Site Suggestions & Updates

[Brogan]

I have no control over it - it is fixed in the code.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Massive cop out.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

http://xenforo.com/community/forums/suggestions-tweaks-small-features.18/

Shall I go here with requests of this nature?

 

[Brogan]

No it's not, whether that field is checked or not is buried in one of the .php files on the server.
I do not have the ability to modify it without editing one of the core files.

Besides which, I think it makes sense to have it checked by default when searching from within a thread a forum.
Presumably that's why the developers implemented it.

Yes, that's the place to request changes to the code.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Developers are not User-Experience Architects (or at least, very rarely). It would have been a decision made by a UX guy or would have been a "do what I think is best" by a developer (the way websites used to be designed).

I didn't expect you to go and edit the code, Brogan. Just to consider the suggestion as you did in your second post.

Sorry if you took offence at my little ribbing. i did put a funny smiley at the end to indicate that it was in jest. I work with web-developers all day every day, incidentally in my capacity as Head of User Experience. It's the tone of humour that is pretty normal in web dev environments.

I'll pop over to the XenForo community and put the suggestion forward. Thanks for your response.

 

[Brogan]

Both of the developers are also very proficient in UX.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

I don't doubt that, but it is extremely, and I mean extremely, rare for someone to be able to call themselves an expert in both. They have clearly done a great job with the software. There is always room for improvement in anything.

[Edit] I'll point out as well that the best advice on improving user experience almost always comes from users. Not that I am saying I'm right. I could be in a minority on this one. Opinion is nowhere near as valuable as observation and feedback.

 

[FB]

Could the tab bars at the top be repeated at the bottom of the page? My first click after logging in is usually the What's New button but then I have scroll back to the top of the page to click it again after reading the posts. Mainly a problem on my iPad as scrolling up and down isn't as easy as on the lap top.

 

[gethinceri]

+1

 

[Brogan]

Unfortunately not FB as that would require a lot of custom code due to the way the nav bar is constructed.
It is actually already at the bottom, it's just moved there by CSS.

If it's just the What's New button you need though, I can see about adding that somewhere if you like?

 

[ExtremeNinja]

FB

If you have an iPad, tap the top of your screen above the address bar and your viewport will jump straight to the top of your page. You should find that a lot quicker than scrolling on your laptop.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

Hmm. However, with no more than about three to five lines of CSS it would be possible to afix the navigation to the top of the browser. That would be cool.

 

[Brogan]

That has been suggested before but I loathe sites which do that so it won't be happening here I'm afraid.

 

[ExtremeNinja]

 

[GeoffP]

One feature I've seen, and appreciated, is a "Go Up" button at the bottom And a "Go Down" at the top, is this an equally difficult ask?

 

[Brogan]

I presume you mean a "Go To Top" link GeoffP, which will take you back to the very top of the page?

I'll see if I can get that to work well.

I'm not sure what use a "Go To Bottom" button would be though, as it would just skip all of the posts?

 

[FB]

Would the "Got To Bottom" button link you straight the Jenson versus Lewis thread?

 

[Brogan]

I should point out also that pressing the Home button on a keyboard will also take the page back to the top.

 

[FB]

Well I never did!

 

[GeoffP]

Cool - thanks. I was thinking it sounded a lazy ask, but using an iPad there's no fast navigation route