Your feedback needed - Tatiana's TOMATObase new page format

[Tania]

I think with 'Seed Availability' info in a tab, I can keep all the all vendor information, as the page would not be large, and the latest year will always be at the top.

I just realized that the new wiki markup breaks my seed catalog management tool - I think it will be easy to fix, but I will have to sweet talk my elder son to do it on the weekend. Basically what the catalog tool does is it does through the wiki pages, and picks up all my descriptions and pictures from wiki and puts it into the seed catalog. It is a wonderful tool that allows me to build my online seed catalog in a matter of minutes - all I need to do is to manually chose the picture I want to show in the catalog.

Not a big issue right now, as my catalog is already built for 2013. But we'll need to fix so the 2014 seed season can start smoothly. (I have to plan so far ahead )

There is a bit of usability issues with pages that have lots of member descriptions, if I switch to picture gallery view - a user will have to scroll down to see the pictures, as they are not visible when the page opens. Example is this page: http://tatianastomatobase.com/wiki/New_Big_Dwarf

Any suggestions as to what can be done to improve the user experience?

Tatiana

[bower]

I think the gallery and tabs are great, and I don't mind scrolling down to the photos. The user descriptions are really a key information resource which I always read to get an idea of the growing experience in different locations.

I'm glad you're keeping the history of seed availability in the tab. When seed becomes unavailable commercially, as happens sometimes, the history tells you how widely available it was, how difficult it may be to obtain from other growers, etc.

We're very lucky if the website work is the easiest thing to do while you're recuperating! These are great improvements to an already wonderful site! Hope your treatment is effective and you don't suffer any more pain.

[greenthumbomaha]

My comment is that the multitude of abbreviations may be confusing to a new user. In the example above, a new user will see BCKOT MI FL J bolded and get overwhelmed before even reaching the critical information. Perhaps the review could be at the top, for example:

This tomato was da bestest I evr eight
Reviewer : GOOD1(2010, 2008) Zone 7
Seed source : XYZ Seed Co

Love the pictures, especially the large size photos to help my mind imagine as I am reading!

Also, just want to add it's great to see you feeling better and posting!

[guruofgardens]

Like 'bower' said, we look at the descriptions first, and the pictures really help to make the decision of which tomatoes to grow.

Thank you for taking on such a mammoth job. It's looking great!

[ddsack]

My comment is that the multitude of abbreviations may be confusing to a new user.

While this is undoubtedly true, I think that a seriously interested individual will make an effort to figure this out, and I would hate to see the database lose of any of the historical vendor listings. The SSE member codes are part of the historical information, and as such quite important to someone researching the dissemination of a variety. Personally, I like knowing where the tomato came from at the top of the info string.

Tania, I am so glad you are back home and healing!

[livinonfaith]

I must be the only one who kind of likes having the photos off to the right! That way, you can reference them as you scroll down through the other information. I do like the new tabs for the foliage, green fruit, and flower pics and seed sources.

But I don't really have a problem with the picture gallery, there are positives to that format, as well.

[Father'sDaughter]

As I said, I love the cleaner look of the gallery and don't mind having to scroll or switch to a new tab for photos, as they are typically the last thing I look at.

The first thing I do look at is the box with all the vital stats -- color, size, shape, uses, etc. For me, a quick glance tells me what I want to know right off the bat. If I like what I see there, I move on to the descriptions, paying attention to where it has been grown and looking for any references to flavor profile. If I'm still interested, I'll check out the history just to satisfy my curiosity. Then I check to see if I'll be able to buy seeds from any vendors. And finally I go see what the pictures look like, but will already have made up my mind whether or not I might want to grow it!

I know not everyone approaches it the way I do, but the gallery style gets the pictures "out of the way" while I look at all the other info.

Tania, I hope things are settling down a bit health wise and that you get your software issues resolved. Tech savy sons do come in handy!

[lakelady]

Originally Posted by Father'sDaughter

As I said, I love the cleaner look of the gallery and don't mind having to scroll or switch to a new tab for photos, as they are typically the last thing I look at.

The first thing I do look at is the box with all the vital stats -- color, size, shape, uses, etc. For me, a quick glance tells me what I want to know right off the bat. If I like what I see there, I move on to the descriptions, paying attention to where it has been grown and looking for any references to flavor profile. If I'm still interested, I'll check out the history just to satisfy my curiosity. Then I check to see if I'll be able to buy seeds from any vendors. And finally I go see what the pictures look like, but will already have made up my mind whether or not I might want to grow it!

I know not everyone approaches it the way I do, but the gallery style gets the pictures "out of the way" while I look at all the other info.

Tania, I hope things are settling down a bit health wise and that you get your software issues resolved. Tech savy sons do come in handy!

