MELBOURNE AUTO SCENE

MelbourneAutoScene is a new website, allowing members to share and organise auto related events with likeminded people in the local area.

MelbourneAutoScene is a website I am currently developing for a friend of mine. Being into the car scene, he’s been annoyed at the complexities most of the auto based forums and websites have these days. MelbourneAutoScene has been designed to be easy to use, and mostly registration free, allowing users to quickly access the information they want to know, without having to fill out registration forms again and again.

Best of the old, best of the new

A traditional classic website is extremely static. Little to no user action is available on these types of websites. These websites are great for information/reference websites, such as dictionaries or encyclopaedias. They allow the user to find the information they want quickly, and don’t have to worry about choosing a username and registering for an account.

A new-age dynamic website is very user interactive, with [generally] users requiring registering for the website before they can begin using its features. These websites deliver customised information and experiences to the users, and require a lot of input from the user.

MelbourneAutoScene aims to please both of these types of users, by allowing users to quickly and easily get the information they require, without needing to register. The pages are easily laid out, and easy to read.

However static websites don’t give users much desire to remain on the website once they’ve read the information they’re after. MelbourneAutoScene will allow users to post events, as well as RSVP to events and other items on the website.

Creating user accounts will be entirely up to the user. The basic static information only website will always be available to guest users, with limited interactivity for those users.

Planning the system

MelbourneAutoScene is created using Object Orientated PHP, using the MVC Framework CodeIgniter. A MySQL database was designed, and UML class diagrams were created well before the coding processes began, to ensure no complications along the way.

Planning for the system also included a release timeline, with features and functionalities of the website broken down into release stages, to allow the website to be launched quickly, and being incrementally upgraded in the future.

Releasing the System

This project has been one of my main focus projects for 2010. The staged release timeline has allowed coding to be completed for a stage, and will allow the client and myself to re-asses the websites direction before the next stage of coding begins.

Melbourne Auto Scene was my main focus project for my spare time in 2010.

Features