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Front Page Layout

11 Dec 2015 04:48 #45615 by fats
Front Page Layout was created by fats
I've been working on template and i've now happy to look at alternative front page layouts.

Please let me know if you like the current front page or would like an alternative, i've attaced 2 graphics one with the current layout and one with a proposed layout.

Let me know what you think.

fats

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11 Dec 2015 05:44 #45617 by pansardum
Replied by pansardum on topic Front Page Layout
I think the current layout is better. The Blog should be high on the page for when something important gets posted there.
I would rank the importance
1. Blog
2. Forum
3. Stories

Maybe change side of "story comments" and "supergirl threads" since we then get forum related on the left and story related on the right.

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11 Dec 2015 10:54 #45620 by Markiehoe
Replied by Markiehoe on topic Front Page Layout
I personally like the second layout better.

Also the search function is not working.
There is no box to enter keywords.

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11 Dec 2015 11:13 #45621 by fats
Replied by fats on topic Front Page Layout
on the issue of the search box, if you click on the x on the right hand side the search box appears, dont ask my why it does not show as default, i've reported it as a bug so we will see when it gets fixed.

I'll knock up some more ideas for layouts over the next day or so.

Fats
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11 Dec 2015 22:42 #45626 by castor
Replied by castor on topic Front Page Layout
One thing i might suggest as you have increasingly forumized the page(not that this is a bad thing) is that instead of having 3 groups of ten top posts on the front page, maybe you cut back to 5.

my knoweldge of deisgn suggest not doing a scrolling focus page so much.

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11 Dec 2015 23:39 #45627 by five_red
Replied by five_red on topic Front Page Layout
For what it's worth: layout two, but...
  • Three columns across the top, not four: forum (top five), Supergirl (top five) and donations.
  • Drop the tag cloud. (Does anyone use it?)
  • Put the latest stories and latest story comments in the right column, in place of the tag cloud.
  • Reduce the size of the font for the lists, and maybe use a slightly different colour to indicate new items rather than the NEW! tag, to minimise wrapping.

As Castor suggested, try to minimise scrolling, so the key stuff is on display immediately upon load. Use whitespace to separate things visually that need to be separated, but otherwise try to minimise excessive padding and gaps, as this just leaves less room for the actual content, and increases the chances of line wrapping. Clickable areas need to be a reasonable size to accommodate 'fat fingers' on tablets, but even the fattest fingers don't need a 1/2 inch border around stuff.

R5

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12 Dec 2015 18:55 - 12 Dec 2015 18:57 #45636 by fats
Replied by fats on topic Front Page Layout
ok, here is a three column version of the FP.



what do people think of the menu being above the logo or do you prefer where it is now?

also ignore the gaps between the three columns, there will be less space when i make the changes, this is just to visualise the idea.

Fats

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Last edit: 12 Dec 2015 18:57 by fats.
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12 Dec 2015 20:03 #45637 by Monty
Replied by Monty on topic Front Page Layout
I like the fact that in the latest layout idea that Supergirl Latest is central on the layout, I think it makes sense rather than having her on a sidebar. Good Work Fats!

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13 Dec 2015 21:19 #45647 by Woodclaw
Replied by Woodclaw on topic Front Page Layout
I think I would prefer to have the forum latest in the middle of the page, while the Supergirl section is currently the most active one, I don't think that it should overshadow the main forum.

Also I would like to ask a question: do you guys prefer the comments under the story style or the forum topics about each story/series? If it's the latest, maybe it would be better to add a fourth column to the main page.

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13 Dec 2015 21:39 #45648 by castor
Replied by castor on topic Front Page Layout
Blue Sky idea:

We have a lot of(well technically a few) images. Maybe put one on the front page, and change em out every week or month or something as like a featured art section.

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13 Dec 2015 22:33 #45649 by fats
Replied by fats on topic Front Page Layout
I can add that easily but where is the question.

On the issue of comments below the stories, it will not return until I have effective spam protection for the comments.

Fats

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14 Dec 2015 00:44 - 14 Dec 2015 00:47 #45650 by castor
Replied by castor on topic Front Page Layout
This is a very quick demo version of an idea A little bit of wonky photoshop but...

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Last edit: 14 Dec 2015 00:47 by castor.

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14 Dec 2015 01:13 #45651 by fats
Replied by fats on topic Front Page Layout
thanks for that castor, i've included in this post the file that i edit for layout ideas.

It's a ODG which is opened by openoffice /libreoffice drw.

Fats

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14 Dec 2015 13:47 #45656 by five_red
Replied by five_red on topic Front Page Layout

castor wrote: This is a very quick demo version of an idea A little bit of wonky photoshop but...


One has to remember, not everyone browses on a 1920x1080 computer monitor. A typical iPad screen will be 1024x768, and even the Retina version (2048x1536) uses it's extra resolution for sharpness rather than to pack more onto the screen. Also, the larger the computer monitor, the less likely the user will have maximised their browser (have you ever tried to read a page of text on a window so wide that you physically had to turn your head to scan each line?) I tend to work on the assumption that the browser window is approximately 1024 to 1280 pixels wide, as this fits most mobile devices, laptops and netbooks, while also providing a comfortable 'page' width for large HD desktop monitors.

