I’ve read a lot of comments in the market about the new UI. I personally don’t like it either. It doesn’t comply with UI standards. Plus, when you click dashboard, it just takes you to the web. What’s the point in that? There is no reason that most of the WordPress features cannot be available. Plus, since a good majority of wordpress users are self hosted, the stats feature is useless as it is only available to those with a wordpress.com account. We should be able to disable it if we don’t want/use it. Better yet, remove it altogether and have it be a plugin as a separate download. That way users who want it, can get it and use it if they want it. Just sayin…good suggestion.
So… since my previous UI concept for WordPress was so well liked, I’ve begun updating it to comply with new Android UI standards. You can view it here: http://fav.me/d4sk2h9. Stay tuned for updates to it. 
Spiderfly Studios, 
Spiderfly Studios 1:41 pm on March 12, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
You can follow the project’s progress here: http://www.behance.net/gallery/WordPress-for-Android-UI-Concept-Version-2/3360733
Eric 6:30 am on March 13, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
So all you do is complain about an app and then use Photoshop to create a “concept” version as a couple of images? Why don’t you actually help this project, or fork it (as it is open source)?
Spiderfly Studios 8:36 am on March 13, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
First of all, I have helped Dan in the past on previous versions of WordPress for Andorid. Secondly, I offered my previous version to WordPress free and clear in the past. The same goes for this one. As I am not a developer and no developer has approached me to bring my concept to life, the concept work is all I can do to help at this point. Finally, have you not read the many negative comments in the market? Go ahead…I’ll wait… People don’t like the new UI. It is slow, clunky, etc. They are trying too hard here. If they simply follow the new Android UI standards, then they can build one, simple version that will look and work well on any phone or tablet. So that’s what I did for WordPress. This concept is offered to them if they want to talk about it. If not, then I’ve wasted some spare time and you’ve wasted time complaining about my complaint.
So, thanks for trolling…have a nice day.
Dan 2:24 am on March 14, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I read the reviews, and the majority by far really like the new UI. I don’t think we can make everyone happy with regards to how the UI looks/works.
Isaac Keyet 9:51 am on March 13, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Nice concept designs!
Most likely, the dashboard with the buttons will not be kept in the future, but it works well in the meantime, and it allowed us to iterate quickly. We’d like to get closer to the Android guidelines, but truth is they’re fairly loose to begin with and very much formed by the community (the Action bar, for instance, was only adapted by Android after some high-profile had already used something similar).
It’s unfortunate that the Stats button is there, and you’d still need to connect to WordPress.com through Jetpack in order for it to be usable. However, it’s one, if not _the_ most used feature in the app. In a perfect world it would only be visible if you’re already using Jetpack on the blog. I’d like to note though that Jetpack is already a separately downloaded plugin.
For WordPress.com users, the Dashboard button doesn’t exist, instead there’s the WordPress.com Read button. This may be a good case where the app adapts to how your blog is set up.
For self-hosted WordPress sites, the button instead takes you to the WordPress dashboard (web, “wp-admin”). This allows you to access and change almost anything on your site, without all the endpoints having to be replicated in the API that the WordPress app uses to connect to your WordPress blog. Truth is, how often do you install or disable a new plugin? When do you change Discussion settings? For most people this is not very often, and at least this way there’s an easy way of doing it with no need to log in to your blog again in the phone’s browser.
The apps are made to be good at tasks you’re likely to want to do on the move, which is often about capturing the moment, writing a draft of a longer post, moderating a few comments, or checking up on your stats. In the future, this is where we need to improve the most I think.
Spiderfly Studios 10:26 am on March 13, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks!
Again though…if you read the user comments, several things come up repeatedly. The current UI is slow and clunky. Those with anything but simple setups, really can’t use the app because of formatting issues that pop up a lot. Once you edit a page or post via the app, then the page/post ends up messed up and you have to go back to the web to fix it. Any button that takes you to the web version is a pointless one. People don’t want to use a mobile app that just takes you to the web in the end, users HATE that. The dashboard in the mobile app isn’t and wouldn’t be a bad thing if done right. It makes a good landing page. It should do basically what the web version does, give a quick overview of info and stats on the blog…which is why I did it that way. The updates section in my concept would only show if there are updates to wordpress or plugins and updating from there would do exactly what it does in the web interface…pretty simple really. Other than that it would display post counts, comment counts, etc. It has excess in some areas and is lacking in some. Another comment heard a lot is that it is only good for the most basic users….like making or updated posts quickly. A lot of users would like to be able to do more. Let’s face it, the web interface isn’t good for those on phones or tablets. Users don’t want to try to zoom in and navigate the web interface on their phones or tablets…its basically pointless that way. With more and more people using such devices, then this needs to be addressed….best to get ahead of it rather than behind.
The stats button/feature is good, but again, its widely used mostly by wordpress.com users. I personally don’t know of a single self hosted or advanced user that uses it in their sites. There should be an option to disable it if users don’t want to use it. Otherwise its just a waste of space and app size. Better yet, it would be better suited as a plugin to the app.
You make it sound like the Action bar is a bad thing. Its good and was added to address the trend of manufacturers removing excess buttons from devices. Its a good thing that allows users quick and easy access to common features.
If you want to keep it simple, then great, but I would suggest maybe making the app pluggable. By that having separate downloads as plugins to the app to give the added features so many are asking and waiting for. Could even make them in app downloads to enhance the app.
