I’ve been working on little project that blends my love of comic books and information architecture. To summarize, it’s designed to be a “primer” for Marvel superheroes; kind of like a (hopefully) better-designed Wikipedia page or a digital update of their long-running “Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.” My criticisms of the various wikis that kinda do the same thing is that the writing tends to get mired down in minute and can become a tedious read. It can be hard to “skim.” And the limited information architecture and scarcity of art makes it a less-than-engaging experience. My primary goals for the project were to:
[ul]
[li]Make it easy and enjoyable for a person — especially newcomers — to get the gist of a character[/li][li]Once they’re up-to-speed and intrigued with a character; make it easy for them to buy that character’s “greatest hits” — hopefully turning them into a returning reader![/li][/ul]
Check it out here: bradserum.com/handbook (There are 7 screens in total (not counting the intro) and they’re relatively large, so you may want to maximize your browser window to view it).
I’m interested in hearing not only your views as comic aficionados, but also views from your friends and family who aren’t comic book people for the “newcomer” perspective on things, specifically…
[ol]
[li]Do you think it provides a thorough — but not overwhelming — introduction to the character?[/li][li]Do you find this information “skimmable” (and/or) is it laid out in a logical, intuitive manner?[/li][li]Is it engaging on a “gut” level (and/or) does it compel you to want to use the comic purchasing module?[/li][/ol]
Thanks for any feedback you have, and I hope you enjoy the eye-candy.
PS: This is not a real-world thing, it’s just an idea that I thought was worth exploring for the sake of exploring. I actually tried to share it with Marvel but they have a strict “No unsolicited submissions” policy, which is totally understandable.
