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Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 11 Nov 2016 09:55
by homeworld1031tx
FIRST THINGS FIRST: Ctroy, thank you so much for getting the site back online. I'm a huge fan of the site and have been a daily user for the last 7 or so years - which I think shows how much value I attribute to the site and its content.

That being said (uh oh...), I think there's a good conversation to be had about the new site's usability, mainly pertaining to its design. Its interfacing is quite good, once you get past the design layer, but because of the design and layout, the UI is still negatively impacted. I've posted two screen shots below to help illustrate my frustrations with the design of the site. Please keep in mind that I view the site on a 13" laptop with a very hi res screen, so I have to have default windows zoom options enabled, but I think this is the norm for anyone viewing the site on any modern laptop. Browser level zoom is not enabled on my computer. Viewing on an updated Chrome with 100pct (default) zoom settings.

1.png

1) The header banner is absolutely massive and is visible on every page. It's a beautiful shot, but a pic that big and intrusive should really only be on a landing page. Once someone gets to the site, they know where they are and don't need to be reminded every time.
2) The social media links being displayed at all times on the side bar are distracting, and when zoomed, overlap with page content. Most of those links are also completely static so they don't need to follow the user around. If it was an option to 'share' your current page, I could kind of get it (but personally still wouldn't like it), but considering that they are static links to the same page everywhere you go, I think they're extremely redundant. I personally don't need a facebook link to the cotton belt line facebook page crowding out my content when I'm trying to read a 20 post long page.
3) This is probably partially a result of my global zoom settings (but again, as with most laptops if things were set to default I wouldn't be able to read anything) but there is no content immediately available when you land on a topic thread. This of course goes back to point 1 about the banner, but also relates to a further point in the next image.
2.png

1) Individual post headers are MASSIVE (cannot overstate that enough) and extraordinarily repetitive. Once someone is within a thread, a single larger header for the thread title can be at the top of the page, but definitely does not need to be in each individual post.
2) Related to point 1, the content is completely unfocused. This is probably mostly a result of everything else having extra weight and focus, but the content of the post is literally the least focused and apparent thing on the screen.
3) This is definitely a minor thing but the post creator information being on the right side of the post just feels off. While it's partially a result of it just being a 'change' from the original forum, it also goes against the convention of every other forum platform I've seen, so it's just weird and distracting.


Anyway, it's hard to talk about UX/UI stuff without coming off as condescending and hipsterish, but I really wanted to get my point out there because I think it could help other people enjoy the forum more. Content loss aside from the old forum, I find myself checking the new one FAR less frequently than I did the old platform, and I think it's mostly just because it's a chore to parse out all of the information on the page

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 11 Nov 2016 10:08
by homeworld1031tx
Just for a quick comparison, this is what the site looks like on at 1920x1200 res screen, with no zoom options enabled either in windows or in the browser. definitely better, but most of the points still have bearing.

Also, there is no easy navigation options to go back once you're within a thread. If I'm in the 'deep ellum v1' thread in the 'urban dev' section of 'the metropolis' subforum, there is no way to navigate upwards through parent hierarchies of your current view. I have to scroll all the way (first world problem, i know..) to the top of the page and click on the tiny DFWU Home link that's floating above the header image. The old vbulletin forum (ugly but oh so functional) had a nice "DFWU Forum > The Metropolis > Urban Dev > Current Post" link list at the top of every post that made navigation a breeze.

3.png

4.png

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 11 Nov 2016 10:44
by tamtagon
^...what he said. I access the forum from a regular old desktop computer, occasionally a laptop but never from a mobile computer.

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 11 Nov 2016 10:44
by tamtagon
homeworld1031tx wrote:FIRST THINGS FIRST: Ctroy, thank you so much for getting the site back online.


especially this

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 15 Nov 2016 11:10
by homeworld1031tx
Could we get the "Dm" icon link at the top left (with the social media posts) to link t dfwu.dallasmetropolis.com instead of dallasmetropolis.com. would be a good stand in for navigating to the forum homepage isntead of having to scroll up to the very top. just a thought

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 30 Mar 2017 08:41
by The_Overdog
I don't know much about internet security or if anything changed recently, but the site is getting a "not secure" tag from Chrome, and is now blocked on my company's internet for the same reason.

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 30 Mar 2017 09:32
by tamtagon
at home, Chrome is fine with the site....

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 30 Mar 2017 09:32
by tamtagon
at home, Chrome is fine with the site....

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 30 Mar 2017 09:32
by tamtagon
at home, Chrome is fine with the site....

It's running slow and choppy, though

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 30 Mar 2017 13:22
by cowboyeagle05
I am not getting any warning from Chrome at home or at work for me.

