Late September: Launching Site Redesign
Hello!
It is finally that time, this day is finally upon us! We are getting a new home! We are excited to announce the new design of 7 Cups! Below you will find all the relevant information for this update. Please review the entire post. There is a lot of helpful information, which we hope will ease your transition to the new designs. As a reminder, you can find an announcement of this update here.
Launch Date: Tuesday or Wednesday next week
What should I expect?
The functionality of our site will remain the same, but we will have a new look! You can think of it like moving into a new house. Also, updated navigation. Our goal was to give you a more organized, cleaned up house with faster loading time, while at the same time making it easier for new folks to get oriented, find the help they need, and become part of the 7 Cups family.
One thing to keep in mind when you first move into a new house is that it takes some time to get used to it. Small things will feel out of place. You have to find you way around and figure out where everything is.
Similarly, the site will be different, functionalities will be in new places and you just need to find your way around. This process will be largely intuitive. But there may be some moments of disorientation as you make your way around. Well all map the new place out together and help each other settle in.
Also, there will inevitably be a few mistakes (cold water coming out of spigot marked H, things like that!).
A rolling release: a release that happens in stages.
Stage 1: Launch redesigning site to to community
Stage 2: Fix post-launch bugs & Prepare updated app software for iOS and Android
Stage 3: Update design of apps
Are there any new features in this redesign?
There is one special item that will be added with this update that we are very excited about. The 7 Cups teacup is our logo and part of our site. As part of this update, you will get your own teacup. Your teacup will have tea in it (yum, I want green tea in mine) and be interactive with you.
The level of tea in your up will rise or fall depending on your site activity for the day. Your cup will have 3 levels of fullness: half full, s full and completely full. Your cup will never fall below half full. (Were optimists!)
To raise the level of tea in your cup, you will need to take a step on your growth path (but as long as you come to the app or site your level will never decrease).
The goal of the cup is to be a fun and lighthearted way to encourage you to take care of yourself on a daily basis. Youll also be congratulated for consistency as we celebrate your teacup streaks.
Your teacup level will be private and only visible to you.
What will be missing from this release?
----> The app will not be updated for another several weeks.
----> Forums will have a new look, but for now their functionality will be about the same. We still plan a series of forum improvements in the weeks ahead.
Any specific problems I can anticipate?
The functionality will be the same. Most bugs that exists in the old website will still exist. There will probably be a few new bugs at first as well! Well known chat bugs (such as messages out of order) are not yet fixed.
Will I need to update my html profile?
Nope, you should be all set! (But let us know if you see any problems)
Will URLs change?
Yes, some URLs will be changing, but any old URLs will redirect correctly if they do.
Can we expect more changes to the design in the upcoming weeks?
Yes, as with any redesign there are inevitably things we would liked to have tackled already that would have delayed the release needlessly, so we expect to continue improving the design, fixing things we know are not just exactly perfect, as well as addressing unanticipated problems that may arise.
In the upcoming weeks, we will ask of your feedback on the design. We will use your feedback to make tweaks to continue to improve the design. It will take time, and will be an ongoing process, and we ask for your patience and love in this process.
What should I do to prepare for the new design?
----> Glad you asked :)! Please point your members & fellow listeners to this thread. It is incredibly important that we get the word out about this update so that people are not surprised. We want everyone to be prepared (and excited) for the new look.
----> Take a look at these more detailed screen shots of the redesigned site. Found here.
----> Additionally, @krinkthemellowunicorn has generously offered to do a guided tour of the new site with you! It will be a video screen share, where he give you all the ins and outs of the update to help you get oriented and give you more perspective on how the design was conceptualized and implemented.
----> On the day of the launch and for the first few days, help each other get oriented (members & guests too). Support one another as we all get used to our new home.
----> On the day of the launch, we will provide more specific ways for you to give feedback and report bugs. Please stay tuned for more information on how to do this! Your help in reporting bugs will be incredibly helpful!
Thank you everyone! We are very veryyyy excited about this update! Thanks for being on the amazing 7 Cups journey with us!
The user interface is more colorful. Thank you to those who are working on the re-design. Some miss the old, professional look. The experience of 7 cups feels more like a middle school art project now rather than a place where people go to receive support for some of life's most difficult impasses. Again, I'm happy there are many who like the new design. It's not my cup of tea. : )
@GuideOnTheSide ouch
"middle school art project"
@KrinkTheMellowUnicorn I could have phrased that more professionally. I apologize : ) It's the color scheme that makes it seem 'dumbed down' but it is new and I'm sure will take hold fine. The important thing, in my humble opinion, is that members and guests simply get the help they need from listeners. : ) Seems that's still going on and from what I've heard from JaceofSpades, it's easier and faster than before!
