Yowie – Video Social Discovery

16 thoughts on “Yowie – Video Social Discovery”

1. What is our site about?
   
   It appears to be a site designed for hosting interactive video chats. If there’s something else to it, it’s not clear in the page’s layout, and you pretty much have to watch a video to figure that much out, which I’m not fond of at all. Videos should be a supplement, not the entire set of instructions. If I visited yowie and was in a situation where I couldn’t play audio, like a computer lab or when people are sleeping, then I wouldn’t have a clue what the site was about.

   Give me your feedback on the splash page User Interface

   It’s full of options and almost completely devoid of explanation.   It’s chock full of stuff that might be useful if you’re already informed about yowie, but it’s practically useless to a newcomer, outside of the video window.

   Do you like the overall color schemes?
   
   Not really. The colors are all over the place. There’s bright blue, lime green, and bright purple all on a charcoal background. It doesn’t have a color scheme, really. I see no reason why the twitter window should clash with the “Don’t Miss Out!” window at all.  It really just looks kind of thrown together from templates, to be honest.

   Try to host a show and invite friends. How did you find the experience?
   
   Starting the show was easy enough, but invitation options are a bit limited. facebook and twitter invitations are a good idea, but I don’t know about those being the only included ways to invite.

   
   Were the archived videos easy to view and sort?

   The interface is fine. However, I got audio with no video when trying to play back existing videos on the site.  The streaming interface is clear, and the question setup is kind of neat, although I’m not sure it offers any major benefits compared to just a regular chat format.  I mean, the ability to verbally ask a question on camera is cool, but I’d rather just type it in and get it out of the way, personally.  It seems nice as a bonus, but perhaps a bit inefficient as an only option.

   Any additional thoughts or comments?

   Yowie sounds like it might sound especially exciting to someone unfamiliar with video streaming. However, streaming veterans may have a hard time seeing a serious advantage for Yowie compared to existing video streaming sites. All I can figure for myself is the ability to have video streams of the individual chatters, which may or may not be a practical advantage. I’d have to see how that works out when the viewer count gets high, but I have a hard time imagining it going smoothly.

   I feel like the site does an especially poor job of selling its benefits in a meaningful way. The front page offers almost nothing in explanation of the site’s functions. The only help I was able to find was the little box suggesting I send an aim or email. Why should I have to do that when there could be some actual useful information posted on the site so I wouldn’t have to just guess? This is exactly the kind of site that I tend to avoid: sites that have possible benefits but can’t appear to be bothered actually telling me what they are. My time is valuable, and I could be doing something else…so most likely I would.

2. What is our site about?
   It’s a site where people with similar interests can connect with each other over the internet through video chatting and chatting.
   Give me your feedback on the splash page User Interface
   It looks like you just threw a bunch of widgets and other boxes together. I think there should be tabs and everything shouldn’t be jumbled together all on the home page. It doesn’t have a professional presence that other sites have.
   Do you like the overall color schemes?
   I like the color scheme that you have going at the top. I like the greenish color to the blueish with all the different types of gray. I like that. I am not sure I like the white text or the orange text that goes along with it. I don’t think they flow as well as the other colors in that section.
   As for the other colors, I do like them and I do think they have the potential to flow well together but I don’t think they flow well the way the site is set up. You go from a bright pink in one box to the twitter color in the twitter box. It is like you are trying to make everything stand out that nothing stands out and it is too distracting. Try sticking to a few colors instead of having numerous of colors.
   Try to host a show and invite friends. How did you find the experience?
   It seems pretty easy to start. Inviting friends seem easy since most of the people I talk to are on facebook. I do find that skype is a lot easier and really simple. There aren’t that many steps when you skype.
   Were the archived videos easy to view and sort?
   They were easy to view but not sort. They are all just bunched in together. There should be categories that the videos fall into instead of having to go through pages and pages of videos.
   Any additional thoughts or comments?
   I think that it has the potential to be a great site. I think it needs to be cleaned up a bit and make it easier to navigate and easier on the eyes.
    

