Whitney received an overwhelming number of responses. thank you all! we have set up a boxee page in getsatisfaction, so you can post your feedback there)
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1. I'd like to see boxee ported over to the PPC platform (eventually).
2. I'd like to see some kind of integration of Amazon MP3/Movie Download (and/or rental) service.
1. i don't when/if we'll ever get to it.
2. pls post the request to http://getsatisfaction.com/boxee (i am personally going to vote for it
)
If a movie (or TV Show, or anything) begins with the word "The" in the title, it will be lumped in with the rest of the movies that begin with "t".
This is incorrect. "The Shawshank Redemption" should be in the S's, not the T's. Etc, Etc, Etc.
this is a raging debate…
An option to "remove 'The', 'A', (etc) from the beginning of the titles" would be nice.
This is great, Let's do it!!
Thats fantastic!
I don't know the technical details/limits but it would be great to clear your closet of some of XBMC's user experience shortcomings. The thing at the forefront of my mind are people's mental model around how the library works – file naming, artwork/metadata downloading. I think this is a concept that will be new for a lot of people the farther you get into beta. It takes some leg work to get your whole media library to show up depending on what you have in it. Anything to smooth that process out would be awesome. I often found myself asking the question "whats missing?" And then doing a lot of comparison between whats on my HD and whats in my boxee movies and tv libs. I could see this as a potential barrier to entry.
While I am blabbing I think a gimme is re-thinking the organization of the settings section. Consolidation etc. The fact that you have to scroll to see all the options could probably be fixed fairly easily.
Psyched you guys are taking a user centered approach to evolving this thing.
i agree. we need to find a way to let you the list of videos that we were not able to identify and put into the library
I don't want to see Boxee to PPC. You guys are doing the best thing by spending your time on UI. Keep up the hard work and I'll try to think of some good feedback for ya!
(I just put Boxee on my ATV… and it changed my life.)
I've always thought i was a laggard
i love that you guys are including us in this. and i think PPC is a waste of coding time…
Boxee is so great but interface wise i think some obvious things (from comments and such) are maybe being able to choose the front screen – maybe a basic and advanced layout/setup… also maybe a genre or actor sort in movies?
i also think we need to provide users more control over the home screen
This is my first time dealing with an Alpha since you guys have made it so easy, accessable and enjoyable to provide feedback. I will reach out to Whitney and offer my thoughts if she wants them!
Thanks to the Boxee team for a great product thus far! I'm looking forward to more advancements!
Release early, Release often.
Stop working on features and concentrate on fixing the bugs in the existing code.
Start using a "real" bug tracking system. Gnats or Bugzilla.
CVS read-only access.
Clarify the licensing future of bxflplayer and libboxee
we're using Trac internally and planning to open it up to users as well
licensing of bxflplayer and libboxee has been clarified in this week's release
"licensing of bxflplayer and libboxee has been clarified in this week’s release"
And that was what? What in boxee if anything is still not covered under the GPL?
Can't wait to see what comes from this! I want to help in anyway I can and I would love to be included in the "select group of users for feedback".
P.S. Keep up the daily blog posts, they keep us interested and up to date
Great plan, great news.
My biggest annoyance is having to click on my login every time I launch Boxee. How many people actually run it with more than one account? Shouldn't need to choose, should just automatically log me in. If you really think it's necessary there could be a choice to provide the login window on launch in the preferences.
i agree. please suggest the feature on http://getsatisfaction.com/boxee
I'm in.
My list of desires as a Boxee on aTV user:
* Netflix
* ABC (Lost is coming!)
* Mark Hulu shows as favorites from within Boxee, so they'll appear in my queue
* MTV videos direct access (I can't find it without first browsing music)
* I'm using Boxee as a pure Internet media front-end. My 8000 song + 150 ISO library made Boxee crawl like a one-legged baby. Perhaps large library performance needs improved?
* Similarly, some feedback while the initial scanning process is still taking place. I left it for a day or two, but never could tell if/when it was done.
* If I could somehow buy Amazon music and get it shoved back into my iTunes library? Wow. I'm sure that's not possible, is it?
* Likewise, an option to just mirror my iTunes library in the Boxee interface. I've got it all setup in iTunes, just make it available in the Boxee UI. It's that easy!
The latest fixes to the aTV UI have been a great improvement. Thanks for rolling them out!
- Netflix on ATV will come sooner or later
- the issue with ABC is the Move Networks player.. we need to support it. Lost is coming indeed, one of the very few shows i am currently watching..
- Agree re Hulu favorites
- we are working to improve the big library performance and will provide a way for you to get more insight into the scan process
- it is possible, we just need someone in Amazon to start answering our calls/emails..
- iTunes support is big. no question we need to bring it to boxee.
feel free to post ideas at http://getsatisfaction.com/boxee
Can't wait for the beta to show up! I'm an aTV user myself and I would like to see a little faster interface…If thats even possible?
there are 2 issues.
(1) the performance of the UI could/should/will be fixed
(2) the performance of the video playback. that one is a hard nut to crack
I love the UI myself, but if I had to teach my grandmother to use it, we'd be in trouble. Keeping the left bar hidden may be a big mistake. Does hiding it really buy much real estate?
It should be more focused on video. Most people don't want to turn on their television to listen to music or view photos. Not saying axe those features, but maybe they should be buried in the menu under "More" or "Extras."
This app shouldn't be a jack of all trades. Play local media, play internet media. Primarily video. That's what's important. I think Front Row has the right idea in UI (just not features).
we hear ya
I signed up for Linux Beta and now it won't accept my user name (or password). I reset my password, but I think I might have mis-typed my user name. Help.
No, no, no!!
Steps 4 and 5 are totally wrong. It should be
4) code,test,code,test,code,test
5) get other people to test that didn't write it
http://googletesting.blogspot.com/
LOL
you're right. we have testers that are not coders, and we're constantly getting stuff into their hands.
what we should get better at is getting stuff out early for testing among select group of users.
Please offer a 64-bit build for us 64-bit Linux users (ie Ubuntu 8.10 64)
don't know when we'll get to it
Hulu needs a search bar.
it's coming
Please start be not hidding the main menu (at least in the root / home screen) as having it hid away is not intiutive for first time users, I think it was better in the pre-alpha skin when it was always visible. Perhaps make it optional to enable auto-hiding from the settings if some users still want that. I also think that besides the home / root screen (which is pretty good as it is, missing is only the ability to bring up the main menu with one click on the Apple Remote) you could really learn a lot from the usability of XBMC's Project Mayhem III skin in the video, music and picture sections
/ My 2 cents
PS! Will Whitney not also be reading the feature suggestions section in the Boxee forum? There are some great ideas about usability there as well.
Still waiting on an invite to try out boxee, anyone have any?
Nice Nice nice!
yay. I'm an 'innovator'.
Loving the ride, guys.
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