Dan 1:58 am on March 14, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
The Dashboard button was added because there’s a lot of features in wp-admin that we can’t access via the xml-rpc api yet. (Plugins, Widgets, Themes, etc). A lot of users actually use this feature, I haven’t received a complaint about it being there besides you
I do like the idea of using more of the standard UI elements, but that presents its own challenges as we try to target the most popular Android versions. Our current baseline is Android 2.1 and it should also work well on tablets.
I like Isaac’s idea of tailoring the app for the features that your blog has instead of doing this.
Isaac Keyet 2:17 pm on March 14, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I think core WordPress will evolve into something that works really well on small screen and post-PC devices within the next few years. As the web becomes the platform, and not the device OS, the line is blurred. Truth is, so much has happened over the last few years in the mobile space that it’s taking a while for us all to catch up.
I believe we’re moving from an era of “Apps” to hybrids, but in the long run it doesn’t make any sense to keep entirely different code bases for different OS’s, when most of them will be able to do the same thing on the web. The industry is about half way there right now, which is putting a lot of pressure on companies like Apple.
WordPress for Android is an Open Source project, just like core WordPress, and Automattic (which Dan and I work for) is only meant to help guide the development. Right now we’re doing most of the ground work but this is also changing, and we’ll be able to iterate faster and tailor the apps to more people’s needs. We have to stay true to our principles though – a cell phone is not as powerful as a computer yet, but it has other advantages (like, obviously, mobility). So then the challenge is not married to core WordPress principles but something in-between. And we’re doing our best to tailor the apps to fit the majority of the users.
The GPL license has another huge benefit: Anyone can do anything with the code base (remodel, tailor it to a specific blog or plugin, even sell it), as long as they don’t change the license. This means that anyone can fork the code and create something better. And if multiple forks come up with clever ideas, nice user interfaces, and robust code, they can cross-pollinate to create even better apps for their audiences – as long as they stay true to their principles.
In response to your specific requests above, bugs are bugs and we’d like to hear more about the formatting issues you mention. Please let us know what happens so we can file a ticket for it and get it fixed.
The action bar is a really good thing (and we use something like it!), I just mentioned it as an example of how fluid the Android guidelines are in practice.
As far as downloads/plugins go, I don’t think this is possible to do, and essentially not necessary. Ultimately, the app should “just work”, for your set up. If you don’t have the stats plugin or Jetpack installed, it won’t bother you. If you have another app on your phone, like a camera app with an open API, the WordPress app could be tailored to be able to use this app’s camera to snap pictures. If you use something like Google Analytics on your site, maybe you’d get a button in the app to check out those stats instead, logging in with your Google account.
But at the core, it would still be an app tailored towards what most people use their WordPress apps for today: Writing posts, moderating comments, checking their stats, and perhaps posting a photo.
Isaac Keyet 2:18 pm on March 14, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
You have great talent with designing user interfaces. I’m kind of curious how you would marginally improve the current app UI? If you could only tweak 1-2 things, what would those be?
Spiderfly Studios 4:50 pm on March 14, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
honestly….I can’t say I’d do much to it, because I feel it is that bad. no offense. I have a bionic, which runs every app and game flawlessly…but the WordPress app is still slow and clunky. Also, due to the advanced setup of my site, I cannot use it to update anything because it breaks it, and then I have to go right back in on my laptop to fix it. But for basic users, I can see it being of use.
I wouldn’t make it so wordpress.com centric, like with the stats feature (again, I don’t know a single person that uses it). I would also make it so that there isn’t anything that takes you to the web, unless it is to view the site itself. I would do one of two things mentioned here already… Either make things pluggable with separate in app downloads…or program the app to display what is there in the backend. With more and more blogging and site running on the go. That is something I feel should be addressed with a head start.
I would give it an actual dashboard. The web version, I’d dare say most users pretty much ignore their dashboard….but I can see it as being a valuable asset with the mobile app. It goes along with the trend of more people updating on the go. It would give users that ‘at a glance’ info update they’d want. Would also be a good spot for the stats info to be displayed if it is being used by the site.
I would add the action bar for easy access to the add new post/page/media, etc.
Finally I would go back to keeping it minimalistic. There’s nothing wrong with doing that if it is done right. With the new UI standards, keeping the simple, stock look. The new UI standards have made it so that apps will look good on any phone or tablet. Right now, on a tablet, the “dashboard” of the current UI just doesn’t fit…there is a LOT of wasted space that could be taken advantage of with an actual dashboard.
For the most part, when devs stray too far from UI standards and try to do their own custom UI, then it tends to slow the app down….especially when they try to add all kind of fancy transitions and sliding, etc.
But…..with the current UI…I would just clean it up, while also making that transition to follow the new UI standards. Just my opinion. If the API would just better mimic the web interface it would be great….especially for more advanced users who want to do more on the go than just make a simple post. You want users to make full use of the app on the go. If users have to go back to the web interface to fix, repair or do more that they couldn’t before with the app because they use more advanced features or plugins….then it kinda diminishes the point and usage of the app.
I’d love to help with the project. I’m not a programmer, but I can help with the graphics, layout and mockups.
Dan 11:35 pm on March 14, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I wonder if the app has an issue with running on blur? It’s quite snappy on all of my devices (even an old G1), but I don’t have a device with blur.