@GuideOnTheSide i am sorry if i offended you in anyway with my comment, it was not my intention on doing that and when i wrote that it was after a long day of being super positive about the site, and hearing alot complaints and why is the site not perffect in the support rooms and 1on1's and i guess i took it personally when i read your comment, again i am very sorry for what i said. i hope you and everybody has a great day!
@BLTmaster Thank you! Sorry for phrasing my comments so poorly!! I appreciate all the work you do : )
@GuideOnTheSide now now lets be supportive of all the hard work that @ezraBC and @cris and @krinkthemellowunicorn and all the community managers @laura @iara @heather @glenm put into the redesign if it wasnt for any of them we wouldnt have the site at all. i would like to apologize to you you dev team for @guidedonthesides comment and say good work team :) *high fives every body on the dev team and community leaders*
@BLTmaster That's really sweet of you. :)
@BLTmaster. Wow, forgot for a moment that the 2nd amendment existed. I think GuideOnTheSide is free to express his or her opinion. They've obviously contributed hundreds of hours to the site as a volunteer and have a right to express distate or favor for the new design. We are all volunteers here. I think you owe Guide an apology.
@tidyCar3936 Thank you. Not to be a jerk, but I think you're thinking of the 2nd ammendment. : ) And yes, I've been informed that forum's are an appropriate place to voice opinions and offer feedback. BLTmaster is free to his or her opinion just as I am to mine. It's unfortunate that some may take honest feedback personally rather than a genuine attempt to help this site be the most professional it can be. BLTmaster, please do not mistake my opinon of the UI as a personal insult to you or anyone involved in its development. As a teacher, I value honest feedback in my career. Criticising those willing to provide it is detrimental to progress.
2nd Amendment is right to bear arms
@EdmondDantes That it is. : )
i appreciate @bltmaster's support but probably better to let us sort things out directly.
the second amendment is about guns in the US btw
the first amendment is about freedom of speech, conscience, religion and some other thgs and it is a limit on what the government can do.
free speech is a great idea. answering it with speech is not censorship.
sharing that i found the framing of feedback to be a little ouch-y (and let's be honest, it was a put-down!) was i think a fairly gentle and good humored way to give feedback on how the feedback was given to me.
and so on, because i got feedback on that (that it made people feel censored and reminded me of my privilege* in this situation and how i must use my power with a light touch.
* recommended search terms: kyriarchy, intersectionality
@BLTmaster - pretty immature comment. I agree with @guideontheside. Don't criticize others' for having a different opinion than you. Companies don't work that way and developers expect praise and feedback alike.
@BLTmaster wow, calm down. @Twish, thank you for conrtibuting to the site. There are some pretty big bugs though and its look resembles more of a social media site catered towards preteens than an adult community. Perhaps that was the goal?
I wanted to spend the majority of the day on the site before stating my feedback. There are things I like and dislike about the update (which I understand tweaks will be made and I have input my feedback via form)
I want to start with the likes
1. I enjoy the look of the design. It's refreshing, exciting, new, clean, sleek, and looks really professional.
2. It's neatly organized, easily accessible (when you learn where everything is)
3. It's a lot less glitchy and really fast!
4. PM messages are not jumping or taking forever to load, and the Personal Request alert doesn't linger.
For the dislikes
1. Font is a bit small (zoom is a life savior haha) The colors clash a bit, but I've slowly gotten used to it.
2. The following is a bit messed up though. Following others is hard, and accepting followers aren't working.
Looks as though the likes weigh out the dislikes 
Thank you to all of you who put their time and effort into this new design. It's a mighty big change that the community will need to get used to, but it's really a wonderful thing to have happened. I feel like this is what was needed. You know when you wash your bedding and make your bed. Then you just have to lay on the warmth and breathe in the freshness? It's a moment like that. Good job team!
@Laura @Heather @Glenm @krinkthemellowunicorn @Iara @Cris @ezraBC
@JaceofSpades Thank you for the feedback! We are working on the bugs.
@Twish, which is awesome! Thanks for everything.
@JaceofSpades
Thank you for your thoughtful and well articulated feedback. The font changed, how are you feeling about it now?
is there a specific forum link for the comments about the newupdate? because i cant find it.
@Gracey101
oops x 2 - I included the wrong link. Here's the feedback form for the new design.
signed, KrinkTheSleepyUnicorn
This smell of new paint is so lively. Thrills me for a new adventure. Although nothing has changed but it acts as a powerful refresh button. 7cups is awesome. And to all Stay Awesome. Live Awesome. Always.
dUDE I cANNOT Accept new followers, Check that out and surely fix it
@ThebeastandtheBest
it's next on the list to fix, but we've spent a lot of time trying to get a color balance that people don't find too white. we're still not there yet, but I'm afraid the large number of people upset by the contrast or whiteness have been the squeakiest wheel and it has slowed down our fixing that problem, mobile browser notifications, and number of another annoying bugs.