As someone else hinted, when the page loads, the most important features should be presented without having to scroll. The most frequently updating material is the forum -- the blog changes only very occasionally, yet currently it dominates the top of the page. That's why I thought putting the forum stuff in columns across the top was a clever idea, except I'd suggest three columns instead of four to work within the iPad/iPhone limitations. Each column will get between 300px and 400px, which should be readable on a mobile device. I also like the idea of making the donation button more prominent; it shouldn't be lost in the body of the page.

As for the menu placement -- this may be a quirk of how my brain works, but personally when 'controls' are placed at the very top of a page, I tend to overlook them (except for stuff like the login/logout, which we've all come to expect live at the page top, usually top-right.) So I'm happy to have them in their current position, under the logo. But other user's mileage may differ.


R5

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15 Dec 2015 02:17 - 15 Dec 2015 02:46 #45660 by fats
Replied by fats on topic Front Page Layout
ok, here a update to what has been suggested let me know what you think.



fats

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Last edit: 15 Dec 2015 02:46 by fats.
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15 Dec 2015 11:47 #45665 by Woodclaw
Replied by Woodclaw on topic Front Page Layout
Perhaps, just perhaps, it would be better to keep the donation module as part of the menu bar, so that it's more accessible.

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15 Dec 2015 17:05 #45668 by fats
Replied by fats on topic Front Page Layout
I've made some of the changes suggested, tell me what you think.

Fats
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15 Dec 2015 18:25 #45669 by Woodclaw
Replied by Woodclaw on topic Front Page Layout
I think it works, but having 10 threads/stories in each section makes the blog pretty much invisible on my monitor (I use a 16/9), maybe shorteining the list to 8 would do the trick. Also I think that putting the user module up on the masthead might help, since it also include the PM system notification, which is pretty much invisible right now.

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15 Dec 2015 21:29 #45672 by paulwitz
Replied by paulwitz on topic Front Page Layout
Hi, Fats. Good job, I like the new layout. I would like to see the latest stories 1st on the left as I feel the stories from the authors' should be first, because they contribute mightily to this site and thus should be prominently displayed. Then the forum latest in the middle, and then the supergirl thread last on the right.

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16 Dec 2015 00:23 #45676 by alternate_histories
Replied by alternate_histories on topic Front Page Layout
I like the new layout; it's clean and puts the important information at eye level when you arrive.

Thanks!

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16 Dec 2015 04:54 #45682 by fats
Replied by fats on topic Front Page Layout
What do people think of the 5 posts showing rather than the 10 previously, I'm a fan of working in fives in lists (5, 10, 15...) woodclaw suggested 8 as a good number for posts showing I disagree with him on that number for me it's either 5 or 10. What do people think.

On the matter of putting the donation or "me, myself and I" beside the masthead, that will not work as the background colour will drown out the module, so that's not a option.

Is there anything else that I can do on the front page that people would like to see, let me know.

Fats

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16 Dec 2015 05:43 #45683 by TwiceOnThursdays
Replied by TwiceOnThursdays on topic Front Page Layout
5 seems a little shallow sometimes.

I'm pretty sure that at only 5, I'll come in and have threads roll off the screen and I'd miss them unless I purposely went looking for them.

I seem to recall a lot of the time a new blog post also gets a Forum post too. I'd have to scroll down to see Story Comments anyway. ( I am so far behind and owe a lot of comments.)

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16 Dec 2015 13:20 - 16 Dec 2015 14:00 #45684 by five_red
Replied by five_red on topic Front Page Layout

TwiceOnThursdays wrote: 5 seems a little shallow sometimes.

I'm pretty sure that at only 5, I'll come in and have threads roll off the screen and I'd miss them unless I purposely went looking for them.


For me (personally) I think the true value in those components is in alerting visitors to new and interesting discussion threads, rather than giving a dashboard of all the latest updates since your last visit. So it is more about promoting threads, and less about tracking every single posting to a thread. (IMHO, once you know a thread exists, you have to take some responsibility yourself to check on it periodically.) I suspect whatever size is chosen, people will complain that they're missing updates, depending upon how frequently they visit the page. My guess is that five is a nice compromise: if you only visit the site once every two or three days, you're still likely to see a current discussion appear in the most recent five at some point, and so become aware of it.

Perhaps, if it is possible without too much hassle, a static MORE... link could be added to the bottom of each list that leads directly to www.superwomenmania.com/index.php/forum/recent , etc..? That would be very convenient.

Overall I like the new design. It will take a little getting used to, but already it's easier to find the stuff I look for first when I come onto the site. I think the columns work well -- I'm not too bothered about what order they are in.

Btw: if you remove the "padding: 0.938rem;" rule from .g-content (hydrogen_9.css, line 22) then it tightens up a lot of the front page content, including getting rid of the vertical gap between the three columns and the material below. Possibly worth experimenting with.

Applause and heartfelt thanks to Fats, and everyone who worked on improving the site. Their efforts are much appreciated. You've created a great place (probably the greatest) for all true superheroine fans to hang out. I've particularly appreciated the tone of the recent CBS Supergirl discussion here, which has been much more informed and interesting than elsewhere. Other forums are full of comicbook fans who obsess continuously over the same half dozen discussions ("When will Superman show up?", "When will we get a Flash crossover?", "Why is Jimmy Olsen black?"...), or dominated by just three or four voices that ask the most inane questions ("Which Game of Thrones character would you most like to guest on Supergirl?"). SWM, however, has consistently offered some intelligent and thought-provoking debate. So cheers to all those involved..!

CHEERS!!!

R5
Last edit: 16 Dec 2015 14:00 by five_red. Reason: Ambiguity fixed.

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