After 4 months, we’re finally back on Youtube!
A lot has happened since we posted our last Youtube video on the Assembly Process of the Raise. We were so busy with shipments, followed by the coronavirus pandemic, that we just didn’t have enough time to make more videos.
We also decided that we wanted to level up on our video quality so we bought new filming gear. We know that you guys are already up to date with the latest news, but feel free to check out our latest video and leave some comments :)
Bazecor
As we mentioned in our last update and in some of our Reddit posts, our developer, Gergely, has been sick for more than a month and this has unfortunately slowed our progress with Bazecor.
The good news is that Gergely is now better and can continue to catch-up on the tasks at hand.
Because of the amount of work that needed to be done, combined with our missing developer, we decided to start looking for alternatives on the development side.
We found another developer, Alex, who is helping with Bazecor. He has actually already started working with us for the past few weeks. This update is a run-down of what exactly we've been working on.
Alex's contribution in Dygma will allow us to work on Bazecor separately, while Gergely works on the firmware.
In the video below, Luis explains the wireframe and mockup that we’ve been working on for the new Bazecor.
It’s a 13-minute video so if you prefer to read about it rather than watch, just continue reading.
This mockup is what we have used in order to meet the design and functionality that we want for the new Bazecor. Without a doubt, we will face unexpected challenges during the development and the final product will be a bit different.
New Interface
Bazecor will have a new interface, starting with the User Profile.
The reason we want to have a User Profile is because we will be implementing a Layer Sharing System, which is the most important feature that we are adding to the new Bazecor.
To create the Layer Sharing System, users need to be able to do the following:
- Have a user profile with their user tags
- The ability to tag layers
- The ability to share, rate, search, and download layers
All this data will be stored in the cloud so we are working on the backend of this as well.
User Profile Page
On the User Profile Page, we will see the user name, keyboard layout, keyboard language, the different tags related to their profession or the games they play, and other information.
There will be tags on the size or morphology of users' hands, users' touch typing technique, typing speed, etc. To get this information, there will be a questionnaire for the user when they install Bazecor. We will talk more about this in another update! :)
We believe this information is important because when people search for layers, they can easily input these tags and see the layers of users who have similar profiles.
We’re also including the option for people to share an image of their setup :)
The right side of the User Profile will contain the Stack or Stacks of the user. A Stack is a compilation of layers. Users will be able to browse through the different Stacks, see their ratings and how many people have downloaded them.
Stack Page
When users click on the Stack, they will be brought to the Stack page.
In the Stack Page, users will see the different layers and tags in that stack and will be able to download and rate them.
Keys & Color Configurator
This will be the new Key & Color Configurator Page.
Instead of having the Menu button on the lower-left corner and having the Menu pop up and fill the entire screen, we’ve decided to simplify things and create a bottom panel menu that looks like a keyboard.
We felt like the old menu had too much information structured in a non-practical way. There was a panel for letters, a panel for numbers, a panel for navigation, and so on.
It wasn’t an efficient way of showing the different key functions. It looked too cluttered and users found it hard to navigate.
With the new bottom panel, you are able to see all the different key functions in a format that you are familiar with. This panel might look less structured because they are not in categories but it is definitely more user-friendly. You’ll be able to find any key in less time.
On the left-hand side of the panel, we have the Superpowers. The Superpowers section will show the information about the superpower of your key. Any key can have superpowers. You will be able to give it a ‘Shift to Layer’ or ‘Move to Layer’ function with a single tap or double-tap.
There are more superpowers, but we’ll talk about that in the future ;)
The Color Panel will look the same.
The Layers Panel will have more options. You will be able to see the names of the layers because of the new Layer Sharing System. You will be able to Delete a layer, Clone it, Move it, Add, Share it, and back it up.
All this data will be saved in the cloud and you will be able to access the last 10 saved layers and restore them. It will be like having 10 “undos”.
The Macros feature has not yet been developed. It is still on our list for future updates.
Help Center
Our Help Center will have a Knowledge Center, which will have all the information you need about Bazecor, firmware, and hardware. This Knowledge Center will also have answers to the frequently asked questions we’ve been receiving from customers.
Here you will also find links to our Trello Boards and Github repository.
If you want to Report a Bug or Request a Feature, you can just fill in the forms and submit them directly through the Help Center.
Bazecor & Firmware Update
There will be a section where you can download the latest Bazecor version and update your firmware. You will also be able to ‘rollback’, which is to go back to the previous version.
As you all know we are working heavily on the development of both Bazecor and the Firmware. In case there is a bug in the new update that we haven’t detected or fixed yet, you can have the option to go back to the previous version that doesn’t have that issue.
Settings
This section is pretty much the same as Preferences in our current Bazecor version.
In the Settings section, you will have the option to:
- turn on/off the Layers Auto Backup
- turn on/off the Dark mode
- adjust the time you want the LEDs to turn off
- adjust the LED brightness
There will also be the Developer Tools and Verbose logging to help customers and our developers during the debugging process.
Search bar
The idea for the search bar is that when you hover your mouse over it, there will be a pop up of suggestions for User Tags, Stack Tags, etc.
Once you select any of those tags, you will be brought to this Search results Page.
If you click on a User name, you will then be brought to that user’s profile page and if you click anywhere else, you’ll be brought to the Stack page.
So that’s what we’ve been working on for Bazecor. We hope to get an MVP (minimal viable product) done for the next batch of shipment in June. It’s still a work in progress but we hope to continue improving its functionality and developing it throughout the year.
We think this version of Bazecor is much more powerful than what we currently have. In this new version, everyone will have a better understanding of how layers work and how other users use their layers. Most importantly, users will learn what kinds of layers are better for their needs.
Once you see how other people use their layers, you will be able to learn faster and know what layer setups would be good for you.
Raise Firmware Development Board and a separate Bazecor Development Board
We’ve shared with you before our Bazecor Development Board where we post the features and fixes we are working on. It’s public and you can access it anytime: https://trello.com/b/keS2GQcU/bazecor-firmware-development
We've decided to change this board to just have the Firmware bugs and updates, and have created a separate Trello board for Bazecor. It’s still not public but as soon as we neaten it up, we will give public access :)
Feedback and testers
As always, we LOVE hearing your feedback. So please feel free to comment below.
If anyone wants to test the new Bazecor and test the questionnaire in order to create their User Profile, please click here to answer a form.
