My First Vid: A Different Kind of UI Guide

[Deleted]

Hi guys,

I made my first ever video (for WoW--and for anything!) this week on designing a UI for people with no-to-medium experience with addons. I wanted to do something different from the usual UI guides so my one looks at how and why you should design your interface instead of looking at a bunch of configuration options!

Video is here if you're interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QfapCWpK_0

Feedback is very welcome too--I want to improve! Thanks

[Deleted]

Hi guys,

I made my first ever video (for WoW--and for anything!) this week on designing a UI for people with no-to-medium experience with addons. I wanted to do something different from the usual UI guides so my one looks at how and why you should design your interface instead of looking at a bunch of configuration options!

Video is here if you're interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QfapCWpK_0

Feedback is very welcome too--I want to improve! Thanks

Promoting yourself is forbidden here. Sorry bud...

[Fastlane_hellscream]

Trying to figure out how in the world the OP is "Promoting" himself, but I got nothing. People post helpful ui information almost hourly in these forums.

[SlippyCheeze]

Trying to figure out how in the world the OP is "Promoting" himself, but I got nothing. People post helpful ui information almost hourly in these forums.

Yeah, agreed: posting a guide to creating a UI isn't out of scope for the forum. Also, posting information about something you make (eg: Details!, the LFG filtering addon, SkullflowerUI, and on and on) isn't inappropriate here -- unlike some of the other forums.

[Deleted]

Great video, I like it. If you want nitpicking, here are some thoughts:
1. I find it kinda hard to concentrate on reading text and listening at the same time. It's no big deal to pause the video (mostly for the folder-stuff), but you could've just shown us how to backup your folders and talk over it. Or maybe say smth like 'If you want to know how to install addons and backup stuff, it's in the description' and put it there.
2. WeakAuras is probably still a bit overwhelming for someone who never used it, so maybe show us how to setup one essential icon (simply tracking a buff or smth)
3. Your UI isn't really crowded, but it might still be a bit too much for someone just getting into addons. You could disable a few addons that aren't really important (minimap, action bars). Maybe even show us a little transition, where you just move the standard unit frames to the center, get a boss mod (and position the timers/warning) and setup 2-3 essential WA's. Then show us your final UI and make it less of a change from the standard one.
4. To make it more universal, I personally have my raid frames between my unit frames and the action bar. This way, in my opinion it's much easier for healing and it doesn't hurt dps/tanking. Then again, ppl might be perfectly fine with having their raid frames for healing on the side. Also, you kinda have to move some stuff (achievements, loot, in your case focus frame and timers), so it might not be worth it.
5. It might be a different kind of UI guide, but the title doesn't really reflect that. Maybe point out that it is a How to get started with addons or a guide for beginners to distinguish it from other UI guides and to make it easier for people to find what they're looking for.

Again, these are minor points, I really liked it. Just some stuff I might miss from this video if I didn't know the first thing about addons.

[Deleted]

Great video keep it up!

[Jappse]

Can you share the UI. Uniframes and such?

edit: Found them listed in the vid

- - - Updated - - -

Where can i download that Wackamole addon?

[ComputerNerd]

Where can i download that Wackamole addon?

They weren't describing an addon by name, but more a principle of hitting a button as soon as you see something.
The game whack-a-mole when heads pop up through holes only to be hit by a hammer, exactly like the Gnoll game at the Darkmoon faire.
Addons such as WeakAuras/PowerAuras are suited to that.

As an alternative to watching timers which for the majority of their duration aren't telling you anything that you need to respond to.

[Jappse]

They weren't describing an addon by name, but more a principle of hitting a button as soon as you see something.
The game whack-a-mole when heads pop up through holes only to be hit by a hammer, exactly like the Gnoll game at the Darkmoon faire.
Addons such as WeakAuras/PowerAuras are suited to that.

Yea thanks I knew about wack-a-mole but he described it as an addon in the video "Use wackamole instead of spellflash addon" Got something similar on my hunter =) Thanks!

[charizma]

nice vid, thanks for taking the time to make it

[Deleted]

Hey guys thanks for the feedback! I'll try to answer as much as I can in this reply. Sorry it's taken me a while to reply, the first comment saying I wasn't allowed post this came up immediately and I assumed it was an admin and that my post had been removed xD (never posted on forums before!) Only checked my profile now and saw what you guys had written thanks to @Fastlane_hellscream and @SlippyCheeze for clearing that up!

@Verundi. Thanks for the detailed feedback dude! I did think about having a video clip showing the wow directory etc but this is the first video I'd ever done and I decided to skip it to cut down on the stress of making sure I didn't give away any personal info by accident. I'm thinking about doing some further videos that would quickly give beginners directions for setting up the addons (especially weakauras as it's the most important and most intimidating) and if I do I'll definitely be following the tips you gave btw I did have my raid frames in the middle before because I used to play a healer too! I just DPS now so I put them to the side seeing as you don't really need to see them much as a DPS class. If I were to play a healer with this UI design, I would probably put the raid frames above my target frame, where I track my debuffs on this character, seeing as that space would be central and unoccupied!

@Jappse. I hadn't realised that only listing the addons used in the video would be awkward, my bad! I'll go add them to the video description now too also, sorry if I misled you into thinking that whackamole was the name of an addon. The addon I use for that is Weakauras 2. I just use whackamole to describe how I use it for those icons! Like @ComputerNerd said, it's a faster and more intuitive way to know "I should hit this now" than extrapolating from a timer or a bar.

@LDs and @charizma thank you for the encouragement!

[Jappse]

text..

Awesome thanks! Anyway do you mind sharing the weakauras? I'm leveling my rogue and could really need them

[Deleted]

Yeah no problem! All the ones I made are below. Should cover everything for sub and combat! For my energy/combo point tracker, multi-dot rupture tracker, and bandit's guile tracker (not in the vid but I play combat as well) I imported other peoples' strings and edited them a little. I can't remember the exact ones I used though so I don't want to post them when I can't give them credit. If you google them you'll find ones that work well easily enough

Like I said in my last comment, I'm thinking of doing a vid explaining the basics of weakauras where I can give better info. Working on a video for HotS atm though so dunno when I'll get to it for sure! I'll prob post here if/when I get around to it

Buff Bars:
http://pastebin.com/MG2Fx1Jg

Debuff Bars:
http://pastebin.com/QTYsyik3

Rogue CD Whackamole
http://pastebin.com/Vx0VEhMC

Rogue Combo Whackamole
http://pastebin.com/nSZNEjhQ

Rogue "Important" Bars
http://pastebin.com/hcijaEyC