Web site and forum niggles and suggestions

[rockwallaby]

I would like to suggest some improvement this forum web site and in particular to how new posts are made.

I shall describe what I don't like about it first.
The small window that pops up in which we type our post is painfully small and does not expand.
The un-advanced edit gives more space and a better appearance than the when you use the advanced edit.
At least it is not as cluttered and those hideous simlies are hidden.

The toolbar above the editing box, again has tiny little icons for the various functions which must be a right pain for people using touch based screens or who are not so adapted to using a mouse well. The icons really are not clear enough, and so appear fuzzy, like old style web sites did of years ago.

All those 'smilies' down the right hand side, they take so much room and are in the wrong place.

All in all, it reminds me of how I remember Microsoft windows style when I last used it years ago, for me it is yukky and clunky.

Firstly, look at how other forums do it, picking up ideas from them and seeing how you can apply those good ideas to make this forum better.

Look to making at start to implement better coding and layout by moving to HTML5 and associated CSS3 standards. You don't need to do it a one big change, but make a start.

Think about people with disabilities, people who are not able to use a mouse or don't understand the various icons.

Put the 'smilies' down along the bottom of the editing box area. Make them smaller so that they don't expand out the lines as they are too tall.
Damn, this box I type in is a pain, did I mention that already? I can't even see the top of my post now and I can't expand this blasted little box.

For the main forum viewing section, make the main content div have flexible width, rather than being stuck at ~1060 pixels wide. Allow people with wide screens to then see more. Allow people with smaller screens to at least see the content without needing to scroll right.

Why was effort put into making certain text brown, when that time would have been better spent on rectifying existing issues and making this forum more useable.

Why is it that the problem that has already been noticed and posted not be addressed, where folks on devices with screen resolutions of less than 1024 pixel wide are going to have trouble posting and reading, where the there is a problem in the basic design of the top level divs including the main content div and the right had sidebar div are not set up correctly. The left hand side gutter reduces and then expands to reduce again.
It's not how a web site should be, and only furthers frustrations for the many people on many different device platforms and web browsers.

I like HU for what it provides, a great community, and can say I have noticed some little changes of improvements along the years. But the section we post in, well, need I say more.

Last things, the avatars are, can I say, dare I say, crap, they are awful and limiting. I don't know of any up to date and busy forum that locks its users into using predefined avatar pictures and not their own. Please think about how this impacts on the users. You want everyone to be able to express themselves right, then allow them to have their avatar of choice. I see many with the same awful avatar picture and then I relate what I see in that picture to how that person really is, when in fact the two are not related. For example, I think of user sparco as a small balding weird and shady character, which hopefully he is not. I can assure you it does have this effect on people.

Presently you have a banner at the top of each page as follows;

We've had a code update on the HUBB that should fix any issues with the new right hand column. If the HUBB still "looks funny" please force a refresh to get the latest code update. (Hold down the shift OR ctrl key, and click the refresh button on your browser, OR Ctrl R, OR on Macs, Command R). If you still have a problem please post it here.

Can I ask you to correct the bit where you say 'Hold down the shift OR ctrl key, and click the refesh button' to the following, 'Click the refresh icon in your browser or alternatively from a the keyboard by holding down Ctrl and then the R key'

As far as I'm aware, you do not hold the Ctrl and click the refresh icon, it does nothing more than just clicking the refresh icon. Secondly, suggesting Shift + R may do other unwanted things in other browsers other than Chrome. Ctlr + R or the F5 key is mostly used across all browsers, so best to suggest this rather than confusing the user.

More importantly, Ctrl + F5 will reload the current page and will override any stored cache content, meaning it will renew the page in its entirety, which is really all you need mention.

Grant, I hope you can understand all that I say above and that it is with best intentions, but that you may also understand my frustrations.

Why not asks us, your members what they wish for that might improve this web site and forum, we have a section for it here, but I didn't notice much happening here at all.

Would you be willing to let us know what your thoughts are and maybe give us some insight into anticipated changes for the website in terms of its design.

Kindly,
Paul