PhoenixPo.com Web & Design owner and developer C. Hall confirmed today that the private web application organization is looking into creating a public release of its convention management web application, ConTrak Systems.

In the announcement, Hall stated he was always interested in making a second, mass-market release of ConTrak.  The delay he attributed to "Not being able to make up our minds on the new design, nor having a willing user base for feedback."

The new version of ConTrak will boast a completely different code base and a cleaner, more helpful user interface.  "The system will have more options, sleak graphics, and everything will be organized better."  That's quite a promise from the lead developer, considering its "Badge Printer" was listed under "Reports" in the current version.

Three items were released with the announcement: a layout for the once-complicated user permission system, a screen design for the registration page, and a menu concept.  The menu concept is featured to the right.  According to Hall, this will be part of a rich web-based drop-down menu for ConTrak.  This menu is expected to drop down when the user clicks on what is currently selected.  There will be three rich menus at the top of the system, from which everything can be accessed.  They will contain a convention list, department list ("modules", in the current version's off-kilter lingo), and an action list.  The example to the right is the department list, also containing a list of all the new ConTrak Systems' features.  To enter a registration, Hall demonstrated with paper, a user would select the convention from the first list, "Registration" from the second, and "Add" from the third.  A user can also quickly go from one convention's add registration page to another, if needed (one click, as opposed to the four needed now).

"The three main problems," Hall insists, "are that we have only one developer working on everything--from design to release, no one in our current user base willing to help with development, and no one in-house who can provide very professional graphics and layout design.  It has been really tough these past few years.  But all in all, I believe we can persevere and make ConTrak Systems the convention management system to use for fandom conventions."

So, when will this new system be out?  "I want to have the new version of ConTrak to be available with the same features we have now by the end of August if I can.  Because I have decided to place a large emphasis on the user interface, we will take our time carefully developing each feature.  After that, I expect each additional department to take somewhere around two months, with a break for October's Haunted Pictures photo sessions.  Looking at some internal notes and rough designs, creating this system will certainly challenge us in new areas."  Coming from an organization whose motto is, "Rising to the Challenge", the future is optimistic.

Note: More designs will be posted to this Development Log in the future.