With the closure of ji-hi and subcompare, I am designing a new fansub comparison site. I have done the screenshots for Red Data Girl, but before I proceed, I want your feedback on the design of the site.
Ji-hi and subcompare used horizontal comparison (where you compare left and right). I have included a vertical mode (where you compare up and down). I want to know which one you prefer. I have also included a scroll assisting script called flickable(), which is on by default. You can choose to switch it off by changing the URL. I’d also like to know if flickable() should be kept, or removed.
Horizontal comparison and flickable() on [Default]
Vertical comparison and flickable() on
Vertical comparison and flickable() off
You may make comments here, or on the site itself!
Edit: Thank you for everyone’s comments. I will take them all into consideration and improve the site. Meanwhile, please continue leaving feedback!
Edit2: Added lightbox, grouped into sets of comparison shots. (Groups of 3 for RDG)
Monday 8th April 2013 
1:39 AM 
AWESOMEEEEEE….
Seeing as I can’t scroll any of the three with my middle mouse, I like flickable(). And on 1920×1080 all three comparisons don’t fit in vertical comparison, so my vote is for horizontal.
Thank you so much!
I prefer the Horizontal with Flickable on by default and i agree with Denim. Thank you for this, makes it MUCH easier to compare!!!
Horizontal works better for 16:9 resolutions as nothing significant is cut off but I could see vertical working for 16:10 resolutions. An option to turn off the snapping after flicking would be a nice touch as well. Thanks for making the site!
Horizontal all the way \o/
My thoughts: Firstly, definitely horizontal, most aspect ratios will be widescreen of some sort, so I think that works much better. Other than that, I really enjoy the ability to choose which sites’ subs to compare, as well as the information about the subs themselves, such as the encoding type, format, file size, and use of honorifics (personally, I hate subs that choose not to use honorifics, so this is particularly great). I think it’s a great site. Massive approval!
Horizontal feels much more intuitive for comparing all groups (Since it’s easier to fit them all on the screen), but may not work as well if quite a few groups have subbed the same thing. I think if there exists a large number of groups, a vertical sort would be easier to use.
I will definitely frequent this site when choosing groups, once you’re done with it. 😀
Not able to scroll on the page on android tablet when flickable is on.
Horizontal is better. Not sure what flickable does. Can anyone explain?
You can scroll by click on the image and moving your mouse left/right. So you don’t have to touch the scrollbar.
Flickable is interesting and I like how it works, but it’s a bit upsetting it works poorly with my laptop track pad. I have no idea how to use nor do I own a mouse….
Horizontal works better for me.
Vertical with flickable(). Horizontal initially seems better, but experience with other sub comparison sites reveals it to be a pain when comparing more than 3 groups. Vertical makes scrolling between comparison frames much quicker.
How about having the different images the same way the site does where you can mouse over to compare them? Kira reviews does that too
Link me to a page that does it? I can’t seem to find what you’re talking about.
I think he means something similar to screenshotcomparison.com , but that’s only possible with 2 images, so in that case, you can’t compare more than 2 subgroups. This format is better.
What if you used a sort of tab system where mousing over a tab brought up a different image? Then you could have more than 2.
:effort: on both ends.
I’m assuming what the individual is referring to is what occurs over at Kira review comparison page: http://www.kira-reviews.com/blog/archives/15394
Hovering over the image for TV censor scene to BD.
Only applicable for comparison between 2 groups, lol. We got more than that here.
Screenshot comparison, check2pic, and Kira Reviews can do that because you’re only comparing two things. If there are three groups to compare, mouse on and mouse off isn’t enough.
I actually thought horizontal would be the easy choice with a widescreen monitor, but with the size of the screenshots and the grid they are arranged in, vertical is almost better in some ways, not the least of them being the scroll bar being only three screenshots down rather than allllll the way down there. Flickable helps immensely, but it’s still too clunky to get around. No reason not to have the script unless it causes issues or has bugs.
It would actually be easier to navigate the vertical arrangement right now, with the three comparisons, even better if the screenshots were in their own scrolling page element.
The horizonal is still good, but with the current size of the screenshots, it goes past a 1920 pixel width and so you wind up having to either resize the site or scroll horizontally to see anything past two comparisons.
It’d be great if the screenshots were resized to a slightly smaller size, so say 3-4 could fit either vertically/horizontally in the grid, and then they are just enlarged lightbox-style if you click a particular shot.
It looks fine in a higher resolution like 2560 x 1440 though, but most users have a 1920 x 1080 screen, if that.
the screenshots are 640×360. I could make them smaller at 480×270?
Maybe that’d be small enough to fit better on the page without being too small.
