Layout improvements at AfterDawn.com

After we launched our "innovation contest" couple of weeks ago, we have received quite massive amount of suggestions on how to improve our site. And unlike some companies, we actually do read all the feedback we receive and try to learn from the feedback.

Several changes to the site have been made during the last couple of weeks, all of them based on the feedback we've received from our users. Here's a quick summary of the improvements we've launched so far:

New layout for our top menu
- We have had this "wtf" face on ever since we started reading the feedback from our users. Several suggestions included ideas to "have a software section on your site where users could download tools that relate to your site's subject" or "news section would be nice". We have double-checked our code during the last two weeks way too many times to see whether there's some kind of a catch that prevents regular users from seeing our top navigation. As we couldn't find such bug, we came to a conclusion that the top navigation was simply not visible enough. Well, I assume that is sorted now..
Google search
- Large proportion of the suggestions received complained about our site's search and how bad it is. Many of you suggested to replace the internal search with Google. Well, we did exactly that.
Better BBML/UBB code support
- We have added several improvements to the UBB-support of our forums. These changes are still in "beta", but they'll soon be visible to all forum users, alongside with an improved forum message editor.
Ability to view number of unread private messages easily
- This has been suggested many, many times. And now its there -- if you're logged in, the site's main page shows you how many unread private messages you have.
"Quick jump to last page" added to discussion forums
- Many people hoped to see an ability to quickly jump to the discussion thread's last page from thread list pages. Done.
Mobile/PDA version more visible
- This is not a new feature, but instead a new placement for a link. We were one of the first sites in the world to have PDA and WAP versions of our site available back in 1999, but those versions aren't promoted very much. Now there's a link at the top of the site that will direct visitors to a page explaining how to access our site using mobile phone or PDA.
...tons of minor changes to the system back-end..

This is just the tip of the iceberg and we have tons of new stuff coming up during this autumn. Also, as the competition is still in its infancy, we truly hope that people send us their ideas on how to improve our site and how to make it more accessible for people using the site for the very first time. You can send your ideas to us using this form -- and have a chance to win 1,500 euros..

Written by: Petteri Pyyny @ 30 Aug 2006 4:35

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101 comments

cheezy_P

Well Done! Looks Great!!

30.8.2006 04:48 #1

JXP2307

I like the little icon up at the top letting me know I am signed on...

Looks great!

dRD: I remember you said you wrote all the software for the site/forums. Is this still the case? Just curious. Looks great regardless.

30.8.2006 05:35 #2

dRD

JXP2307: Yep, that is still the case, although I have now two guys helping me out. Teemu (our gfx guy) does all the layout, so if you like/hate the new layout, he'll hear your comments :-)

30.8.2006 05:48 #3

Pop_Smith

I like the changes, they kind of shocked me at first (I had to recheck my browser to make sure I was at the right site. ;)).

Maybe its just me but, is the site 100% width now? It looks like it but I could be wrong.

Peace,

Pop Smith

30.8.2006 06:22 #4

nitrous3

The site looks awesome!

30.8.2006 06:27 #5

SOCOMII

i dont like the layout at the top.
might take some getting used to...
everthing else seems good.

30.8.2006 06:45 #6

bilbo65

Yes, it takes about 10 seconds to re-orient and recognize everything and I think it is a very positive improvement. Excellent job!!!

30.8.2006 07:02 #7

JVC

I like it too. Only took me a minute to find how to get to my List of Forum Posts, so now everything is great! I like the green, for the tab you're in. Adds a little more color............. :o)

30.8.2006 07:07 #8

Auslander

i prefer the way the top used to look...withjust the old blue background for the links to be against, it's nowhere near as attractive :(

30.8.2006 07:08 #9

ireland

sorry,
but i have to say this,for some reason the new top of the main page is now too bright and hurts my eyes when i look at it..

maybe its the contrast of the black blue and bright yellow that makes it hard to view..

i have problems seeing as it is..the brightness makes me want to turn my head away..or move the page down as fast as i can..

30.8.2006 07:19 #10

The_Fiend

Those huge tabs at the top are a real annoyance, they're too bright and visible.. And i'm missing one tab, as we normally could use navigation to get to our accounts... now i can only find my account page through the main page.

