Usabilla, the feedback tool that allows web designers to collect usability input on their creations, today introduced a new tool in closed beta called Usabilla Discover. Usabilla Discover allows people to collect and curate examples of good web design and interface elements, acting as a “Pinterest for designers,” according to Usabilla CEO Paul Veugen.
Designers on Usabilla Discover can share not only snapshots of UI elements, but even HTML code samples taken from the web. Uploaders provide sources for their picks, and can also tag and vote items up or down. The site provides quick adjectives you can choose from to leave simple feedback on designs, and also asks for a reason why you had a positive or negative response. Any item can also be added to user-created lists, and shared via Facebook or Twitter.
The idea isn’t without precedent. Design-focused Dribbble offers a similar tool, but aimed more at visual creations without the coding element. Forrst is an even closer approximation — it allows users to share not only design, but also code, as well as comment on, like, tag and share items. Both Forrst and Dribbble tightly limit their communities however; to join Dribbble, you have to be invited by a current member, and to even get in the door at Forsst you have to have a GitHub account or have some of your feedback voted on three times by the community. Usabilla Discover also displays negative votes as well as positive, which is not something the others offer.
Usabilla Discover aims to be a more general-purpose tool with fewer limitations. Veugen told us in an interview that it came out of his team’s need for a simple, easy-to-use tool for gathering inspiration. “There are some good design pattern libraries, but none of them offer easy ways to collect and share patterns from all over the web. Grabbing screenshots and annotating doesn’t really work either,” Veugen said. “With Usabilla Discover we try to make it as easy as possible to build your library and share your discoveries, including feedback, with other web professionals.”
Veugen also told us that there’s a clear revenue plan in place for Usabilla Discover, which will be introduced “in the very near future,” he said. “We’ll offer widgets to invite (anonymous) users to give feedback. Feedback from both experts and anonymous users will be available when [companies] embed one of our simple feedback widgets,” he told us. “We’ll analyze the emotional feedback and HTML structure to give insights about your design and recommendations and inspiration on how you could improve. These analytics will be available as a subscription service.”
Usabilla is in closed beta, but it plans to open its doors slowly by allowing current members to invite others in a few weeks. The first 100 BetaKit users to sign up can get early access using the code “BetakitSpecial” when they register.