Enhanced Darkcoin Wallet UI

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DRKLord

DRKLord

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As my first major undertaking for the Darkcoin Project, I'm going to work on a UI over-haul with a number of new features, enhancements and improved visuals. As the "new guy" on the dev team, I'm still familiarizing myself with the source and learning to work with the team and new technologies. If I start trying to mess with Darksend and the more critical sub-systems of the Darkcoin software, I would probably get in the way and mess a lot of things up. So by starting at the top with the UI and presentation layer, I can both become acquainted with the team and the code, and learn how the Darkcoin software is glued together.

I've already started working on a prototype version of the enhanced UI/presentation layer. And I've created this thread so I can share my current WIP screenshots and get feedback and tips from the community. I want to hear what YOU think about my work, and I would like to hear suggestions on how to improve it (visually), suggestions for new features and your opinions.

Here is a screenshot of my UI prototype (on-going WIP):

ENHANCED_DRK_UI_01.jpg


Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think and what you'd like to see... :)

Thanks!

The DRK Lord
 
I'm thinking of doing away with the "Recent Transactions" display on the main Overview tab of the wallet. IMHO, it's a bit redundant and a waste of good space. Instead, I have another idea...

I think the Recent Transactions display could be switched out for an "Alerts" display. It will display both incoming and outgoing transactions alerts, as well as other important Darkcoin alerts. For example, it would display an alert when a new client is released and everyone needs to upgrade. It would display alerts from the dev team about important Darkcoin-related news. It would warn you if a hard fork was being implemented soon, etc, etc, etc...

Any thoughts?
 
Looking good !
- it would be nice if the design (silver background) is ether a bit more modern or designed,
as shown in the new branding …. maybe the white with the blue lines
check:
https://darkcointalk.org/threads/branding-discussion.616/page-10#post-9664
- i believe darksend will be an option to use (i still think all transfers HAVE to be darksend),
that would be great if you could incl that as a special button / in the toolbar (between send and received)
- in some other coin you can buy straight from the wallet (without an exchange)
am not 100% sure if that really makes sense, just an idea
- it would be great if the wallet itself knew that it should be updated !! (no idea how that would work for you)
with all the updates going on, that would be something to secure/make sure everybody is on the same fork and spark and whatnot
maybe a window would pop up suggesting and update with a link to:
http://www.darkcoin.io/getstarted.html
- and sure it has to be something which looks/works in MAC OS as well,
i know there is somebody else doing the MAC wallets but it would be great (corporate identity) if you guys are on the same page
i believe it is instacash
….>
 
you posted faster than i could write !
good idea …>>
 
I do like the idea of overhauling the wallet design, but personally I would move in a bit different direction than your WIP to maintain consistency in the branding. I really like the look of the NXT wallet and ideally would like have something in a similar vein only with the branding parameters and color scheme established in the Branding thread, maybe something along the lines of Minotaur's work.
H9Yq50K.jpg

darkcoin-concept-1-jpg.170
 
I love the direction you are going with the look.

I have an idea that I think would greatly enhance the value and usability of Darkcoin, but I'm not sure if it would be feasible to implement or not.

I was reading about another currency called "CloakCoin" which is intended to have an integrated p2p auction as part of its wallet...no need for any silk road type sites...users could just put items up for sale or bid, and other users could purchase or bid, directly through the wallet.

I KNOW this would be a big, technical undertaking...but I also KNOW this would make Darkcoin VERY attractive to a LARGE number of individuals. It might be premature to start working on this at this time, but it might be a good idea to put this on the back-burner, so to speak, with the intention to develop and integrate this into the wallet in the future.
 
Latest DRK news tab, maybe?
And update auto / manual.

Edit: Maybe your own masternode info also would be nice.
 
In-Wallet trading and a blockchain less wallet (like electrum) is a must-have. Encrypted messaging is another excellent addition.
The blockchain tx could be pulled from masternodes and also a version check as the majority of masternodes are always up to date with a very high probability.
P2P auction/market systems would be perfection

Regarding design I also like the NXT wallet design very much.
 
