[W8 App] Kickstarter Browser

[A_Lindstroem]

Hello fellow windows developer.
I guess I'm not a frequent poster but I need your help!

I need your feedback on my latest Windows 8 app: Kickstarter Browser. The thing is, I just got it release just to have a initial release but I need feedback on it. It's easy to feel satisfied with your app because you are familiar with it. I do have a general idea where I want to go with the app (adding twitter share, add favorites) but as far as GUI I'm not really sure. So any critic is welcome to just post here, perhaps even screenshots if there is anything specific you want to point out. If you have good things to say you can also review it windows 8 store. (Please do not post reviews/low stars saying it's bad, remember this is just my first release and I will improve it over the coming months using your feedback and then you can give a proper review ) If you give me feedback which I'll use to improve the app I will, if you want, add you to a thank you list in the App description.

As far as adding, login/pledging from the apps etc. there are no official Kickstarter API and the API I'm using is Very restricted.

Anyway, please give me feedback and I will be very thankful.

 

[stmav]

Thanks for bringing a new app to the attention of our members here on WPCentral. It looks interesting and useful. Good luck with your app, and please feel free to check out the other forums and interact with members here.

 

[A_Lindstroem]

Thank you for giving me such a warm welcome. I am at hard work to bring another release of this app within two-three weeks, but I do hope some more people would give me their opinions.

 

[A_Lindstroem]

I've made an update for this app. Though I have not received a single piece of feedback.

This time I bring the ability to see videos in the app and to search through descriptions of projects to find specific words (This is something the normal kickstarter.com website cannot do). I also updated to GUI to look much better and fixed bugs, you can find the app update here:



Please download, try it and give me some feedback.

Thanks.

 

[A_Lindstroem]

Well, you could say I really buckled up last night and started my code, because here is the halloween update!

I focused on customization and user experience this time. The change log follows:

-Changes in version 1.2.0-
Big GUI update
Multitask support added (view video while using other apps)
Added tool tips
Added FAQ to project description
Significantly improved search times when searching through descriptions (by 20 percent)
Search now list projects as they are found (not when search is done)
Added settings for spotlight
- It's now possible to add/remove and enable/disable individual spotlight categories (found under settings)
Added the possibility to to favorite projects
Added favorite page (accessed by swiping down from top or right click the top of the screen)
Removed crash bug when no internet connection

Anyway I hope you all will download it and try it (and tell me what you think). I will be taking a one week break from coding Kickstarter Browser to recharge my batteries and get inspired to do some more work.

 

[A_Lindstroem]

So I've just got the post-Halloween update certified. Change log:

Revamped start screen
Added playback controls (Play, stop, mute, video time bar)
Added video full screen playback
Added sorting projects in search
Added backgrounds
Added browsing categories in search screen/start screen
Squashed bugs

So this is the first update based on feedback from users and feedback I've asked for from various forums. One point of feedback was really important. The user felt that when you first start the app you are welcomed with a screen with a huge gap in the middle. So I made the middle part dedicated for browsing through categories and all the searching should be done through the search screen. Another user told me that the app doesn't bring anything new to the table in terms of searching and finding, so I added more search options. The third big feedback I got was that the app was boring, colorless and not nice to look at, so I reworked the layouts and made it possible for the user to change background color/add background image. The last feedback I did take into consideration for this update was that the search screen was a bit confusing and that the video playback lacked features, so I rearranged the search screen a bit and added video playback features (it now has play, stop, mute, full screen and a timeline)
So you see, I use the feedback I get to make the app better, please keep it coming and I will possibly implement it.

Thanks

 

[A_Lindstroem]

I guess you all know what this post mean by now.
I've just release update 1.2.5. Inspired by another app this update brings the ability to create live tiles of projects to have them on the system's start menu screen and keep track of projects. Change log:

Added more backgrounds
Added ability to create live tiles of projects
Added all subcategories to browsing
Refined browsing
Fixed bugs
Added Help/FAQ to top appbar
Moved settings to top appbar

Thanks

 

[A_Lindstroem]

This is the last update this year. Well, it's a few updates since I last posted but I thought I might as well post now

-Changes in version 1.2.7-
Revamped most pages for a more unified look
Fixed FAQ/Description load bug due to changes of kickstarter.com
Removed "find atleast xx projects" slider

-Changes in version 1.2.6-
Separated browse and search, added browse screen
Made search faster
Fixed bug where background color wouldn't load
Many minor bug fixes and clean up code