February 17th, 2009

So, I’ve had to keep my mouth shut for almost 2 months now about our upcoming release…… and I can’t take it anymore!  In a few weeks we are going to be making a major overhaul to the way you interact with flashcards and notes on StudyBlue.  After talking with countless students, we found a recurring theme: “I love the flashcards and notes, make ‘em even better.”  So, a few months ago we decided to start working on a few projects that will pave the way for ultimate document searching, browsing, viewing, sharing and commenting.

I can’t give you all the details yet, but here’s the basic skinny:

1. Flashcard and Note Browsing – With our new Flashcard and Note search panels, users will be able to search faster and smarter than ever.  We’ve built our own search engine from scratch that is customized for flashcards and notes.  Looking for documents related to your textbook, department, class, or school?? Go ahead and browse the results quickly and effortlessly. Looking for a specific document based on author, keyword, class, school, textbook, department, or even a specific phrase in the file?? Go ahead and search and watch the results fly back.
2. Document Preview – Wow, am I pumped for this one!  Don’t you hate it when someone sends you a .DOCX file and you can’t open it because you don’t have the latest and greatest Microsoft Word?  Or what about those awesome Microsoft OneNote files that you can’t open unless you actually paid $100 for Microsoft OneNote?  Well, worry no more.  We’re converting every uploaded document we can to be viewed online using our Document Previewer.  No downloading, no opening multiple windows, no more frustrating files that you can’t open.  If you can read this blog post, you’ll be able to read every file we have (just about).
3. Flashcard Preview – Similar to our Document Previewer, you’ll now be able to quickly look at the questions and answers to a flashcard deck without having to open the Study Widget.  Fly through your cards in 20 seconds right before a test, or take a quick glance at someone else’s deck to see if it’s worth studying.
4. Comments & Rating – We’ve made it even easier to comment on and rate notes and flashcards.  Tell others what you think (good or bad).  The more everyone participates, the better the experience.
5. Some Fun Add-ons – You’ll notice we changed some things here and there. We’ll be moving the “Home” button so it’s easier to find. We’ve consolidated our professional Textbook Outlines, so they are easier to find and search through.  Little things that hopefully improve the overall StudyBlue experience.

I’ve attached a small sneak peak at what we’re working on.  Look for more details about the release towards the end of this month.

A sneak peek

Tags: comments, document previewer, files, flashcard previewer, flashcards, Notes, release preview, search

Posted in New Features | Tags: comments, document previewer, files, flashcard previewer, flashcards, Notes, release preview, search
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.