Forum design feedback

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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 11,313
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    treefr0g wrote: »
    I'm struggling to see the difference between a read thread and one with new posts.

    I'm also struggling to see what I'm typing here.

    Sadly this reminds me of the day when they changed the PlayStation forum which also went for the concept of a one line post taking up about 2 inches in height.

    Have we lost the ability to go to the first unread post?

    No, we still have it.

    But... you know the golden rule of everything being one click away? Well, that's gone to bollox too.

    Click on the thread, scroll until somewhere at the top (it's hard to say exactly where, it's on a grey bit) has a text link to jump to last read post.
  • mr. mustardmr. mustard Posts: 48,888
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    Amid the many crap features of this disastrous makeover, there's a small flaw to sum up the whole thing: that stupid and unnecessary false-stop at the end of the main Digital Spy title.

    The smilies are rubbish too.

    Digital Spy. Please re-think. Now.
  • RichmondBlueRichmondBlue Posts: 21,279
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    It's still something we shouldn't have to do.

    We didn't have to do it before, so we shouldn't have to do it NOW.

    That's what they call a retrograde step - making the forum more difficult and time consuming and less user-friendly to use.

    ANY change that makes a site less friendly to use, more time-consuming and thought-requiring to use....is a retrograde step.

    This is supposed to be an improvement, isn't it??? So why isn't it? All the improvements we've seen today are ONLY tweaks to cover up or improve on the mistakes made yesterday. There isn't identifiably one single change made yesterday that's enough of an improvement...or ANY improvement, let's face it...over what went before to make it worthwhile.

    Seanie - I use other forums elsewhere that haven't changed in ten years or more...and I've used ones that have changed format, style AND software platform several times since! But each and every time the changes were made for specific and identifable reasons that were thoroughly obvious to the users afterwards. And that is not the case here.

    Great post. I agree entirely. What's the point of change if it's not change for the better ? We now have people over the moon because they have taken a few things back to the way they were previously. It's no wonder politicians treat us like idiots, we're so easily fooled.
  • joe-mediajoe-media Posts: 225
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    sycamore wrote: »
    The huge menu at the top of the screen is now a sensible size and I have my breadcrumbs to take me back to the forum *happy face*

    But the lovely, newly functioning! 'go to first new post' button has vanished *sad face*

    Still far too much wasted space, and I hate the new smilies, bring back the old ones!

    Yes, totally agree - the top bar has been reduced and is a massive improvement. This was one of my main gripes about the changes but I'm glad they've seen sense and reduced it.

    I think the rest will grow on me in time; it'll happen to us all soon enough and we'll forget it ever happened. Remember that Facebook is often changing its appearance - people moan that they want the old version back but they soon get used to it and stop moaning.
  • lemoncurdlemoncurd Posts: 57,778
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    Some popular websites:

    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/35094544/whitespace.png

    What do they all have in common?
    I suspect there is a very good reason why DS has followed the BBC, Guardian, Daily Mail, Twitter as well as MoneySavingExpert, Dropbox and others in having those spaces at either side of the web page
    .

    And I've constantly griped about the inefficient use of screen space by the BBC and Guardian (I don't use the other websites). I simply don't understand why one wouldn't want to use all the real estate on the device on which you are rendering? Like I said earlier, one of my favourite forums is SkyscraperCity.com - it has a really modern look, yet manages to use the screen to its maximum value. If they can do that successfully, I don't see why any other Vhuelletin website can't.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 521
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    Gone to the dogs. Last one out of DS turn off the lights.
  • abivanabivan Posts: 754
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    Lisa.B wrote: »
    And these ones :mad: :s look like it's gone up the rear entrance!

    And everyone has more humour and intelligence than a digital spy employee.
  • treefr0gtreefr0g Posts: 23,596
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    Odd Socks wrote: »
    No, we still have it.

    But... you know the golden rule of everything being one click away? Well, that's gone to bollox too.

    Click on the thread, scroll until somewhere at the top (it's hard to say exactly where, it's on a grey bit) has a text link to jump to last read post.

    Aha. I see it.

    But as you say, now two clicks away :(

    Thanks.
  • GortGort Posts: 7,460
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    treefr0g wrote: »
    I'm struggling to see the difference between a read thread and one with new posts.

    All they need to do is make the topic links with unread posts bold. The way they had it before was so simple and easy to spot an unread topic. The envelope icons aren't intuitive (seem to suggest the opposite to what they represent), so emboldening the links would help a lot.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 521
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    It's digital correctness gone mad.
  • cjsmummycjsmummy Posts: 11,079
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    sweh wrote: »
    Eugh, I don't like it. I thought I was in the wrong place.

    Know what you mean. I didn't know what was going on at first, I thought maybe it was my phone not loading DS properly. I need these.:cool:
  • treefr0gtreefr0g Posts: 23,596
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    Gort wrote: »
    All they need to do is make the topic links with unread posts bold. The way they had it before as so simply and easy to spot an unread topic. The envelope icons aren't intuitive (seem to suggest the opposite to what they represent), so emboldening the links would help a lot.

    I think they are slightly bolder but unless you see the two together, it's difficult to differentiate.

    A darker blue as well would help if it is blue. I'm colour blind so I'm really struggling).
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 521
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    And what's with the smilies? Another of our traditions lost to "progress."
  • abivanabivan Posts: 754
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    Before I go, I particularly hate the fact that we are now all American. Try and post in English and you will be corrected to the American version of English...oh the shame. The man who started it from above a pub/kebab/indian restaurant/strip joint, wherever. You rose so far and then became a complete arse...or should that be a fanny pack?
  • VoynichVoynich Posts: 14,481
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    lemoncurd wrote: »
    And I've constantly griped about the inefficient use of screen space by the BBC and Guardian (I don't use the other websites). I simply don't understand why one wouldn't want to use all the real estate on the device on which you are rendering? Like I said earlier, one of my favourite forums is SkyscraperCity.com - it has a really modern look, yet manages to use the screen to its maximum value. If they can do that successfully, I don't see why any other Vhuelletin website can't.

