new forum format
jeanette posted on the 22/11/2017 11:40:15 AM
I can't help noticing that since the new format, there are fewer postings---and I suspect it's something to do with the layout. With the old layout it was easy to see at a glance if there were new responses to postings. Now, you have to remember how many responses there were previously to postings. As I said before (although it wasn't posted) this layout is clumsy. I'd like to know if others agree.
- 11 Replies :
#1 - Si replied on the 22/11/2017 7:27:39 PM
The monochrome doesn't help...
#2 - Joe Mc Dermott replied on the 22/11/2017 7:31:36 PM
yep I prefer the old one a lot better
#3 - wullie replied on the 23/11/2017 3:32:11 PM
The old one was a lot better,the new one looks bare.
#4 - Pat replied on the 23/11/2017 9:26:19 PM
If you really want to know why the site looks odd:
Typeface inconsistency, it's considered bad practice to mix typefaces on a single page. Especially serif and sans serif. It just looks clumsy.
Typeface choice, a monospaced font originally designed for typewriter, Courier consistently scores badly on digital type legibility tests. It was trendy a few years ago but has really lost it's appeal largely because it's really hard to read. I would suggest the whole site is re set in Times, because it is still the most readable font out there. Failing that, a sensible sans serif like Arial.
Type Hierarchy, Larger, bold type should never appear below titles. Weight and size of type should always reduce, the further down the page you go.
Contrast, 100% black and white is too contrasty. You should make the background light grey and the type dark grey. It will improve legibility a lot.
Case, Capitals, as used in the top navigation are less readable than lower case. It's a very common issue...
On the plus side, the white space is good and the responsive design works well!
#5 - mm replied on the 25/11/2017 11:50:28 AM
Please please, Bring back the old format ! The new style is clumsy and boring at the same time.
#6 - Pat replied on the 25/11/2017 12:44:42 PM
I think the designer is listening. The change of typeface really helps. I don't think we should go back to the old format. It takes time for things to bed in. I'm guessing the old site needed updating for a number of reasons not just aesthetic.
#7 - local replied on the 25/11/2017 1:08:54 PM
there was nothing wrong with the original format ,why change it,this just looks cheap and nasty.
#8 - Pat replied on the 25/11/2017 2:40:10 PM
Well there was actually; It didn't work on mobile and tablet very well, as it wasn't designed to. Also, the look of the site was getting a bit dated. I suspect the code wasn't standards compliant either, which means the site wouldn't work consistently across different browsers and operating systems.
#9 - James Mc replied on the 27/11/2017 9:47:23 AM
Postings are definitly down, I think whatever the aesthetics of the new site (and they are always a matter of opinion and fashion to some extent) it does seem to be less accessible for posters, if you take simple post numbers. Perhaps the more 'professional' look is actually making it look less like a place for ordinary folk to just have a gab - the homespun look of the old site was friendlier.
I write these things for a living, and know the genunine problems with layout and style, and the interminable problems of what suits some people irks others. I wrote and ran on online forum for over ten years and when I tried to change the style and layout, people always asked for it to be changed back - so much so that 5 years after I handed over the reins to someone else, it still looks like it did when I wrote it in the 1990s!
As I said in a previous post on this subject, the spacing is the issue for me, I dislike the current trend of spacing everything out (although I understand its to make hotspots easier to hit with fat fingers for touch devices)
#10 - The Mentalist replied on the 28/11/2017 12:25:20 PM
The new format is more desktop PC friendly as opposed to looking when on your mobile. Needs tweeking.
#11 - jeanette replied on the 28/11/2017 9:19:13 PM
I disagree 'Mentalist'. I only ever use a desktop PC to access the forum.
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