DRKLord said:
As my first major undertaking for the Darkcoin Project, I'm going to work on a UI over-haul with a number of new features, enhancements and improved visuals. As the "new guy" on the dev team, I'm still familiarizing myself with the source and learning to work with the team and new technologies. If I start trying to mess with Darksend and the more critical sub-systems of the Darkcoin software, I would probably get in the way and mess a lot of things up. So by starting at the top with the UI and presentation layer, I can both become acquainted with the team and the code, and learn how the Darkcoin software is glued together.

I've already started working on a prototype version of the enhanced UI/presentation layer. And I've created this thread so I can share my current WIP screenshots and get feedback and tips from the community. I want to hear what YOU think about my work, and I would like to hear suggestions on how to improve it (visually), suggestions for new features and your opinions.

Here is a screenshot of my UI prototype (on-going WIP):

View attachment 190

Please feel free to comment and let me know what you think and what you'd like to see... :)

Thanks!

The DRK Lord
Click to expand...

Make it borderless maybe?
 
raze That wallet looks really good.

@OP I am glad that you're working on a new GUI. Darkcoin wallet looks too much like Bitcoin. I think a good looking design is a good "selling" point. The gui you're working on is too simple in my opinion. This would not be my opinion if I would have not seen raze post. If only Darkcoin had a similar look to the one raze. For me, GUI matters less than functionality but I would like something that goes well together with my KDE desktop.

I hope Darkcoin wallet will soon include the approximate worth of your whole wallet. I am too tired of using 3rd party applications to calculate how much amount of money I have.
 
Have you given any thought toward having an interface that would work well on both a computer and a mobile device like a tablet or phone? Naturally, the space requirements are different, but if you could have a common interface that would essentially feel the same, it would be awesome, even if someone else had to code in the mobile. I'm working on getting an android development environment set up, and I'd love to be able to have a wallet app that didn't require a third-party blockchain repository like most of the bitcoin apps I've seen.

That said, I'm just getting started with android, so I'm probably not the guy to do it. It is something to think about, tho
 
Great job so far, and great suggestions! My favorites:
1. I personally like the look you're coming up with because it's easy to read. But raze's suggestion is more the look of things today. Maybe something in between?
2. With all these masternodes, I'm also hoping we can utilize them to serve up the blockchain so that perhaps only the most recent info needs to be local? Hope you can do that :)
3. Allerts for updates to the wallet, but no auto update, that would be too dangerous.
4. "Official News" linked to darkcoin.io or else darkcointalk would be cool. As long as it can be done safely. If not, or if there is any hacking danger, best not to have it.
5. I love the market info section, that'd be quite awesome!

ScioMind, that was one of our original ideas. People have taken all of our ideas as their own. Those things will come once Darksend is complete.
 
Soooo glad you are working on this DRKLord!!! I love the fact that the coin is maturing to the point that we are focusing some effort beyond the functionality. The first draft is a huge improvement already, so I'm sure the final product will be great.

I'd like to inject an alternative mode of thinking into the discussion... we, as a community of crypto-currency geeks have a strong tendency to overvalue things like recent blocks found, network hashrates, next block difficulty, total blocks found, etc. But if our aim is mainstream adoption of our coin, 99% of users "don't care how the sausage is made, they just want to eat it." We need to value "white space" too, especially for our consumers. They want simple. They want clean. Think of Amazon's pay-now button. Or Apple's home button (the only button on the face of the phone). In my not-so-humble opinion, if we want to make our coin attractive to consumers and merchants, we need to keep the interface clean and easy to digest. No information that doesn't help them figure out how much money they have, and how to transact securely. If it takes a user more than about 10 seconds to read everything on the initial presentation layer, you have way too much on the page.