30.8.2006 07:50 #11

ZippyDSM

ireland
Ya...as blinding as a stark yellow backgouned was in my animigo(anime) chat room days thats a weee bit to bright 0_o

30.8.2006 08:08 #12

21Q

don't like the black

30.8.2006 08:14 #13

Venom5880

I'm also one of the many that went "WTF? Am I on the right site?" when I saw the new menu layout.

@The Fiend
The "My Account" tab is now just a link at the top left of the page. It's in that row of links with Mobile/PDA, About us, and Advertise Here. You've probably already noticed it by now though.

30.8.2006 08:14 #14

ofolion

Couple of things to say about this:

First of all i like it sort of. (read on)
I think the tabs are WAY to big doesn't fit with links under it at all.
Don't like the black bar at the top at all.
Like the strech so it fill full screen.
Everything else i like :)
Good job all in all

30.8.2006 08:20 #15

The_Fiend

Indeed, i found the account thingy, so that's solved, sort of..
It's just that the whole layout looks f*cked up now, even on 1280 X 1024 resolution.

30.8.2006 08:46 #16

creaky

i think it's great, not sure if i like the big tabs yet, but the top of page has a nice 'shine' to it - clearer; i have a 'brightview' laptop screen so it looks really crisp - about time, the old look is very bland.

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30.8.2006 09:12 #17

face123

Yeah the tabs seem to big. But It dosent really seem to bother me.

thanks to Jamaal10 for this signature.

30.8.2006 09:15 #18

ireland

put a brill and contrast control on so the brightness can be changed..for the tabs and back ground....

when ye have poor eye sight the brightness of the new change is a blur
and smeared.......

30.8.2006 09:35 #19

Auslander

hmm....i don't see any big tabs...anyone else having that issue with Firefox? i just see straight links at the top.

A horse is a pig that don't fly straight.
Ich bin der Ausl�nder.
"I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love with a strict machine."

30.8.2006 09:40 #20

garmoon

All in all it's an improvement. I like it. The blue Nicks really almost look irridescent on my CRT. It's a lot nicer on the reply page where the big red ad does not appear. Good job.

30.8.2006 09:41 #21

creaky

i spend very little time up top of screen, all our work/searching is done further down the pages so i don't personally see changes up top causing major problems.

for anyone that can't see the changes, here's mine using the Epiphany browser -

gif created by phantom69, he's a good lad

30.8.2006 09:41 #22

ireland

heres the problem,as ye go (click}into the threads the tabs are shown.......every time.........

30.8.2006 09:54 #23

CrowDUDE

Looks alot better, as always good job!

30.8.2006 09:55 #24

Auslander

hmmm...i see no tabs at all...looks like i need to play with Firefox.

A horse is a pig that don't fly straight.
Ich bin der Ausl�nder.
"I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love with a strict machine."

30.8.2006 09:55 #25

creaky

i'm not sure the tabs are too huge as i only use 1024x768 on all my home PC's unless i'm at work where i use 1280x1024 (where they'd surely be smaller) (am not at work this week so can't check), will however try this out on my LCD TV (resolution of 1366x768 i think) very shortly..

gif created by phantom69, he's a good lad

30.8.2006 09:59 #26

ireland

Auslander
i just checked using Firefox the tabs are there

The improvements:

[ quote ] will now also include an option to add a nick of the person you're quoting: [ quote=dRD ]text here[ /quote ] (the =dRD part being the improvement)

[ url ]http://linkhere.example[ /url ] works as always, but now you can also have text labels for links, using them like this:

[ url=http://linkhere.example ]An example of a link[ /url ]

And one, weird, experimental case:

You can use color red now in your posts, by using

[ color=red ]the text here you want to have in red[ /color ]

No other colors are supported as of now and trying to use other colors wont render the tag at all :-)

Some examples:

This is strikethrough.

This is bold.

This is underlined.

This is italics.

This is in red.

This is A new type of link

http://forums.afterdawn.com/thread_view.cfm/386881

30.8.2006 09:59 #27

Auslander

yeah, it was an updater extension for Adblock Plus...all taken care of, as i can now see the site properly.

A horse is a pig that don't fly straight.
Ich bin der Ausl�nder.
"I'm in love, I'm in love, I'm in love with a strict machine."

