Get into the Shuttle
WordPress users out there might not know this, but there’€™s a project going on called WordPress Shuttle that aims to redesign the blogging software’€™s administrative part. Apparently people aren’€™t satisfied with the layout today, which I can understand. For my own blogs, I tend to install stuff to speed up menus and such, but the Shuttle project goes a bit further than that.
And yes, it’€™s official since it has Matt’€™s blessings, although no official release date.
Bryan Veloso of Avalonstar fame is involved in the Shuttle project. Today he to asks his visitors what they thought about the Post screen, what they miss and what they want to change. If you’€™re a WordPress user then by all means tell him ‘€“ it could end up in Shuttle and, eventually, in WordPress itself.
I’€™m not all that impressed by the mock-up screenshots at the Shuttle homepage. They seem natural and easy to use, but aren’€™t they a bit boring? Granted, an administration area doesn’€™t need to be glitz and glamour, but it sure doesn’€™t hurt ‘€“ as long as it’€™s not obstructing the workflow of course.
Maybe the Shuttle crew should take a look at WP Tiger Administration, a plugin that does a good job with the admin layout ‘€“ at least as long as you don’€™t use IE. Anyway, it’€™ll be interesting to see where the Shuttle lands. And when.
Thord Daniel Hedengren is a designer, writer, and blogger, and also the former editor of The Blog Herald. He used to be a hotshot in the gaming industry in Sweden, but sold everything and went International. Most recently he wrote a book called Smashing WordPress: Beyond the Blog, and does loads of kickass design.
If you havee a WP.com blog or the latest rev of WP 2.1 alpha, you’ll see the new login screen too :)
Login screen
That’s one of the new thing that feels really good by the way, the login screen. I like it. :)