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MacRumors Forums Redesigned and on a New Platform
- Thread starter MacRumors
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A problem with the new forum layout is like the shocking change from iOS 6.x versions to iOS 7--it can be a bit jarring, to say the least. Maybe with a bit more refinement, it won't be so bad.
That's my main dislike, too much white with no contrast. I also don't like forums with black or dark backgrounds and light colored text. If the background could be toned down and some contrast added, I think the rest would be a matter of getting used to. I just find reading the forum now to be hard on the eyes.
I agree, maybe a splash screen overlay with arrows pointing at the changes would help. I know some sights, especially apps do that with new updates. But more contrast for sure!
Ugly design. All white without any borders. Change.It.Back. Can't even browse the news section anymore without switching off NoScript. Why? You can't reach it from the forum section because the entire! banner (where the link would be) is gone. Inexcusable.
I'm on my iPhone now but each page seems to take so much longer to load. What the heck is it downloading?
I'd have to poke around on my Mac to see what scripts and things it's not caching.
I'd have to poke around on my Mac to see what scripts and things it's not caching.
My favourite thing is that Safari now prompts to save your password when you log in. It didn't for me with the old forums.
My only real issue is that there seems to be so much less content on my iPhone 6 screen than with the old design. I can only really see one reply at most, usually less. That's painful.
And that content isn't neatly segregated. It's not instantly obvious when reading a reply which user it belongs to. Sure, you can learn, but you shouldn't have to.
And that content isn't neatly segregated. It's not instantly obvious when reading a reply which user it belongs to. Sure, you can learn, but you shouldn't have to.
1280x800 shows 2-3 posts (previously 4-5posts)
1920x1080 shows ~4 posts. (prevviously 5-6)
I suppose its the Flat UI fad.... ;/
I'd also like my own posts to be marked more visibly.
If you want to see a mobile design done well, take a look at http://m.neogaf.com which took years of fine tuning and evolution, and more crucially was opt-in, before they put it live.
If you want to see a mobile design done well, take a look at http://m.neogaf.com which took years of fine tuning and evolution, and more crucially was opt-in, before they put it live.
People are not complaining about the backend software. There is no reason the back-end couldn't receive the update while largely retaining the look and features of the old site. I appreciate the need to modernize, but in almost every visual and functional way, this update has been a step backwards. There is less content displayed on any given page, and the style makes it much more difficult to delineate the different content types - most text is treated nearly exactly the same whether it's a link or not, whether it's important or not - and then things of essentially no importance, like avatars, the Report button, or the post number, are given the most visual weight on the page.
Again, I appreciate the necessity of updating the site, especially the underlying software, but I feel like what was one of the best 'designed' forum sites I visit has jettisoned all that good design for the sake of something 'new'. The best re-designs keep what's good about the old and update it to a modern style while also taking the opportunity to improve where the old site had issues. It feels like this update just threw out most of the good elements without even considering what that old site did well.
The good news is that the site owners here seem to be responsive in listening to feedback - which is good on the one hand - on the other I worry that design by committee rarely works in practice. If the new design had been a major step forward in usability, there would still be criticism no doubt - many people are going to have trouble with change no matter what. However, if that were the case, the complaints would be much less focused in their criticism. Here, the complaints are largely centering around the many places where previous good design and functionality was just tossed out with the bathwater. That's concerning.
I'm posting from Tapatalk. That's less than perfect, and certainly less than the old forum, but it's better than this new one. And no ads.
I think the priority should be to get to equivalence with the old forum in terms of functionality, and then look at user experience and information architecture, always contrasting against the old forum. Everything on this new one should be better. If it's the same, or worse (as it currently is for most things), then there's no point in changing it.
I think the priority should be to get to equivalence with the old forum in terms of functionality, and then look at user experience and information architecture, always contrasting against the old forum. Everything on this new one should be better. If it's the same, or worse (as it currently is for most things), then there's no point in changing it.
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I kinda like it.... so far.
I guess it will take a bit to get used to the new design... but congrats to MR for doing a good job in trying to replicate in the best way the old design and look, in order to (I guess) not confuse users too much and make the transition as easy as possible... I applaud you guys choosing usability and stability over wacky or "innovative" design ideas, or removing / evolving basic user features.
So good job and congrats.
I wished so many software/UI and website developers did the same. Starting with Apple.
I guess it will take a bit to get used to the new design... but congrats to MR for doing a good job in trying to replicate in the best way the old design and look, in order to (I guess) not confuse users too much and make the transition as easy as possible... I applaud you guys choosing usability and stability over wacky or "innovative" design ideas, or removing / evolving basic user features.
So good job and congrats.
I wished so many software/UI and website developers did the same. Starting with Apple.
Keep in mind that the staff are reading our comments and making improvements. Several improvements have already been made, from what I've seen since the switch in platforms, and I have no doubt that more will be implemented as time passes.
I addressed that in my last paragraph.
I agree that they are doing a really good job of taking feedback into account, and acting upon it. What I don't understand is why they didn't do that assessment before launching the new site. I've seen forums bigger than this one lose huge proportions of their subscribers (literally up to half of their users, that they never gained back) from a fumbled software and style change. They took a wonderfully designed site, with a lot of great customization, and basically dumped it into a fairly generic xenforo template. Sure, they're building some of those features back now, but how many people will they lose in the meantime?
Overall there are some things I like, some things I don't like, and some new things and interactions that I will have to get used to dealing with on a daily basis now.
Ultimately, regarding the sites overall Chnage in totality, I do not think that the changes the site made are bad at all. The changes made definitely make the site appear, present data, and interact a bit "different" than before, but...
Chnage for me is good a good thing in the end; pending that the change that does occur is for good, and does not occur simply to satisfy some random desire simply seeking change for the sake of change. MR obviously made the changes the site did to better the entire site overall, the user base, and the community.
Ultimately we'll see how the user base responds.
Good on you for taking the change and rolling the "change" dice MR. Well played!
JS
Ultimately, regarding the sites overall Chnage in totality, I do not think that the changes the site made are bad at all. The changes made definitely make the site appear, present data, and interact a bit "different" than before, but...
Chnage for me is good a good thing in the end; pending that the change that does occur is for good, and does not occur simply to satisfy some random desire simply seeking change for the sake of change. MR obviously made the changes the site did to better the entire site overall, the user base, and the community.
Ultimately we'll see how the user base responds.
Good on you for taking the change and rolling the "change" dice MR. Well played!
JS