30.8.2006 10:10 #28

dRD

Auslander: Your AdBlock is blocking our image server (i.afterdawn.com, which doesn't even serve ads..). Some "smart" person has apparently added that server to the default AdBlock block list, as couple of people on our Finnish site have reported this issue as well.

In addition to the new tabs and the top thingy, the right-hand sidebar is now 40px wider and its font is 2px larger, to make it clearer. After all, our users' most common screen size is nowadays 1280x1024 -- the pages work fine under 1024x768, but the changes made should make lives of people with larger resolutions easier. Furthermore, the search box at the top bar is now wider and clearer, hopefully making it to stand out as well. And, the old tab system didn't have any additional room whatsoever, so in order to accommodate stuff like "Profiles", we had to do something anyway..

Sure, the "curvy" look on tabs doesn't exactly fit to the original "blocky" layout, but you get used to it -- I've seen and used the new layout for 3 days now and I still have to stop at times to get used to it :-)

But, as stated in the news article, the whole point was to highlight the fact that yes, we do have news section and yes, we have software section as it seems to be problematic for some people to realize that AfterDawn is much, much more than just forums or news site or software site -- we're all that and bit more :-) Thus, the more prominent placement of main sections.

As far as the rest of the site's layout -- we have "next gen" layout (basically not to leave any existing element on the site and to build the whole site again from the ground up layout-wise) on our to-do list, but its scheduled to happen, at earliest, early 2008. So, don't hold your breath waiting for it.

Anyway, thanks for all the feedback and we will most likely continue tweaking the existing layout during the next couple of months -- meanwhile, send us all your improvement ideas via our competition form, located at http://www.afterdawn.com/general/innovate.cfm

30.8.2006 10:22 #29

Auslander

yeah, thanks, drd...all fixed :-)

30.8.2006 10:36 #30

ripfuel

The site looks awesome guys! Keep up the good work!

30.8.2006 11:38 #31

BluRay

I dont like this new look, it just spoils the feel of AfterDawn.
Can we please either go back to the old style or give registered users a choice of what style they want to use.

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30.8.2006 11:55 #32

hot_ice

I find it's very ambitious, and change is always a positive thing.

However, I think it is needs a little more touchups for it to be perfect.

Good job afterdawn!!

30.8.2006 11:57 #33

300bowler

i only have one complaint

Now i cant see who was the last poster without having to move the slider to the right.
call me lazy but i prefer to see The thread title, Posts Number, Started By, and Lastest Post all in one window without having to move the slider bar to the left. Agh!

Guess i am toooo lazy heres a pic

CRAP MEDIA = CRAP RESULTS

30.8.2006 12:04 #34

borhan9

The only thing i can see that needs to be removed or change is the black up the top i find it doesnt flow with the rest of the page it looks like advertising.

Mayb it can be blended with the blue not the black.

Edited by DVDBack23

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30.8.2006 12:45 #35

borhan9

I just read the article well speed read the bullet points. There are something i like and there are others I will grow to love i am sure. I can't wait for some of these things to move out of beta and become part and parcel of the main layout of the page.

30.8.2006 12:51 #36

BluRay

I just want the old feel back.
Either that or an option that lets you toggle between the old look and new look, if there was that option, I most certainly know I would have the old look on.
I dont think the new look will be appealing to new would be members.

30.8.2006 13:08 #37

zridling

Love it, great job! Except please consider placing the login at the top right side of the page. Hate scrolling down and hunting for it, and the tabs are freakin' huge. Knock them down a couple of point sizes. This ain't Office 2007's ribbon.

30.8.2006 13:42 #38

PeaInAPod

I also have a few complaints with the new layout. The new tabs are a welcome change but are too big and seem out of place. The updated logo looks great but the black bar with the user info is out of place and some-what of an eye-sore. I personally prefer a login/account button along with the other ones.

30.8.2006 14:15 #39

BluRay

many are complaining about the little black box but thats the only new thing i actualy like.
I realy still think that AD should have an option to switch between the old layout and the new layout, I realy hope someone takes that idea seriously, either that or someone just changes AD back to the way it was before.

30.8.2006 14:19 #40

flyingv

Good look guys! We all know how much hard work you put into this site keeping it up. Thanks!!!

30.8.2006 14:22 #41