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Subject: 
Re: The future of LDraw?
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.cad
Date: 
Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:55:11 GMT
Viewed: 
21026 times
  
In lugnet.cad, Manfred Moolhuysen wrote:
In lugnet.cad, Tore Eriksson wrote:
And, worst of all, aren't there any  new people joining?

As fas as I understand young people, it might have something to do with a high
proportion of text matched with a low proportion of visuals. It seems that new
generations prefer it to be very much the other way round. I've looked at some
sites aimed at young adulds, and for me these were rather difficult to navigate
through. This was due to an almost complete lack of navigation related text,
that otherwise might have helped me along. The navigation on such sites is more
like a Iphone or a E-magazine, you have to click on a pictogram or other image,
and behind that the item one looks for, is hidden somehow. My biggest problem
with that was, that I often failed to recognise the relation between the image
and the bit of navigation it was supposted to label. For instance, a trendy
picture of the building that hosted a venue represented the link where you had
to register/sign up for the venue.

Yes, I agree!
New generations looks at what I call 'vapor-ware'!
The look is the most important think they watch. When I recreate my website,
changing the look but not the contents, I got a 10-20% increased access.

On the other side, the lDraw/MLCad application themselves have a not such
gracefully appearance. The quality of the images displayed were appropriate for
a 10 years old computers. Newbie looks for something more graphically
attractive/easy to use like LDD or SR 3D Builder.

At the first approach new users don't care if a great amount of parts is missed
in LDD. They found the most they need from a free application to play with. Only
after a long time of playing someone (not all) discover the limitations, but
they are already glue with the application.

Advertisement and web do the rest: the users try the following!! Try yourself
and suppose you don't know about MLCad or lDraw software sites:
- Search LEGO PC CAD on the web
- LDD is the first entry (LEGO Logo is comfortable for the user)
- The second or third issue on google search send to THIS forum.
- This forum TALK about LEGO on the PC.
- You need to click on the Link and Resource - lDraw link to go to lDraw pages!
  Again text pages!!! No images of MLCad or something VISUAL that let you
understand you are talking about a CAD application!!!!!!! Even if you go to
getting started you get text and text...
- The user backs to google !
- Next useful entry will probably be BLOCK Cad
- The application screen shoot is not bad, but not comparable with LDD. The
application has too many limitation and no technic parts. The user back to
google
- The user will find LEOCad but has the same or more limitation then BLOCKCAD
- The user will find MLCad, but it's not useful without lDraw parts library
installation. The result is that application is too complex to start for
newbie!!
- the user will not search for anything else. It will start using LDD!!

another potential lDraw user is missed...

My application (SR 3D Builder) that is comparable (better) than LDD appears on
pages 5 or 6


IMO lDraw home pages should be more attractive for users. Some images have to
quick show what applications are available for the part library. The part
library itself is not attractive for users.
A rendered model, a screen shot of MLCad and/or SR3D Builder applications in the
main page will change the look and feel of the site.

best regard

Sergio



Message has 2 Replies:
  Re: The future of LDraw?
 
(...) Have you ever tried it ??????? Philo (14 years ago, 23-Mar-10, to lugnet.cad)
  Re: The future of LDraw?
 
(...) No, this is definitely not true. LeoCAD is AFAIK at least as powerful as MLCad. BlockCAD is the most limited of the pack, but also the easiest to use. When I google for "lego cad" I get: LDraw LeoCAD techbricks' link page containing links to (...) (14 years ago, 23-Mar-10, to lugnet.cad)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: The future of LDraw?
 
(...) As fas as I understand young people, it might have something to do with a high proportion of text matched with a low proportion of visuals. It seems that new generations prefer it to be very much the other way round. I've looked at some sites (...) (14 years ago, 15-Mar-10, to lugnet.cad)

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