Updates to Forum Designs

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Not sure if it's just me, but I'm only my phone (iPhone 4s) and I can't touch to show spoilers. It just doesn't work. It's bloody irritating; spoilers are half the fun :unimpressed:

Reply 281

rmhumphries

Original post by RK

I can't say if we will be implementing any of your changes as they do go against the designs we had created, but it's great you're able to continue to make the site more to your own tastes. Everyone's views are different so whatever the design, we'd have some liking it more than others. That said, we are taking on board feedback like always, but today has been more about reading it, responding to some posts and recording what people are saying. I can't say what, if any, adjustments might be made as no decisions have yet been taken.

With the rep gems, we have a whole range of gem colours like before ranging from various red and green ones, to grey. Yellow would for if/when anyone gets more than 10 positive green gems (like in the old style rep system) and we might even still have a blue one for if someone has exactly 0 rep points.

Yep - blue for 0 rep such as here.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 282

Magnum Opus

Original post by The Optimistic Ram

Nothing is wrong with Cbeebies as it's designed at its target audience of young children. TSR's audience is predominately students, hence the name 'The Student Room', I guess that the ages 16 to 24 are a fair chunk of the users here. It makes sense to design the site for them not someone else.

I am eagerly awaiting the rebranding to 'The Kids Room' so I can feel all warm and young inside...

Reply 283

River85

Original post by rmhumphries

As per PQ's post, then it gets a fairly high number of errors and warnings when checked using a web accessibility tool, and the site would be very hard to navigate using the keyboard.

Well I have been out much of today, only using TSR briefly before I made that post (and tired as I'm unwell). I appreciate the difficulties of using it when navigating a keyboard, as well as the font and text size and some of the high contrast colours.

I wasn't sure if there was much else that would make it more inaccessible, when compared to the previous layout, but I am clearly not an expert on all different kinds of disability and how every single user who has a disability is affected. So if someone does have specific problems and suggestions then I hope they can post here and, if they want, contact me privately.

Reply 284

Hylean

Original post by Magnum Opus

I am eagerly awaiting the rebranding to 'The Kids Room' so I can feel all warm and young inside...

This basically.

I find the design has become even more childish than before. I stated this when it first got rolled out. If I were a new user, I wouldn't join. As it is, it makes me less inclined to post.

Reply 285

username564415

Just posting again to say how bright everything is now... I'm pretty much sitting here having to wear sunglasses

Reply 286

TimmonaPortella

Original post by RK

I can't say if we will be implementing any of your changes as they do go against the designs we had created

Right. That's a sensible attitude to take.

His suggestions go at least some way to ameliorate the horrible unreadability and garishness of this design. Everybody likes them. Quite how you could even consider not incorporating them baffles me.

I don't know what possessed you to put 'fun', childish styling over practicality on a forum which is mostly used by sixth formers and university students, but, fair enough, people have different opinions on what looks good. To ignore unanimous negative feedback, however, is as close to objective stupidity as anything I can imagine.

A complete misunderstanding of your target audience's desires is perhaps forgivable before it is made explicit. After that, you're just wilfully damaging your brand.

edit: The following considerations should be taken into account when you realise that no-one's signing up any more and you need to redesign:

The theme should not be a feature in itself. It does not need to be entertaining. Your market -- students -- do not require or want constant stimulation by happy colours. It need not, and preferably should not, be completely dull, but it should be functional above all.

It should be possible to read for a long time without your eyes starting to hurt. Buttons should be discrete but clearly visible. Fonts should be informative, not enormous and 'friendly'. An abundance of garish colours should be avoided. So far as possible, within a sensible format, as used to be possible on here, users should have the ability to choose the colour scheme of their board to the one they find most readable.

You should keep in mind at all times that this board is used by students, to a large extent for serious debate and to receive serious advice. It should look appropriate. Potential new users who look at the board should get that impression. They should not get the impression that they are looking at a board on which infants talk about who had the most fun this afternoon and what their favourite colours are.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 287

Kage

This is so much harder to read... Blue on orange clashes.

Reply 288

Waterstorm

The shiny gems from 6 reps onwards was definitely better than it is now.

And the spoiler button is definitely too big. In fact, every orange button is too big now (and the thumbs, like mentioned before) - sticks out far too much. We come here to read posts, they should stand out more than anything. But it seems like the complete opposite.

Has the font of the title gone smaller as well? When you read it on the thread, not on the forum page? I think that should be a bit bigger than the same font as the text in posts, and not just made bold only.

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 289

meenu89

Original post by Nick1sHere

Just posting again to say how bright everything is now... I'm pretty much sitting here having to wear sunglasses

I think I need a new pair of ordinary glasses, I'm having to magnify TSR on Chrome.

Reply 290

Morgsie

Smilies are appearing over the text box when I type a PM

Reply 291

PoGo HoPz

Is this a website or a watercolour painting? :lolwut:

Reply 292

rmhumphries

Original post by Waterstorm

Thinking about it - I agree with the gem comment, having the 6th-10th gems are meant to be more special than 1-5, but now they just look like a watered down version.

Reply 293

Solemn Rain

This puts me off from buying a subscription :frown:

Reply 294

Juno

Actually, thanks TSR. I have some new google chrome sunglasses, and now I hve the opportunity to wear them.

Reply 295

Motorbiker

I like some things.

e.g. The new spoiler button.

Spoiler

And the new "Skip to page"
And the new numbers on the watched thread thing.

My only constructive criticism is the lack of capital letters on the buttons on the bottom of the screen. I know you want to go to "Sentence case" but then Surely the first letter of each button should be a capital?

Reply 296

Juno

Original post by Motorbiker

And the new numbers on the watched thread thing.

I hate that. TSR, I can count to 1 you know.

I can even count to 20 if I take my shoes and socks off.

Reply 297

tooambitious

Can't use the spoiler button, becoming more and more frustrated.

Cool, you want to change things up, but when it actually reduces functionality it's very very stupid