That said, I think having that stuff as an option is a great idea for "power users" like you and me. But make them options. Strip the whole upper right section down to "network health" and "peer connections". This helps a user understand if the network is up and running for them. Strip the lower left down to exchange rates and value for BTC value and USD (or other currency) value. Have the base currency selector there initially, but once you select USD, have it disappear and initiate a pop-up window that says "Your base currency has been set to USD. If you'd like to change your base currency in the future, you may do so in the xxx menu." If the immature or unconfirmed balances are 0, make them disappear. Basically, I'd encourage you to constantly be asking yourself, "would this confuse my mom?" (grandma is probably a step too far) and "what else can I get rid of?".

If you want an "advanced" version with all these bells and whistles, have a selection when the wallet is first opened that asks "what kind of user are you?" Merchants might get one set of tools. Personal wallets another. And "Power User" could include all the default options that a miner or enthusiast might want.

Next, my unreasonable wish list of features:
1) An optional sound notification that you've received a payment / mined. Preferably one you can set yourself.
2) The ability to add notes to each transaction... what the hell was the "Received with" on June 7th for? I have no idea.
3) +1 on client update notifications. Peercoin just displays a "update your clients before July 17th" message on their bottom row... you could use their code as a guide / idea generator for how to implement. I would caution against auto update. This is risking a hacker attack IMO.
4) Keep the long term in mind... would be good to design the interface knowing that you will need the same look and feel on Android and iOS in the future.
5) Basic merchant tools (e.g., a quick and dirty currency converter where a merchant could enter an amount in local currency and it tells them how much DRK to charge)

And finally (you'll be rid of me after this), I would encourage us all to not "judge the world based on our own irrelevant experiences". When ready, I would pull together some screenshots and some questions / options around functionality and look/feel and do a survey on survey monkey. You could have some qualifying questions upfront like "what is your level of interest in Bitcoin?" and "Do you own or operate a business?" etc. and get some reaction from merchants and consumers. Ask them what they would want from the wallet. I guarantee that the results will surprise you and hopefully help shape the final product.

Hope this helps shape your approach!!! I'm really looking forward to a new "non-bitcoin" wallet!!! Getting it right is just as important as the back end.
 
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ScioMind said:
I love the direction you are going with the look.

I have an idea that I think would greatly enhance the value and usability of Darkcoin, but I'm not sure if it would be feasible to implement or not.

I was reading about another currency called "CloakCoin" which is intended to have an integrated p2p auction as part of its wallet...no need for any silk road type sites...users could just put items up for sale or bid, and other users could purchase or bid, directly through the wallet.

I KNOW this would be a big, technical undertaking...but I also KNOW this would make Darkcoin VERY attractive to a LARGE number of individuals. It might be premature to start working on this at this time, but it might be a good idea to put this on the back-burner, so to speak, with the intention to develop and integrate this into the wallet in the future.
Click to expand...
ScioMind, I respectfully and vehemently disagree. There is a reason that eBay and PayPal are operated separately. They are completely different businesses and it is nearly impossible to be the best at retailing / auctions and payments at the same time. Darkcoin is in the payments business. Let's stick to getting that right and let others worry about building the world's best auction site, especially if it involves many of the types of goods and services that can be found on Silk Road. Besides being really difficult to do two things well, that would open Darkcoin up to a whole new set of criticisms, legal complications, etc that I guarantee none of us want any part of. All it takes is one a--hole posting something illegal and Evan will be arrested for facilitating it.
 
babygiraffe said:
ScioMind, I respectfully and vehemently disagree. There is a reason that eBay and PayPal are operated separately. They are completely different businesses and it is nearly impossible to be the best at retailing / auctions and payments at the same time. Darkcoin is in the payments business. Let's stick to getting that right and let others worry about building the world's best auction site, especially if it involves many of the types of goods and services that can be found on Silk Road. Besides being really difficult to do two things well, that would open Darkcoin up to a whole new set of criticisms, legal complications, etc that I guarantee none of us want any part of. All it takes is one a--hole posting something illegal and Evan will be arrested for facilitating it.
Click to expand...

I definitely understand and respect your stance on this. Just to be clear, I am NOT talking about setting up a website which would need someone to run it or even host it, or anything like that. And I only used silkroad as an example, because of the anonymity and because it was well-known, not because I am trying to promote anything illegal. There are many reasons to value anonymity that have nothing to do with illegality.