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 30 Mar 2017 17:45
by Hannibal Lecter
You'll get the Not Secure message if you try accessing the site via https://dfwu.dallasmetropolis.com/. Use http://dfwu.dallasmetropolis.com/ and you don't get it.

Ironically, you really are more secure using the HTTPS link. That way everything is encrypted. The warning is because the name on the server certificate (*.prod.iad2.secureserver.net) doesn't match the site URL.

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 25 Apr 2017 03:25
by I45Tex
So I used the insert URL option in the Full Editor, and all I got was a lousy t-shirt (and two bracketed plaintext URL tags on either side of a non-working link). Can we get a button for HREF tags, or are they somewhere that I haven't noticed?

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 25 Apr 2017 08:48
by DPatel304
Works for me. I added https:// to the beginning of your link. Most likely the website just didn't recognize it as a website without http:// or www.

https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 29 Jul 2017 20:48
by f4shionablecha0s
Seriously, what can we do to fix the coathanger abortion of a user interface this forum has now? What exactly is the purpose of the "Dm" black bar currently obscuring part of the text entry box I'm using right now? Why is the banner at the top of the page so ludicrously huge? Why do I have to click on a picture of the mobile interface to enter the forum?

It's just bizarre...

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 23 Oct 2017 10:25
by tamtagon
ERROR

Sorry, the board attachment quota has been reached.


when I try to attach an image, I get this message. Anyone else getting this?

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 28 Feb 2018 23:44
by f4shionablecha0s
Quarterly reminder that this user interface is complete fucking garbage, any idiot who has read the wikipedia article on SQL could have recovered the posts from the old forum and integrated them into this forum, and nothing has been done to address any of this. Maybe why this forum is so dead now?

Can me and a few other young people team up and save this thing?

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 01 Mar 2018 11:02
by Tivo_Kenevil
f4shionablecha0s wrote:Quarterly reminder that this user interface is complete fucking garbage, any idiot who has read the wikipedia article on SQL could have recovered the posts from the old forum and integrated them into this forum, and nothing has been done to address any of this. Maybe why this forum is so dead now?

Can me and a few other young people team up and save this thing?


I'll help.

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 16 Jun 2019 16:05
by texasstar
Is it just me, or is Quick Links not working today?

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 16 Jun 2019 23:48
by DPatel304
texasstar wrote:Is it just me, or is Quick Links not working today?


works for me (I'm using Chrome from my laptop). Perhaps try using a different browser?

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 17 Jun 2019 07:57
by texasstar
I'm using the new Chromium-based Edge. It's working today. Probably was just a beta glitch.

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 17 Nov 2021 12:38
by OrangeMike
Is anyone else seeing php error messages? I've tried to attach screenshots but instead of them uploading I got this error message in the preview to this post: [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/vendor/twig/twig/lib/Twig/Extension/Core.php on line 1266: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 17 Nov 2021 14:25
by MC_ScattCat
I am as well

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 17 Nov 2021 20:35
by tamtagon
Is it back?

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 21 Nov 2021 22:18
by northsouth
Site's been looking a bit buggy on my end for a few days.

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 23 Nov 2021 08:43
by Cmacemm
I've been unable to get to the forum on my phone. I can get to the opening page, but I can't view the actual forum on Safari

Facebook Post Fans can’t get on the site.

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 00:37
by DallasAg
This might get deleted for being off topic, but there is a thread on Facebook re: a number of people no longer being able to utilize the site. For example, I can only retrieve it via Chrome on my phone. Anyone else having issues?

Re: Facebook Post Fans can’t get on the site.

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 07:53
by UptownDal81
Yes. Can only access through phone and not desktop, regardless of browser.

Re: Facebook Post Fans can’t get on the site.

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 08:28
by cowboyeagle05
There is a section of the site for posts related to site issues. I will move the thread there.

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 21:47
by tamtagon
I feel so relieved, thanks Troy.

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 20 Mar 2022 21:51
by CTroyMathis
Sorry about the pains. It's been a rough go lately.

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 21 Mar 2022 11:20
by potatocoins
No apologies needed. I appreciate you keeping this site up and running for as long as it has been, I can't imagine it's always an easy task, but it's nice that we have this website to discuss DFW development!

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 22 Mar 2022 18:12
by RodB
Thank you Troy, maybe the next skyscraper will be named "Troy Tower"

Re: Site UI, UX and formatting

Posted: 13 Apr 2022 15:40
by jimmyx18
Love the new UI! Reminds me of the old layout. It's like when someone scratches an itch you didn't know you had... blissful!