    Look at this...

    http://www.currybet.net/images/articles/2008/daily_mail_redesign/dm-emma-story.jpg

    Notice the ads running down the left and right of the screen...

    I could be wrong about that happening here of course.
  • Mrs SprattMrs Spratt Posts: 4,072
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    Amid the many crap features of this disastrous makeover, there's a small flaw to sum up the whole thing: that stupid and unnecessary false-stop at the end of the main Digital Spy title.

    Yes, that screams at me too!
  • lemoncurdlemoncurd Posts: 57,778
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    abivan wrote: »
    P.S. The mods are spineless loons...they saw this so called improvement and said nothing. That is what we are dealing with. The bosses are getting rich boys and you are taking all the flak....idiots.

    I'm not sure what the mods have to do with this? Mods moderate the postings in the forum and have nothing to do with the technical or design side of the site.
  • tghe-retfordtghe-retford Posts: 26,449
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    Odd Socks wrote: »
    Is the answer that only DS has fog-grey space instead of white space?
    It was more a response to the fact that some of the most popular websites on the Internet have big blank spaces either side of the main content which is centered on the screen. A fixed width layout ensures the same user experience across all displays, tablet, phone or computer (although I'd dread to see some forums on my Nexus 4), the BBC detailed the same concept with their last revamp:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2010/07/bbc_news_redesign_telling_the.html

    The Met Office and GOV.uk also use the same concept.
  • Roland MouseRoland Mouse Posts: 9,531
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    So just where is the feedback from Hurst Magazine UK?

    They simply don't give a flying ferk!

    Why start a thread if you are not going to reciprocate?

    Shameful conduct.
  • Scarlet O'HaraScarlet O'Hara Posts: 6,933
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    marfjam wrote: »
    Not exactly. Earlier today I wrote a long post, as a new thread, on the science behind this readability problem. It survived just 10 minutes before the mods moved it into this thread and effectively buried it.

    The new style uses a darkish grey font (#242424) on pure white background. The old style was an almost-black (#020727) on a light grey (#F5F6FC). Yet the effective contrast of the old colours was 50% greater than the new ones, while managing a lower overall brightness.

    There is a second contributor to the overall dazzle, and I haven't seen it called out. The new design uses a new font family -- Promixa Nova. (The old design was Arial.) That in itself is not a problem, since Proxima is designed specifically as a web font, and is very popular. However, DS defaults to the "light" weight, not the "normal" weiight. In small font sizes, that produces a very jagged and spindly typeface. As we have seen, for many users this causes a shimmering effect unless made bold.

    Putting these effects together means there is:
    -- A background at maximum screen brightness
    -- A reduced-contrast, fuzzy font
    -- An unnecessarily low ratio of useful (dark) pixels to background.

    No wonder it hurts!

    The simple fix? Switch the default font weight to "normal", as the font designers intended, and restore the original darker font and background colours. Your eye will still try and tell you the background is white, but it's a significant 5% less bright.

    (We'll gloss over the remainder of my earlier post, which analysed elements of the new design against the W3C accessability guidelines. In summary, every element on the screen has a lower visual contrast, and hence lower readability, than the old style. Many of the elements, especially those using the cyan text, are rated "fail", i.e. "unreadable".)

    You should send them this by email.
    planets wrote: »
    i'm not on an iPad, my screen is perfectly calibrated for photography and photographic editing, it is fine with every other website i use i don't get headaches using a computer even when i'm sat there all day.

    this leads me to the conclusion that something is wrong with the set up on this new format.

    Same here. Thought people were being melodramatic then noticed that each time I've visited, I've also developed a headache around my eyes, and quite quickly. It returns whenever I visit the site.

    Apparently there's a significant proportion of the population with sensitivity to glare and particular reading displays. Can't remember the name of the condition. But issues like font colour, size, background, contrast, resolution are subtle but all-important to many.

    Of course if you're a selfish soul who's unaffected, then this is just 'melodrama' and not an actual, real, uncomfortable deal-breaker.
  • gurney-sladegurney-slade Posts: 29,655
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    Seaborn wrote: »
    And what's with the smilies? Another of our traditions lost to "progress."

    They all look the same.
  • FizixFizix Posts: 16,932
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    Odd Socks wrote: »
    No, we still have it.

    But... you know the golden rule of everything being one click away? Well, that's gone to bollox too.

    Click on the thread, scroll until somewhere at the top (it's hard to say exactly where, it's on a grey bit) has a text link to jump to last read post.

    :D This made me laugh
  • 16caerhos16caerhos Posts: 2,533
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    The colour is a bit tough on the eyes IMO as it's a little bland. I think you should have kept the blue, it looks more friendly and inviting. Other than that I think it's good :).
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 11,313
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    I've a question.

    Why are there two links, side by side, to reply to the thread at the top and bottom of each? One button is surely enough at each end?

    They're both definitely the new ones, because one is the depressing black and white (I usually love black and white and simplicity, this just hasn't cut it though) and one is that awful, sickly cyan blue thing.

    ETA: Further investigation tells me that it is one mahoosive image link. It just looks like two that were created by two people who never met or even spoke to each other and have been walloped together to make - I dunno, a big link?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 521
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    Top down changes, no one cares about public opinion. It's a warning from history, wake up, Sheeple. It's the National Socialists all over again.
This discussion has been closed.