"Beta" first Impression - Not Good (Freeper Blunt)

3/28/02 | semper_libertas

[semper_libertas]

My comments are first reaction, gut feel but based on many years experience developing communication materials for the public.

Bottomline: It's not great. Keep it dirt simple (like the original). FR is a utility, not a sales brochure. Treat it like a communications tool, maximize the signal and minimize the noise. "Sophisticated" appearance is just additional noise if the graphics do not include any real signal.

My eye wanders all over the page looking for a place to rest. It's more complicated graphically than original version. White space is not well considered in layout. Left side bar is too wide, with too little actual useful data. Right side bar has lots of useful data but is too narrow causing me to read up and down more than left to right.

Remember also FR is a forum of habit. FR has name recognition and FORMAT recognition. The decision to radically change the format must be considered with the same gravity as if you were deciding to change the name.

A large part of the success of the Drudge Report revolves around its black & white simplicity.

Keep it simple. Don't fix it if it ain't broke. Keep in mind that people have habits and get very annoyed when forced to change (me for instance hehehe).

Avoid the fancy graphics; avoid lots of options. Keep the fonts bright and big.

When we designed our campaign materials we assumed our reader was an elderly lady with an 8th grade education, bad eyes, had very little time, didn't want to learn more than 3 simple facts, had no time and had firm habits.

The resultant campaign materials were dynamite and had WIDE appeal (not just elderly ladies hehehe).

Hope this helps! Don't make "improvements" just because you can. And certainly don't look at other forums to set examples for you. There is nobody better than FR now.

All the best...

[semper_libertas]

PS: Keep in mind some of the reasons we left Prodigy Whitewater forum in the first place.

[HairOfTheDog]

I like it a lot... give it more time to become familiar. After I added Breaking News and My State to the sidebars, the left and right sidebars became the same width... I think due to the "United We Stand logo that appeared on the right. Looks good now.

Best new feature is that as you move around and refresh pages, the "My Comments" (Self Search) becomes bold if there is anything new, so I don't have to keep checking it if there isn't necessarily anything new there.

[semper_libertas]

understood.

I feel protective of FR so I wanted to be blunt with first impression comments. I am a non-recovering FR addict of almost 6 years, so I will tolerate a lot of changes and eventually get used to them. But I was quite satisified with the original product that created the addiction.

[HairOfTheDog]

I liked it the way it was too, but I think the design changes are classy - not overdone at all (he didn't put flowers all over or anything!) ;~D the only thing I didn't like was the frequent trolls who would complain about some thread or another not being worthy of being on Free Republic because it was either silly or non-political or whatever. So I think protecting the fun-lovers by giving them an authorized forum where the crabbies can't complain is a good thing in the long run. I just wish more people didn't see it as an insult to have a General Interest forum seperate from politics. I see it as a bonus, and an open door to post fun things that I would have been reluctant to post before. Hopefully in time more of the good fun content will move over here, and the true political discussion will be cleaner. Both forums will be good then.

As for the other new Forums... I think Elections and Veterans stuff might get lost in their own forum, and could have remained in News... (should News be called Politics? maybe that would make the posting guidelines clearer)

The only reason I would like to see Religion in its own forum is that it is tiring to see the visciousness of any of the religion threads I have ever clicked on. - Fine... Let people yell and condemn each other to hell in another room where we don't have to see it ;~D

[Maceman]

My eye wanders all over the page looking for a place to rest. It's more complicated graphically than original version. White space is not well considered in layout. Left side bar is too wide, with too little actual useful data. Right side bar has lots of useful data but is too narrow causing me to read up and down more than left to right.

This comment is so true that the very Truth itself is a lie by comparison.

Right on semper_libertas.

[r9etb]

My very biggest complaint: the fragmented "Latest Posts".

I am not a single-topic FReeper. I like stuff from all manner of sources, and I like to pick and choose. The ability to get that was the real beauty of FR. Now I stand to miss things.

I want an option that allows me to see latest posts from every different forum on a single screen. We know it's possible, because the self-search feature gathers and displays from all forums.

[HairOfTheDog]

I would like that feature as an option too... if possible. I spend a lot of time jumping back and forth, because I can see something is new, but don't know what.

[Brett66]

I want an option that allows me to see latest posts from every different forum on a single screen.

BTTT!!

[xm177e2]

I want to be able to pick-and-choose which forumae I want to see latest posts from (so I could see more than one at once, but exclude others), that would be a nice utility...

[Slip18]

Bump to that, Brett!

[Texaggie79]

Don't listen to em John. As a web developer, I think you are doing a kick @$$ job with the upgrade. WAY better. Some people don't like change but they will get over it.

P.S. I'm still waiting for my quick search field above the thread lists in the beta......

[Texaggie79]

You know you can have topics on your right side where the breaking news was. I have Breaking news, Humor, sports at the moment. Easy to keep updated.

[Neets]

I don't mind change...really I don't...but..I remain totally CluelessnNewYawwwwk.

[CluelessnNewYawwwwk]

You rang????

[Texaggie79]

I wanna live in New Yawk.......

[Khepera]

I agree with you on this. I like the white space because it makes it easier on the eyes. It also looks more like a document you can read at work without raising suspicious eyebrows.

[Texaggie79]

HEY! First off, how in the world did you know your name was spoken? I haven't seen you b4 so it's not likely that you just happend to be surfin by.

[CluelessnNewYawwwwk]

Ask that other gurl who lives in New Yawwwwwk...

[CluelessnNewYawwwwk]

...and why you gotta bring b4 into it??? He's my pal!!!! He's not CluelessnNewYawwwwk tho, just lives there.

[Texaggie79]