April 10: Sub-community designs - feedback requested!
Howdy folks!
@krinkthemellowunicorn has been hard at work! He has been working with our site designer to come up with some updated designs for our wonderful subcomunties. Please take a look at the options below and share your feedback. Here are some questions to consider:
What design elements pop out to you?
What function does each design element serve?
Which design elements do you dislike? and can you describe why?
Option 1:
Option 2:
Option 3:
The most pleasing to the eyes is option 3
The most eye-appealing is option 3.
In the first option, the layout is organized and each element has it's place and we can see where an element starts and one another ends, but the "header" doesn't stand out enough, like in the other two. In the second one, the only thing that doesn't appeal to me is how the element on the side bar seem to belong to each other instead of being "separate" like in the other two. The third option has the best of the first two, in my opinion. 
I like the overall look of option 3. I do find information difficult to read though. It's especially difficult to make out the '6' in 726 Friends. In general I find this is often an issue with words on top of pictures. Is it possible to either have a solid background colour behind the words, or outline them in black if they are written in white or vice versa? If so I pick option 3.
If the words aren't going to easily be read on top of the picture I would pick option 1.
I agree. I find #3 the most appealing design-wise, but would adjust the text opacity/size/boldness to something easier on the eyes or make it an opaque element (shouldn't be too difficult in Bootstrap?)
@AffyAvo
@Laura
I decided to scrool all these options and see what "my eyes" were attracted to. And well I still say 3
I must say that option 3 looks the nicest
Option 3 for sure!
I like option 3 best! :)
yes, this is much better.
of course, i will when i review these over the next few days, find some minor issues, but. another step in the right direction (even to fixing forums tbh!!) horrah! ^-^
@bunnypants @KrinkTheMellowUnicorn @Laura
tl;dr [link]
things that could possibly change from your current proposed design:
- community leaders needs to be moved from that spot, to the bottom or almost bottom. i understand that these people are important and deserve special mention, but space is limited and mostly we just want people to know that they're there to reach out for if necessary, which often becomes immediately obvious when interacting on the forums. mostly, we *do* need this module, but it does *not* need to take up real estate that valuable.
- i'm not sure whether the minimalistic design of the upvotes / replies thing was intentional or temporary, but it allows you to do something magical to the forums later...
- the default forum view on all community pages should be "most recently posted to", imo.
- overall, i think my main complaint (if this is true) is (might be? idk i kinda accidentally made it look a bit less busy but still! xP) that you are still designing around ~1000 pixels instead of letting the site fill the available space, which makes feel scrunch (though are managing actual scrunch better each iteration!)
- next available listener / group chat / chat with an expert box takes up more room than i'd care for it to. after going over things i liked, i've found the solution to be dropping the chat with an expert part, but. doubt that will happen. moving on.
- not 100% sure your proposal actually solves the "cluttered" or "confusing" look, if you see what it looks like on-page [link].
things i like (because i'm never positive):
- that damned high real estate start risk free for 30 days or w/e moving. i can't imagine you ever got good click-through.
- oh wait, that's why the find a listener box is so damn big.
- curse you, unicorn!
- anyway, the find listener / group chat box being a bit more clear.
- on-page navigable feed. doubt it will be implemented anytime soon, but it makes a kitty smile. i would argue that the arrows take up too much vertical space but tbh it's so low on the page that the way it explains their purpose better than other positionings would, eh. still looks a bit ghetto tho xP'
- also i'm curious how the forum post boxes work with longer forum titles like i'm sure you've tested it and as long as they just get taller that's fine :3
overall, recommended changes would be to reduce the number of modules on page and increase the impact of those you do decide to keep.
you currently have upwards of 14. some are necessary.
first step: have only five or a dozen forum posts, sorted by most recently posted to, with a link to the forums. this would remove several unnecessary modules as well as the post-sorting mechanism.
second step: you now effectively have three advertisements for therapy / paid services, and one is subvert and will have people click on it only to hit a paywall. one ad per service per page, please, and no blind paywalls.
third step: community guidelines moves top top, just below find a listener chat etc. feed moves up under that, near your now single forum module. new subscribers moves to a cute little line under forum module. community guidelines, leaders move below forum module.
okay, so now what we have is not so scary, hm?
something like this! :D
i know, in my dreams, but.
(also sorry for being too lazy to boot up the compy with ps on it so you get a paintchop)
much lov, yr bunny slave <3
@Laura I like option 3! It's the one that caught my eye the most. :)
I like option 1
@TrueArrow I don't understand what the options are. I'm probably missing a post and I'm sorry I'm bothering you
@RemenyTheWriter
ZizyTheTurtle tagged you and explained where it is. Just scroll down to the end of the comments here and you'll find it!