Back in 2003, I wrote a post about designing the blank slate. BTW: The web-based application mentioned in the post was the original version of Basecamp which wasn’t released until 2004.
The blank slate is the initial state of an application right after someone signs up. It’s blank, there’s no data, no photos, no content at all. A bad blank slate is like someone opening the door and just staring at you uncomfortably. A great blank slate is like someone opening the door, smiling, and warmly welcoming you inside.
Designing the blank slates for the all new Basecamp
We’ve been obsessed with the blank slate since the first version of Basecamp back in 2004. So when we designed the all new Basecamp (the 2012 version), we wanted to make sure we paid close attention to the blank slates.
We captured all the work that went into the blank slate designs in a Basecamp project called “Blank Slates”. We’ve made it entirely public so feel free to poke round. I’ll be highlighting some interesting parts below.
No projects, one project
Here we discuss what the projects list should look like when there are no projects. We referenced the rough sketch concept we liked from Sortfolio (then called Haystack). And here’s a related discussion about what the page should look like when you have a single project, no more, no less.
Fine art
Here’s a discussion we had about a “painterly-style” brush stroke on the blank slates. We saw the blank slate as an opportunity to “smile” at our customers with friendly colors and comfortable shapes. A brushstroke felt good, but we wanted to try on a few different styles.
A blank project
We struggled with how a blank project should look. In fact, we didn’t come up with the final design you see today until a few weeks before launch. But, here’s a particularly meaty discussion that shows a bunch of early design concepts.
No to-dos
What should it look like if someone doesn’t have any to-dos? Here, Scott and I discuss a few ideas and designs.
Designs galore
Want to see every design, iteration, and concept we discussed? They’re all on one page in the all new Basecamp.
Relive the entire project, one day at a time
One of the great new features of the all new Basecamp is the ability to page through an entire project one day at a time. This is especially useful if you’re out of the office, out sick, or otherwise too occupied to pay close attention to a project every day. Just sign in to Basecamp, click the Catch Up link, and page through the days you missed.
More public projects soon
We hope you’re enjoying these Backstage looks at how we used Basecamp to build Basecamp. We’ll try to post one a week for as many weeks as we have projects to share.
Dan Newman
on 17 Jul 12Thanks for sharing these projects!
If I could make one comment, the link you shared under “Designs galore” (to the all files page) sort of hammers home the need for some sort of tagging/filtering/foldering system. What if I want to see all designs related to the blank to-do page? Unless it is attached to a discussion in the first place, there’s no way to view just those files (yes, you usually post things to discussion threads, which helps, but there’s not guarantee that my users will do that vs. uploading a “naked” file).
This becomes especially problematic when you rely on Basecamp files for storage of older content—things that are way, way down the ‘order by date updated’ lists become very difficult to find.
Yan Pritzker
on 17 Jul 12Awesome, and very timely as I just started working on some blank slate views for Crowdcast :)
JF
on 17 Jul 12Dan, we’re working on some ideas there. Stay tuned.
WordPress Desk
on 18 Jul 12Hey!! we are looking forward to work on the same concept
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Rémi
on 19 Jul 12Thank you very much for sharing this, Jason. It’s incredibly useful to be able to witness simple conversations around design decisions. You’re probably not aware of it, but there are so many lessons in them…
Ben Kinnaird
on 19 Jul 12Now where has that chat sidebar gone :) I got very excited when I say that yesterday.
I do appreciate you sharing the conversations you have and would also find the public feature useful for a few of our projects. Thanks for sharing!
Nícolas Iensen
on 19 Jul 12I usually see the blank slates as features scenarios, don’t you?
Do you write tests for this corner cases?
It’s cool to share this knowledge with you guys, you rock!
Cheers!
Mat
on 20 Jul 12This is amazing and intimidating at the same time.
The attention to detail is a level above.
Is it a deliberate thing that everyone is +1ing you on all points and never disagreeing? (At least, on all the discussions I have read).
Surprised at the level of acquiescence from top class employees.
That aside, the discussions show why Basecamp is an incredible product – it’s made with love!! Super impressed.
Amber Wallace
on 22 Jul 12It’s always a joy to see the behind-the-scenes work, and to know what goes into the interfaces and tools we use (in our case, we use BC heavily daily).
Plus the insight on a process is very useful for educational purposes, as those above have mentioned. Nicely done.
This discussion is closed.