3. What is our site about? It’s a live video interaction site that allows you to chat with virtually anyone.
   Give me your feedback on the splash page User Interface The very first section “Welcome to Yowie”, starts off great.  However, the bottom appears to be kind of jumbled up.  I would like to have seen a more organized space with tabs located at the top of the screen.  I think it would be more user friendly to have a valid explanation of what the site it all about in details.
   Do you like the overall color schemes? I think the color schemes are very eye catching and attractive.  They seem to really pop out and bring the site to life.  Overall, it’s very appealing and it makes me want to continue learning about what this site has to offer.    It’s fun!
   Try to host a show and invite friends. How did you find the experience? Starting the show was very easy.   The steps were very easy to follow and everything was ready in a matter of seconds.  The experience was fine.  It was just a matter of inviting friends from my Facebook account.
   Were the archived videos easy to view and sort? I was able to view the videos by using the Browse tab at the top of the page, but I was unable to find a way to sort them.
   Any additional thoughts or comments? Overall, I find the idea a very intriguing one and one which I would definitely see myself and friends using, but I think it has a lot of tweaking to do before it’s the amazing site that I see it becoming.  I would love to see it a bit more organized in term of tabs, instead of the feature being jumbled at the bottom of the page.  I think the structure for creating a show is very well thought out, very easy to follow and fun.  The creativity could be amazing.  I would like to see a Contact, Help and possibly a FAQ tab to answer all the questions I may have as a potential user of this site.

4. What is our site about?
   It’s about connecting with others through live video chatting.
   Give me your feedback on the splash page User Interface
   At first glance, it’s a little overwhelming. Maybe too much bright color and boxes.  I would feel more comfortable with some tabbed links. There is a clear concise explanation of what the site is about which is good.  It feels crowded to me.
   Do you like the overall color schemes?
   The color seems somewhat overdone.  I do like the bright colors to get your attention, I just think it’s overdone on this page.
   Try to host a show and invite friends. How did you find the experience?
   The process is easy enough, explained very well. It seems the only friends you can invite are facebook and twitter which may limit you somewhat.  I also tried the schedule a broadcast which process wise was fine, but I did not see anywhere to cancel a schedule broadcast. The tips and tricks portion to the right is great.  This would be especially helpful to newbies like me who have no experience with video chatting.  The check equipment interface is good.  Very organized and to the point.
   Were the archived videos easy to view and sort?
   They were easy to view, but I couldn’t find a way to sort.  Maybe you could have an archive link and then separate into categories that way you wouldn’t have to search through a bunch of videos that you have no interest in.
   Any additional thoughts or comments?
   Overall, I think this is a great idea.  The site needs some tweaking to make it more user friendly.  I would like to see some tabs maybe at the top, archived with some categories, maybe a faq list, etc.  I mentioned some of my other concerns in the previous questions. The idea is on track, the site needs a little work and then I think you’ll do fine.

5. What is our site about?
   A new way to take your current friends from your social networking sites and video chat with them.
   Give me your feedback on the splash page User Interface
   It’s nothing really special and kind of generic and random. There really doesn’t seem to be much order to it. Menus would be nice instead of the jumbled up interface.
   Do you like the overall color schemes?
   
   I actually do. The top colors work well,and the rest seems to just be random colors that seem to just work well together. If I had to describe them in one word,it would have to be “fun”.
   Try to host a show and invite friends. How did you find the experience?
   “Welcome to Your Yowie Show!
   Create a show for your friends, family, or whoever you want to go live with. You control who gets to see you, who gets to appear onscreen, and what you’ll talk about. Let’s start with the basic info.”  This message was unfortunately all I got when I tried to start a show. Nothing loaded for me to click on.
   Were the archived videos easy to view and sort?
   
   They were very easy to view. I couldn’t find a way to sort them other than from the browse menu (which isn’t very easy to notice) Maybe have the arcives open up into an all videos category and then let the user choose subcategories,it seems to be set up on this principle now but the category choices need to be down by the video,or just generally somewhere in front of where they’re looking. Also adding some more subcategories to narrow the search would be good.
   Any additional thoughts or comments?
   
   I believe that this site has potential,but a few things need to be fixed. As it sits,as a customer,I would more than likely have left at the splash page,there’s just really nothing there to impress someone or to make them want to look more into the service. I’d say,clean up the splash page a bit and add some value inducing content. Make sure that they know as soon as the see the splash page,that they can link their facebook/twitter account and invite friends. The interface for actually watching the videos seems to be very well done based on the few archived videos I watched.
   

6. What is our site about?

   It connect you to your friends, family, and groups through video chat.

   Give me your feedback on the splash page User Interface

   I don’t think it’s to much at all but I do feel it’s all to close together.  I think it could be organized a little better.  I do think you need more tabs such as “About us” and “FaQ”.  The page doesn’t give much information about your services or what makes it different from any other site that provides the same thing. 

   Do you like the overall color schemes?

   I was looking forward to doing this review due to the way the page looks with all the colors.  I love the different colors.  It is colorful and bright and helps the site stand out.  It also gets people’s attention and it looks fun.

   Try to host a show and invite friends. How did you find the experience?

   The process was easy to do and the steps were easy to understand.  I like that you can control who all views you.  I had a good experience.

   Were the archived videos easy to view and sort?