I like the idea of having large screenshots so you can see more details, especially the style of the subs and any signs or lack thereof, but with any more than two comparisons, the 640 x 360 size seems too large, at least on a 1920 x 1080 screen.
Maybe it’d be even easier if the images were just a clickable 480 x 270 thumbnail, that links to a the full 1280 x 720 image that pops up in a lightbox? Might be easier to just take 720p screencaps rather than resizing EVERY screenshot image for the site.
I have a photoshop batch script that does resizing for me, so it doesn’t take me long.
My other idea for the display is a “slot machine” type of deal, where just the same images are displayed in one horizontal row (or maybe two rows), then scrolling/flicking/something goes down to the next set, or up to the previous set, rather than a constant slow scroll.
Just an idea, I think it’d be faster in some ways, maybe different too.
Of course, the group/info would be static above it like some other suggestions.
imo, it will be awesome to have a way to scrool through series, without the need to go back, something like this site, and, if you are going to it with numerous seasons, do an spolier-like (don’t remeber the name right now) organization by season, or do it by series, to picture an example: (plase take in count that the code used is just to picture the exmple)
[spoiler]Summer 2013[/spoiler]
>Date a Live
>RDG: Red data Girl and so on
or like this
[spoiler]Oreimo[/spoiler]
>Season 1
>Season 2
Then again, i don’t know how much work this can take, you are free to ignore it, also vertical make compairision way easier, and the subs poll at the end of each compairsion is totally awesome.
I don’t think vertical comparisons are a good idea. I realize the same argument could be made with horizontal comparisons, but when you place them one on top of the other, it almost implies that the one on top is better (whether that’s the intent or not).
Granted, you could say whichever comparison is shown first is also affected by this issue using the horizontal option, but it doesn’t feel as biased in a way.
Especially as anime/manga fans, we’re used to reading from right to left, and left to right, so one could come from either side. But from top to bottom is universal, as the best is reserved for the top.
This could be irrelevant, and I’m sure anyone that prides themselves in their subjectivity wouldn’t even bother thinking like that.
I suppose it’s just food for thought, if nothing else.
There’s already polling for each release about which group people are going to watch or are already watching, so that might be a way to arrange them top to bottom, with the most popular on top, least popular on bottom.
Popularity in terms of sheer numbers means little though, people in the fabsub community know that. There are plenty of groups that have a large following that will watch their release no matter what. There are small groups or sometimes even a random group that pops up just to do one series that is the “best” quality wise or for those who prefer, say, non-localized, more literal subs with honorifics.
Horizontal comparison and flickable() on [Default]
is the best one for comparing subs with the same images and easy to scroll through.
amazing!
horizontal with “on”
I have to say horizontal is better. It’s easier for humans to move their eyes sideways rather than up and down, and understand visual information in the horizontal dimension. That’s why widescreen is widescreen and not tallscreen.
Whichever is chosen, could the title bar with the group info float with the scrolling? It’s easy to get confused which group is which, especially if there are many of them.
>the title bar with the group info float with the scrolling
this
This is great! awesome! ^^ And in my oppinion, Horizontal with flickable on, all the way.
I think horizontal comparison with flickable on is best.
On a related matter, maybe you can have the images resize based on the amount of subgroups you’re comparing and the resolution your screen is set to instead. That way it is always a “fitting” image, and unless there are 5+ subgroups, it should be big enough to compare.
Just my 2 cents worth.
To me, horizontal looks good when there are only 2-3 groups for a show, but when there’s 4 or more, they’ll end up being pushed off the right side of the screen. Might cause people to not realize that there are more groups to compare. Maybe make the group names by the check boxes stand out a little more? Making them clickable to quickly flick to that group might also be good.
Vertical kinda solves the 4+ group problem, but it looks like long file names will have to be broken into two lines, which kinda looks ugly imo. Maybe set a variable column width for the information column? That might make the information column needlessly long though…
As for the ordering for both, it should probably be in good ol’ fashioned alphabetical order by group name.
I think it’ll also be good to make file information row/column follow the flicking, so that we can easily tell the group for each screenshot.
The Horizontal comparison is the better presntation, in my opinion. Most of the people who visit site is more inclined on scrolling down rather than scrolling sidewards. But I hope you guys can make a way to compress the comparison so the will be no sideward scrolling when comparing on three groups.
“Horizontal comparison and flickable() on [Default]”
is working best for me, I don’t get all images to fit when using vertical (1920×1080).
I like the horizontal comparison with the flicker on.
@rarely_upset – I think that screenshot comparison sites are really easy and neat with the mouse on mouse off. That’s for comparing only two groups right? So how about if the image was below, and there were separate buttons at the top of all the fansub groups, and when you mouse over those, the image changes. Is that possible?
Possible, yes. Convenient to use, no.