← Back to the round 2 board

Round 2: how the three versions compare

Three refined versions of the illustrated direction, each tested against the whole platform: the real 3D printer register plus illustrative coffee machine, vacuum, filter jug and hot tub examples (not verified, not searchable, not yet available). None is selected. Direction 2 was the starting point, not the winner.

Checked on the rendered pages (9 Oct 2026): all 11 required screens in each version at 1440 and 390 px. No sideways scrolling, no errors, no dashes, no real brand or model names or claims on example pages, the "illustrative" stamp on every example page, and search never returns example pages. Not done: screen-reader testing; Chromium only.

Side by side

A. Colourful technicalB. Consumer illustratedC. Hybrid
The ideaDirection 2's exploded drawings in full colour, with depth and pieces pulled out along dashed lines. Colour has fixed meanings: coral = parts you replace, teal = consumables and materials, azure = the device and brand, amber = not yet available.A warm consumer product. Rounded flat illustrations of everyday things, each replaceable part in its own colour, carried through the number, list, answer and search. Serious, plain evidence inside the answers.Tap a numbered part on the drawing; the answer appears as a parts-label tag (verdict band, fits list, source and date), with a shelf row underneath showing everything the device takes. Homepage is a wall of shelves for nine kinds of things.
Shows the whole business on the first screen?Yes, partly: a large live printer plus four small "not yet available" devices beside it.Yes: printer in the centre, coffee machine, vacuum, jug and hot tub around it, plus copy naming them.Most clearly: nine categories on the first screen, 3D printers "Open now", eight "Not yet available".
StrengthsClosest to Direction 2 (the one you preferred). Colour carries meaning. Varied sections (colour bands, three-step strip, category gallery).Most appealing and friendly. Warm, modern, clear calls to action. Easiest for a non-technical visitor.Best system for many categories: the same bench, tag and shelf work for any device; each category has its own accent. On a phone the A1 answer is on the first screen.
Weaknesses (designer and my review)Card-heavy, edging towards a generic software-company look. Inner pages reuse Direction 2 layouts. Example drawings small on desktop. On a phone the homepage answer is one band below the first screen.Lots of rounded cards could read as generic. The phone homepage is very long (about 12,000 px). Drawing badges are touch only (the part buttons are the accessible control).On the homepage the live A1 demo is the third section. Tag racks are long and boxy. Phone hotspots are 26 px (meets the 24 px minimum, below the comfortable 44 px). The hot tub drawing is the weakest.
How it scales to a new categoryOne coloured cutaway per device family; colour meanings stay the same.One rounded illustration per device family; part colours reused.One line drawing plus a shelf row and an accent colour; tags and shelf need no new artwork.

My view (not a decision)

C. Hybrid is the strongest system for the whole business: the homepage shows many kinds of things at once, a new category needs only one drawing plus an accent colour, and on a phone the answer is on the first screen. Its weak points are fixable: bring the live A1 answer higher on the homepage, shorten the tag racks, and use larger hotspots on phones. B is the most appealing to a general visitor, and its warmer illustration style could be brought into C. A is the closest to Direction 2 but drifts towards a generic software-company look.

The page system

Which templates are shared across all categories and which need category-specific parts: PAGE-SYSTEM.md.

Screenshots (full page)

A. Colourful technical

B. Consumer illustrated

C. Hybrid