Home Page for Regular Users
Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:20 am
Today I went to the PE site like I normally do in the morning to see if there were any new announcements, etc. and it hit me... the page is designed as a catch-all page to attract new customers and serve existing membership (if he/she scrolls down). This isn't intended to be any major criticism. It is just a little niggle from a singular user communicating his thoughts. The truth is if nothing changed it would ruin my day. Comments are encouraged, but please don't beat me up. I bruise easily. 
Here is what I am thinking. Keep in mind these thoughts are raw, they have no research into feasibility. In my perfect world...

Here is what I am thinking. Keep in mind these thoughts are raw, they have no research into feasibility. In my perfect world...
- It would be nice to have a "home" page specifically to serve users without using half the real estate aimed at new customers. Sort of the bottom half of the existing home page duplicated on "www.pilotedgepilots.net" or something like that. Perhaps visualize a page formatted per the below...
- Schedule at top with news "headlines" announcements at top in "headline" type.
- A "skinny" list of airborne pilots to the left.
- Network Status at right. -- Is it just me? I have noticed my eye goes to the right side of the page when I am looking at a web page. I read left-to-right, but my initial focus always goes to the right, regardless of what razzmatazz is on a page. When I look at printed newspapers, my eye's focus DOES go to the left, but not when I am on the Internet.
- List of Focus Fields on right under the "Status." I still think the Focus Fields are a great aspect and should be more prominent since it does try to point pilots in a common direction.
- Sandwiched between the airborne pilot list and the status/Focus Fields would be the live map.
- Below all of this would be past news items and other errata.
- Lastly, at bottom would be the PEAware graphs.