   Viewing the videos was easy but the sorting part was a little confusing.  I did not exactly understand how to sort.

   Any additional thoughts or comments?

   Overall I think your site is heading in the right dirrection.  I would change a few things such as having more tabs like “about us” and “Faq”.  The “about us” tab would explain who the company is and what the site and services provide.  The “FaQ” tab is for the most common questions people may have about your services.  Before joining a site, those are two tabs that I look at due to I want to understand exactly what the service is and how it works before I join.

   On the site page, I would not have everything so close together.  I don’t think there is to much but like I said it is to close together.  You have a whole page, use it and don’t limit it to just the middle of the page.

   I love the colors you used.  It looks fun and inviting.  The process of your services is easy to understand and easy to navigate.

7. What is our site about? The site is usage for creating your own show (like members of YouTube tend to do) and video interaction with others.
   Give me your feedback on the splash page User Interface The splash page User Interface should be cleared a little to be made more organized.
   Do you like the overall color schemes? The color scheme consists of colors that will appeal to female and male members.
   Try to host a show and invite friends. How did you find the experience? The experience of trying to host a show and invite friends was easy and convenient, which is important to users new to this type of site and/or have limited leisure time.
   Were the archived videos easy to view and sort? The archived videos were easy to view and sort.  This material is useful for someone who wants ideas on what to make their videos about or who would maybe like to compose a response video (if interested enough in the topic or just to use the feedback video as a starter show).
   Any additional thoughts or comments? If word got out about this site I could see it being a household name.

8. What is our site about?
   This site is about live video chatting with friends allowing only those whom you want to view.

   Give me your feedback on the splash page User Interface
   The top half of the page is fine but towards the middle and bottom of the page it starts to get very messy and unorganized. It’s a lot a good information seemingly thrown on the page leaving the user to decifer what to do first. The what is Yowie section is the most importnant feature and it’s meshed with alot of other information a person might want to know after they learn what the site is about. There is alslo no section that tells you how to use Yowie or a contact section. Some tabs might declutter your page.  

   Try to host a show and invite friends. How did you find the experience?
   Trying to host a video was quick and easy to do. I really liked the fact that you can limit the veiwing to only those whom you allow. The only drawback is that you have to login through facebook. It seems you would want to set yourself apart and have Yowie accounts.

   Were the archived videos easy to view and sort?
   Viewing the archived vidoes was easy to do but sorting the videos was not so easy. Maybe it would help to have the videos broken down into catergories allowing the user to sort through the info faster.

   Any additional thoughts or comments?
   The page needs to be sorted out and more organized for the user to really benefit from your site. The don’t miss out section throughe me off. I understand that you want to be followed on other social networking sites but you don’t want to drive people to them first. You have that section right above the section where people find what people are talking about on Yowie. I like the branding, you repeat Yowie in many of sections which was nice. Great site it just needs to revamped.

   Do you like the overall color schemes?
   The colors seems to be random with no clear design in mind. I like that you have bold colors next to the dark gray and black but again it has no flow. The two colors that popped out to me was the organge and blue. Those are two colors featured at the top of the page. The green and purple seem very to just added to the page for color but not for purpose. The way the page is set up doesn’t allow for a variety in the usage of the colors.

9. What is our site about?

   At first glance, it seemed like Yowie was another social networking site.  Then I saw that it was a site for chat between friends based on similar interests provided in the videos.

   Give me your feedback on the splash page User Interface

   The humorous figure was eye-catching.  But the rest of page faded as a result.

   Try to host a show and invite friends. How did you find the experience?

   I thought that the instructions were easy to follow.  However, if you aren’t on twitter or facebook, your audience will be limited.

   Were the archived videos easy to view and sort?

   As a user with average skills, I had some difficulty navigating the site.  I think that there was a lot of “clutter” and you really had to spend time looking to find out how to navigate.  The archives were confusing to me for that reason.

   Any additional thoughts or comments?
   I would like to see lighter colors used.  More organization with choices typed in a bold stand out color would help.  The user interface should tell more about the site in order to “grab” attention.

   Do you like the overall color schemes?

   I found the colors depressing!  I think that lighter colors and a better use of contrast could be employed.

10. What is our site about?
    It looks like a video-based chat site for people that like the music of a particular band but, most of all, it is a way for bands to be in direct touch with their fans.
    Give me your feedback on the splash page User Interface
    It is a bit dark but it is easy to navigate and it does look easy to use. I do miss a search field which may be available if you are logged in but that I can’t see right now. It is a shame that you can’t find your band because there are too many of them listed.
    Do you like the overall color schemes?
    Brown is not my favourite color but the color scheme works well as well as the graphics. I would say that I’m happy with it.
    Try to host a show and invite friends. How did you find the experience?
    As much as I love to help, this is asking too much. 🙂 I’m not sharing my facebook information and appreciate my privacy.
    Were the archived videos easy to view and sort?
    Can’t say for what I expressed above.
    Any additional thoughts or comments?
    It is clear that you can connect with your favourite band or singer, it is unclear how you can connect with other fans.
    More information about the bands (like type of music, links to their songs) may help to promote them.
    Basing your experience on facebook should be optional. Some people are shy and don’t want to share their real names. Some people are concerned with security.

