New Home Inspector Pro Start Screen

[Dominic Maricic]

I'd like some feed back from you guys.

Right now when you start HIP it loads the Client Information screen. I'd like to change the program to start on a News page. You will of course be able to switch this back if you don't like our news 

If you're not connected to the net HIP will just show the last news it knows about.

Here's what I'm thinking would be on this page. Let me know if you have any more ideas or don't like any of these.

1. HIP Latest Features. Right now many users are 6 months behind in updating because they've changed their email addresses.

2. HIP Tip of the Week. Describe some feature or trick that many don't know about.

3. HIP Forum News. Clips from the last 10 posts on the message board. Will encourage more discussion and input.

4. Upcoming conferences that HIP will be attending/talking about.

5. Links to the top HIP templates.

Pro's/Con's?

[Cameron Anderson]

Those all sound really good and useful.  So would the program revert back to this news page when you save the client's file, the way it reverts back to the client page currently?

The only con I can think of is if it slowed down the startup as it attempted to download info.

Here's a couple other ideas of possible content:

1. A list of the last five files recently opened, which can be double clicked on to go directly to them.
2. A ticker which shows how many inspectors and countries currently use HIP. Maybe even an ever-growing ticker of the number of reports which have been produced by HIP. (just for fun)
3. A list of "who's logged on" to the forum currently.
4. Direct links to all the HIP website stuff you were already thinking of having on the page.
5. Photo of the week.  link to submit photos of specific problems and then HIP staff choose one winner each week. (you don't win anything, just kudos)
6. Topic of the week.  A question about home inspecting or using HIP which is used to draw people into the forum.
7. Poll of the week. Ditto the last two.
8. "How would you word it?" Show a photo and ask inspectors to submit ideas on how they might word the comments regarding a specific issue.  If you could cut and paste from the "news" window, inspectors could grab the comments they like and add them right into their templates. There could be an archive of past submission so you could look up those comments right when you need them.

Look forward to seeing it.

[Dominic Maricic]

Awesome, great suggestions!!

This page would only come up when you first open the program. When you save inspection it would go to client page like it does now.

Startup should take an extra second at the most as it would be all text except for your idea #5 (good idea!).