I look at webpages much as Father's Daughter does. Give me the data first, if I like what I see, I'll get to the photos. I like the new format Tania!

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by ddsack

While this is undoubtedly true, I think that a seriously interested individual will make an effort to figure this out, and I would hate to see the database lose of any of the historical vendor listings. The SSE member codes are part of the historical information, and as such quite important to someone researching the dissemination of a variety. Personally, I like knowing where the tomato came from at the top of the info string.

Tania, I am so glad you are back home and healing!

Just enlarging on that, here's what an SSE member's code indicates,

I'm NY MA C
I'm from NYS, the NY

The first two letters of my last name are MA, my last name is Male

C is the first letter of my first name, Carolyn

And I find them VERY useful, couldn't be without them, for all the reasons that were said above. And I'll add a great boon for those of us who track the movement of seeds to one person or another, b'c sometimes all is going fine until a variety goes south, as it were, so you can see where it happened, that is, with whom, and try to do something about it.

Each year I get several requests for seeds of varieties that aren't what they should be, and that b'c I've never thrown out one seed saved since 1991.

NY MA C, which I write at the bottom of ever single seed pack I send out along with the date of seed production and of course the variety name written at the top.

[ScottinAtlanta]

Makes great sense and all data should be kept. I say that as a researcher in constant aggravation at undocumented sources.

By the way, the phrase "until a variety goes south", which means that something undesirable happens, is not a phrase welcomed here in the Deep South. We once used the term yankified, meaning it was pompous, unnecessarily complicated, and self-important, but that term has been dropped. So perhaps it is time to drop that one, too?

[carolyn137]

Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta

Makes great sense and all data should be kept. I say that as a researcher in constant aggravation at undocumented sources.

By the way, the phrase "until a variety goes south", which means that something undesirable happens, is not a phrase welcomed here in the Deep South. We once used the term yankified, meaning it was pompous, unnecessarily complicated, and self-important, but that term has been dropped. So perhaps it is time to drop that one, too?

Scott, the phrase "going south" is used by many folks, regardless of NSEW to indicate that something undesriable happens, and that's exactly what it has meant to me and many others as well and can refer to not just tomatoes.

I've been at many message sites since 1982 with members from all over and you're the first one to say something about my usage of it, ever.

I'm glad the term has been dropped by you and I don't know how many other southerners, b'c,as you said, it was "yankified".

North is up, south is down, just going by compass readings, and I don't want to use "southified", ahem, as a substitute for it.

So I and others do not recognize the term going south to refer to those folks living in the South, and I hope you can appreciate that.

Heck, some of my Senior Citizen friends, including me refer to our bodies going south, and that doesn't mean traveling to the south, and when Phil, my UPS guy was just here we were talking about the frigid temps, I said I was worried about where the gauge was on the tank, he went back and looked and told me where it was which was the same place Freda had told me two weeks ago, so maybe my gauge on the tank is going south too. I just called and asked for delivery.

Carolyn

[kath]

Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta

By the way, the phrase "until a variety goes south", which means that something undesirable happens, is not a phrase welcomed here in the Deep South. We once used the term yankified, meaning it was pompous, unnecessarily complicated, and self-important, but that term has been dropped. So perhaps it is time to drop that one, too?

I always thought that the idea of something "going south" was another way of saying that it was "going to h-e-double hockey sticks" in a way that avoided using the 4-letter "h" word.

Anyway, now that I know that others are offended by it I'll be careful that I don't use it.

Oh, and I've never heard the word "yankified" but now that I know what it means, I'm glad you're no longer using it.

kath

[Heritage]

Tania,

Remarkable, that you continue to get so much accomplished!

The Gallery view is a great addition. Possibly, a link at the bottom of the gallery that points to the same URL as the "more photo..." tab at the top of the page would be useful.

I think simplifying a users ability to input comments about a variety is the next improvement to consider for TOMATObase. Even with your excellent how-to tutorial on editing wiki text, it is still not a convenient way to enter comments. I can see two possible solutions:

1. Encourage more use of the discussion feature by moving the tab down, in line with the other tabs. Rename "discussion" to "comments" and show the number of comments on the tab (e.g. Comments(2), or Comments(0)...) The discussion tab is a much more intuitive interface and doesn't require knowledge of wiki-speak.

2. Code a html form page where all fields (comments, year grown, seed source, location, etc...) are filled out by the user and, when submitted, converted to the proper wiki markup and then posted in the appropriate location on the main page (same format as now).

Looking great! Thank you for all of your hard work!

Steve

[Bladefan]

Looks great, I would like to see a picture of the tomato near the name at the top of the page so I have an idea of what it looks like... The rest of the pictures are good below or on the separate tab...
Any way to make the tabs different colors?

[greenthumbomaha]

NE GE L understands now