@KrinkTheMellowUnicorn, thanks for trying to fix the contrast! I think with the change of the dark blue from the old design to a lighter blue of this new design makes the white seem brighter because everything is so light. What color types of white have you thought of trying if that's okay to share with us :)
About the issues with the other bugs, this is a good time for us to learn patience, haha! We understand it takes time to get to things, and can only imagine how much feedback you have to go through. Sometimes we forget that you're all people who can only do so much and work so fast. Thanks for everything!
@JaceofSpades
On most websites today white is just white (pure white). The brightness feeling seems to come more from the bright blue, the original typeface which was too faint and then too dark (contrast), and maybe because we bumped up the faint shadows around the boxes at launch, which might have exaggerated the white.
(Compare to the old design where the white was again pure white, next to a tan background.)
Because people were so concerned about "whiteness" on Friday we tried turning the white a bit gray (it's around 98% white right now), which means that on my monitor I can see edges between pure white blocks and the grayish-white (which looks very muddy to me).
We're still considering moving to a more neutral typeface and we're discussing with Mathias (our visual designer) what we might be able to do to the color palette to make it work for more people without spoiling the overall effect.
Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Customizable profile themes XD or at least, dark themes please XD
@JanNichole
Customizable themes is possible in the mid-term future but not a quick fix.
A darker theme option will probably be doable sooner and we're edxploring. Still fixing bugs, though!
@KrinkTheMellowUnicorn
Sorry XD, It was just suggestion. Didnt want to sound bossy XD
@JanNichole
no worries. they are great ideas!
just trying to be real transparent about how doable, how soon possible, etc.!
I love the feedback, honestly.
Hello! Thanks for updating the site! I want to give my feedback, please don't take this personal:
- Most of the time I find myself narrowing my eyes trying to see the letters or the half-white tiny informative texts.
- Can't give hearts to my guests messages.
- Can't find the buttons like "close this call" "block this person" "report" etc
- White is.. too white. At least give us the option to change it! My eyes are seriously aching.
- Sometimes out of nowhere the member can't read my messages. I don't know if this is a glitch. It didn't happen before the renovation.
Thanks for making a less glitchy and faster interface. Take care!
@bluelotus99
Thanks for the feedback.
- Most of the time I find myself narrowing my eyes trying to see the letters or the half-white tiny informative texts.
we may need to change the typeface and adjust the contrast of the system messages.
- Can't give hearts to my guests messages.
Why is this?
- Can't find the buttons like "close this call" "block this person" "report" etc
They are in the top-right above the chat window.
- White is.. too white. At least give us the option to change it! My eyes are seriously aching.
It's less white than in the old design so I'd like to know what idnmskijg it seem so white. Is it the blue?
- Sometimes out of nowhere the member can't read my messages. I don't know if this is a glitch. It didn't happen before the renovation.
This is news to me. Can you determine when it happens?
@KrinkTheMellowUnicorn The main problem is the emptiness/fullness balance here. Facebook has a whiter background but it's not as disturbing because it doesn't have a large space of that whiteness taking place on the most part of the screen. The rest of the glitch etc problems will probably get solved in time it's not important. I found the heart buttons and the other blocking etc buttons but I still can't see them. Anyway just feedback, not criticism.
The fastness is amazing! Thank you.
@bluelotus99
this helps thanks and I'm sure We can make those controls easier to see.
as for the white, compare these forum screens. the old design used pure white for forum posts and the posts took up as much or more of the screen as these do....
@KrinkTheMellowUnicorn I had the mysterious disappearing messages bug before and after the new design came out, i usually check back on my 1-1s after a few min to make sure it didn't bug, I think its due to the issue that was mentioned back when we had chat lags, it looks like its caused when we send a message before the chat finished loading.
@Ace13
ah, I do recall some timing issue involved in switching chats where it was possible to type a message before the chat UI has updated to the ID of the new chat.
again, I will cc @devteam & @ezrabc in case this is a useful clue for them.
We still need to plumb out chat a bit more, fwiw, and when we get the apps updated we plan to dedicate some time to cleaning up the chat exprience from end to end.
I miss Listeners having a square avatar while others are round. It was a fast easy way to tell if there were Listeners in a chatroom or on the forums.
@AbidingInJesus
thanks for the feedback.
this was actually applied inconsistently across the old site, but we definitely need a quick way, shapes or otherwise, to tell the difference.
will ponder...