11. What is our site about?
        Apparently it is a live video chat social site.
    Give me your feedback on the splash page User Interface. 
        Everything seemed to work well with a good flow. Speed and navigation is
        very adequate.
    Do you like the overall color schemes?
        Yes I like the coler scheme as well as the overall theme.
    Try to host a show and invite friends. How did you find the experience? 
         Sorry, but I am not familiar enough with the privacey of the site to get my
         involved at this time, but in the future I believe I may. Just a little 
         few security apprehensions at the moment.
    Were the archived videos easy to view and sort?
         Yes they are, I had no problem viewing or listing to the videos.
    Any additional thoughts or comments?
        I do like the theme and color scheme, but I think it could be a little brighter,
        not a lot of contrast.

12. What is our site about?
    Yowie is a live video chat service that allows users to connect with friends, people with similiar interests, and fans. It is all about connecting with others in a live video chat to talk about various common interests or events. It allows stars to connect with their fans, or simply fans to connect with each other to talk about their common interest.
    Give me your feedback on the splash page User Interface
    The site is very easy to navigate. The page does seem to have a lot going on all at once, but this helps to catch the eye of different types of users. I do not think that it seems unorganized, in fact the different images drew me in. It made me want to look closer to see what each section had in it.

    Do you like the overall color schemes?
    Yes and no. I like the dark in the background, and then the bright colors that are used in various sections to be eye catching. I do, however, think that there may be to many different colors going on in a different areas. You have the bright orange that has the company name and catch phrase (ready to go live with your friends). Then you have the bright pink, blue, and green in different areas. This makes it appear to be a little all over the place. The pink sort of seems out of place. I would leave the dark background with the bright eye catching colors, but I would change the colors to do one of two different things. One they could all be the same bright color or just a few different ones instead of so many, or two you could leave the number of different colors the same just change them to be colors that go better with each other.
    Try to host a show and invite friends. How did you find the experience?

    The process was much more simple then I expected. I have never been in a video chat, and I expected it to be much more complex to set up. I liked the fact that you could link your facebook or twitter account. This saves the time and effort of having to set up a new account, and it allows your friends to be easily linked to your video chat.
    Were the archived videos easy to view and sort?

    Yes the archived videos were very easy to view and sort. I really liked how I could share various videos with my friends. I also like that you can RSVP for future shows. This is a good feature, because if I was hosting a show I would want an estimate on the number of people that may be attending.
    Any additional thoughts or comments?

    The site is well laid out, and the service itself is very interesting. I do think that there should be a contact us section. If users are having trouble using the service how are they going to let someone know if there is no section. If there is a section I could not find it when I was navigating around that site. If that is the case, it should be in a better place so that users could easily find it.

13. What is our site about?

    It is another social networking site that allows to to get to know new people. My first impression of this site is that it allows you to chat and video chat with one or more people at a time. It allows you to meet people that are just like you or share specific interests like music.
    Give me your feedback on the splash page User Interface

    I found it extremely easy to navigat my way around this site. It was organized and did not have random things on the page. This made it very easy to see what exactly was going on. To make it even easier I think the site should add tabs at the top of the page people can click on to navigate better throughout the site without having to scroll down the page trying to figure out what it is your looking for.
    Do you like the overall color schemes?

    The colors are very good. They work well with eachother and and really catch your eye while your on the site. It fits perfect with the theme of the page with bright colors almost. certain type of music lovers love their bright colors and it will really draw them in.

    Try to host a show and invite friends. How did you find the experience?

    I found it was very simple; the site explained how to do this process and didnt explain it in a difficult or confusing way. Anyone who is interested in starting up a show will have no problem trying to do so because all they have to do is follow a few simple steps. It is a good idea to have this show because it is a new way to commicate and more people will be interested in it.
    Were the archived videos easy to view and sort?

    Yes, they were easy to view. It was just like any other video site like youtube as long as you have a good internet connection you will be able to view it very quickly. If yours is a little bit slower than most than you will have to wait for it to load for a litte while.
    Any additional thoughts or comments?

14. $5 awarded to ChuckChuck.

15. $5 awarded to Latasha.

16. $5 awarded to melaniestuber.

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