What I AM talking about would be an anonymous p2p method of buying/selling/auctioning WITHOUT having to go through a website, directly from the wallet. If someone used that anonymity for "bad" purposes, no one (other than the actual "bad guys") would be legally responsible...just as no one would ever think of suing the phone company because someone called their dealer to buy illegal drugs...or suing General Motors for building vehicles that could be used as getaway cars or for drive-by shootings. Or even the inventors of PGP (or GPG) because someone used the encryption/anonymity it provides to plan something outside the law.

I also understand that implementing something like this is a much more technically challenging task that simply sprucing up the look of the gui, or adding other simple functions to it. This would be a major undertaking, no doubt, and possibly beyond the scope of what DRKLord is intending or willing to take on...which would make this discussion moot anyway. (Although it may spark others to see the obvious value of a truly anonymous p2p marketplace, coupled with Darkcoin, a truly anonymous crypto-coin...and further spark them to develop it!)
 
ScioMind said:
What I AM talking about would be an anonymous p2p method of buying/selling/auctioning WITHOUT having to go through a website, directly from the wallet. If someone used that anonymity for "bad" purposes, no one (other than the actual "bad guys") would be legally responsible...just as no one would ever think of suing the phone company because someone called their dealer to buy illegal drugs...or suing General Motors for building vehicles that could be used as getaway cars or for drive-by shootings. Or even the inventors of PGP (or GPG) because someone used the encryption/anonymity it provides to plan something outside the law.
Click to expand...
History is riddled with examples of this... There is a big difference between say TOR (a general technology) and Napster (a tool that was once used almost exclusively to illegally distribute music). This sounds closer to the later for me and even if we were to prevail (which legal precedence would not be on our side, though I'm not a lawyer), it would certainly invite more scrutiny and legal challenges than it would be worth. I personally think we should leave the illegal underground associations to Cloakcoin. We're changing the world plenty with our payment network, which will in time face it's own significant share of PR / legal / regulatory scrutiny. I would caution the community against taking on something bound to be even more controversial. It's easy enough for independent p2p auction sites to use our coin... and that's not anything we can add unique value to anyway, imho.
 
babygiraffe said:
History is riddled with examples of this... There is a big difference between say TOR (a general technology) and Napster (a tool that was once used almost exclusively to illegally distribute music). This sounds closer to the later for me and even if we were to prevail (which legal precedence would not be on our side, though I'm not a lawyer), it would certainly invite more scrutiny and legal challenges than it would be worth. I personally think we should leave the illegal underground associations to Cloakcoin. We're changing the world plenty with our payment network, which will in time face it's own significant share of PR / legal / regulatory scrutiny. I would caution the community against taking on something bound to be even more controversial. It's easy enough for independent p2p auction sites to use our coin... and that's not anything we can add unique value to anyway, imho.
Click to expand...

The problem with Napster was that it DID use one or more central servers to host files. This is unlike Bittorrent which is p2p and so does NOT use central servers to host files. This is why Napster faced all sorts of legal issues, and why Bittorrent is here to this day. I do understand your concerns, but I will say that there is NOTHING illegal at all about creating an anonymous p2p marketplace...and there IS something revolutionary and very pro-freedom about it.

I will also say that this functionality does not have to be built into the official wallet gui. Since it looks like darkcoin will be totally open source by the fall or so, and since anyone can already create a gui to interact with darkcoind, this is a project that anyone with sufficient technical know-how can develop, independently of the official dev team. So...its really not an issue of whether or not to create such a revolutionary marketplace...its a matter of who will create it first! (And again, an anonymous coin - darkcoin - would be the perfect choice for an anonymous market.)

I do respect your opinion, and am not trying to be controversial. I think this is inevitable, and am just pointing out the value to darkcoin if it does happen that the first truly anonymous p2p marketplace does utilize darkcoin. And I also don't want to get too far off the topic of this thread, so I am sorry if that's what I did.
 
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