D-COT Re-imagined

Last month we sent out a survey to our active supporters to get an idea on how they use the site. That feedback helps tremendously! Since then I’ve been enjoying kicking around ideas and implementing them into the next generation of D-COT. I’m going to share with you some working screenshots of what I’ve built so far. These are all subject to change, but it will provide you with a good idea about the experience.

Login Screen

For now we have a simple log in screen. More information will be available here so Guests not logged in can access things like the blog and public profiles. Don’t worry too much about the blurred logo. 馃槈

This is the home screen. It’s pretty similar to what you have now. You will also see other widgets here like the leaderboard, etc. Above the activity feed will be featured articles we publish. The activity feed will be drastically scaled back. I’m not sure where I’m going to take it.

You’ll notice the jukebox is available on the home screen (and every screen!). Clicking around the site will not interrupt your listening experience. You don’t have to open up a new tab or accidentally click to another page to have “It’s A Small World” stop playing. You all listen to that on loop, right? 馃構

Jukebox tracks

This is the jukebox page; pretty simple, right? 馃槉 The vertical dots on each track is a drop down menu allowing you to add/remove/rate tracks. You can also access these options for the currently playing track at the bottom using the associated icons.

Dashboard

This is your dashboard where you can find all your account information. The placement of sections will most likely be moved around.

Notifications

I’m implementing some subtle notifications when you take certain actions. Check the top-right corner of the screenshot above.

Playlists

You have access to the playlists any time by clicking on the blue music icon in the bottom-left.

Other things not pictured here are:

Supporter Subscriptions

I will be adding a membership system that, upon becoming a supporter, will immediately activate your account. It will also be set up to auto renew on expiration.

XP Increase

Yep, 499 has been around too long. Some of you will be launched out of the abyss. 馃槷

New Badges

There will be a complete new set of badges with a fun new look to it.

Coins

In addition to points (which go towards your XP) there will be coins. I’m not sure what I will be using them for, but I think it will be fun to “gameify” the site a little more.

Searching

It will be easier to search for anything, especially songs. As you type it will provide suggestions. Once you find your song you will have options to listen to a preview, add it to a playlist or just add it to your currently loaded playlist.

Music Catalog

We currently have way for you to browse the music library. This version will be more robust with options to sort by playlist, date added, popularity, etc. You will even be able to listen to a preview of the track.

Discord Integration

A Discord bot will integrate the site with our Discord server so you can use commands like !nowplaying to see what song a fellow member is listening to.

App

I know a lot of you wonder if D-COT can be a native app for iOS and Android. It’s still not in the immediate plans. The site will work great on your smart devices, but on things like an iPhone the song will not continue to the next track automatically. 馃樁 I was so close to getting this on iOS a few years ago but Apple laid down the hammer. 馃敤 I needed direct permission from Disney. 馃槻

D-SYNC

This new feature will not be available at launch; however, the idea here is to sync up your listening experience with other pals. A party host will start a lobby and invite other pals to it. Within the lobby, the host will create a playlist and start the listening experience. All party members will enjoy listening to the music simultaneously. When the host changes tracks, it will also change for everyone else.


I have no idea when this will be launched, but you can be sure supporters will be able to take it for a test drive when it’s in beta state. 馃殫馃尗 I’m really excited about this next chapter! Share your comments below.

Steve is the founder and administrator of D-COT. If anything breaks on the site, @TheSwedishChef is the founder and administrator.

27 Comments

  1. Looking good and very interesting Steve, i look forward to seeing how it develops :D

    Thanks for all your hard work :D

  2. Looks great. Love the constant jukebox feature!

    Thanks for all of your hard work!

  3. Love the idea of the music tracks not being interrupted when we move around the site, and the d-sync!
    Very cool
    :cool: :up:
    Thanks Steve :)

  4. You have put so much work into this Steve and I can’t tell how much I appreciate you and the whole D-Cot experience!
    :minnie: :heart:

  5. Very cool! Thanks, Steve! Will D-Sync include a private chat for the party members? Just an idea :stitch: Love it!…except not the Abyss part, please don’t reel me back! LOL LOL LOL

  6. Give me ALL THE COINS!!! :coin: :coin: :coin: :coin: :coin: :coin: :coin:

  7. Looks awesome Steve! Can’t wait to dig in and check it out! Thanks for starting D-Cot and all you do for us! :clap: :clap: :up: :up: ;)

  8. Just WOW! :surprised: this all sounds incredible! :clap: D-Cot is and always has been amazing but still you find ways to keep making it even better! Thank you again for all your hard work!! :mint:

    Putting it out there about the gaming features, I think they’re fun but I know that is the reason why the Air Force blocks D-Cot. I hope adding to this feature won’t cause other people to be restricted from using D-Cot too. It’s very possible we’re just a special case ;)

    • Well, it’s Cha, er, Air Force, so yeah, you are a special case….. :smirk:

    • I think that was part of my issue before. My work had tagged this as gaming so some portions would work and others wouldn’t. They have since updated our firewall and all has been working again.

  9. Wow!!! You have put a LOT of thought and work into this! THANK YOU!

  10. Oh heck no. I done been kicked outta the abyss once, I don’t want it to happen again. :angry: Other than that, looks good. :)

  11. “Some of you will be launched out of the abyss” – meaning “@nascfan will NOT be launched out of the abyss” ;)

    This looks really great @steve !!! Looking forward to launch!

  12. This is great! I’m so happy to see it evolving and very intrigued by the new additions and changes. :clap: :clap: :clap:

  13. Thank you for the information Steve, I really like the new face lift even the castle in the background. It’s all waiting for you soon. :clap: :)

  14. I鈥檒l miss the feed activity but the jukebox options sound awesome! Hoping to synche music with pals! And the Discord link! But I was over half way to the abyss lol!! I鈥檒l just have to keep trying :) :)

  15. Excited for things to come!!!!

  16. Looks Great!! I am excited to see the new version! :clap: :clap:

  17. Looking forward to the new site. :)

  18. Looks fantastic! Thank you for all the hard work you put into the site! :up:

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