Exciting Updates - Mac-Forums Beta

RavingMac · RavingMac #16 (**permalink**)

01-14-2012, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vansmith

Shameless plug: my colour changer browser extension. That could easily be modified to be "Razorfied"

.

Have to admit I haven't looked at it yet. I do almost all of my MacForums browsing either on my iPad (and I assumed your fix wouldn't impact Mobile Safari) or on my work PC (where I have no admin privileges--at all).

Does it work on the iPad?

badshoehabit · badshoehabit #17 (**permalink**)

01-14-2012, 10:55 AM

No problem for me reading the new design but users who have colour blindness may have trouble with all the red. The UK RNIB website has good guidance for website design to avoid such problems.

vansmith · vansmith #18 (**permalink**)

01-14-2012, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razormac

Have to admit I haven't looked at it yet. I do almost all of my MacForums browsing either on my iPad (and I assumed your fix wouldn't impact Mobile Safari) or on my work PC (where I have no admin privileges--at all).

Does it work on the iPad?

No, it's a browser extension for Safari, Chrome and Opera. You could probably install it regardless of user privileges and I'd be happy to modify one of those for you to increase the text size so you can view MF with comfort from work.

RavingMac · RavingMac #19 (**permalink**)

01-14-2012, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vansmith

No, it's a browser extension for Safari, Chrome and Opera. You could probably install it regardless of user privileges and I'd be happy to adapt one of those for you to increase the text size so you can view MF with comfort from work.

That would be wonderful!

McBie · McBie #20 (**permalink**)

01-14-2012, 02:12 PM

Looks great .... much more modern
And better for my old eyes -_-

The arrows ( < and > ) at the bottom/top right to go to the next/previous screen should be a little more separated from the page number as my fingers are too thick to use this feature on iPad in an efficient way.

Cheers ... McBie

pendlewitch · pendlewitch #21 (**permalink**)

01-15-2012, 04:12 AM

There is much to like on here so well done everyone.

At first glance, I think font size within the post is an issue. It may help if you changed the colour of the post header to something more solid, or turn down the brightness of the background because the contrast ratios don't seem right.

The eye is also drawn to a straight line and I'm finding it difficult to assimilate.

Here is an interesting paper to go all techie...paras 4 and 5 on the first page.

http://www.pnas.org/content/82/17/5983.full.pdf

Apart from that it's great.

louishen · louishen #22 (**permalink**)

01-15-2012, 12:22 PM

Looking good

As others have said, I would like to see and easy link to new threads

iWhat · iWhat #23 (**permalink**)

01-16-2012, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badshoehabit

No problem for me reading the new design but users who have colour blindness may have trouble with all the red. The UK RNIB website has good guidance for website design to avoid such problems.

I'm colorblind, red/green.

And red is actually my favorite color. I can't speak for the other colorblind users on Mac-forums, but I don't struggle with the colors for the redesign. The color choices are really nice.

But I do at times find sites who have no regard for colorblind users. I do find myself having to highlight text in websites every now and then.

lifeisabeach · lifeisabeach #24 (**permalink**)

01-16-2012, 10:40 PM

I may be the odd man out on this, but I'll be brutally honest here and say I don't like it. The font is too... I dunno... squarish? Easy to read and sharper than what is in use now, so that is a plus at least. Actually I guess it's the same font, but a tad smaller and fully black rather than grayish? In any event, there's just too much of it everywhere. Or maybe I'm just distracted by it because there's so little in the way of color and graphical elements.

The logo... while updating it is certainly in order, the fonts used are very much boring. That may be the single worst change here.

The red-colored rows that indicate the section title, post count, etc, are perhaps a little too tall in relationship to the font size. Actually the fonts in those red bars seem inconsistent. At the very top, where it says Home, Forums, Articles, etc... that doesn't look too bad for the size. But below, it's either a different font or a smaller one, not sure which, and the letters look a bit too much mashed together.

Speaking of red... there's too much red. Perhaps the forum categories could be changed to a blue color... to match the > icons to the right of each. That would help offset the colors a bit. Or better yet... same color blue as the category titles (General Discussions, e.g.).

Compare the header for this post from the old and new site:

What scratches an iPhone 4s glass?

http://stage.mac-forums.com/forums/i...ml#post1327708

On the new site, the background that was red and clearly differentiates one post from the next now is a rather like gray that sorta floats there. I do like the whole "shadow box" look for each post, but I think making the header graphic more solid would help break up what on first glance looks like, I dunno, a bunch of text floating on white background. It looks somewhat surreal, perhaps? Sorry... not sure how better to describe what I'm thinking here. Maybe pin striping just inside the border of each post would look good?

Anywho... those are my initial thoughts.

EDIT: What looks really good is up top... the stylized bar where the name/password fields are. That rocks. In fact, I think using that style, with the light gray background and white pinstripe border on top of the shadow should be implemented more throughout the forum, like for each posting to address the concerns I had. This would add more color (even if it is gray) and some graphical nicety to the whole look here, and some more consistency.

MacLicious · MacLicious #25 (**permalink**)

01-17-2012, 03:10 PM

I am happy with the forum the way it is. Easy to read, easy to find everything. Everything familiar and where it should be. I dunno, maybe I'm just getting old.

AKlove · AKlove #26 (**permalink**)

01-18-2012, 12:04 PM

The first thing that jumped out at me was the logo, I don't like it.
The old one has a glow about it, the new one makes me feel like I'm in a hardware store forum, for some reason.
And maybe the red is a little thick and heavy for me.
I quite like it the way it is actually, but then I'm not a big fan of change unless it is a huge and significant one that vastly and obviously improves things.

I do like the little touch that makes the individual sections on the page look slightly lifted above the background. Looks great that way.

SaucerBoy · SaucerBoy #27 (**permalink**)

01-19-2012, 09:39 PM

I don't know exactly how it would look, but if you could make the profile bar in the top right scroll along with the page it might be neat. I don't know if it would be necessary, but worth a shot.

Doug b · Doug b #28 (**permalink**)

01-20-2012, 05:08 PM

I'm going to chime in but with a different issue from aesthetics. At least for now anyway... This has more to do with functionality. I feel like the order in which the fora are laid out, needs a bit of revision.

I kind of understand having the "switcher" forums near the top, but the rest of it makes less sense to me. The way I'd reorder the forum structure would be something like:

Community
General
Hardware
OS X Software
iPhone, iPad, iPod
Dev Playground

I realize this may seem like nitpicking at first, but the logic behind this applies to when you think about posting a new topic. And in my experience, I'm more likely to want or need to post a new topic in hardware, Software or iOS before the others.

Opinions?

Doug

cwa107 · cwa107 #29 (**permalink**)

01-22-2012, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doug b

I'm going to chime in but with a different issue from aesthetics. At least for now anyway... This has more to do with functionality. I feel like the order in which the fora are laid out, needs a bit of revision.

I kind of understand having the "switcher" forums near the top, but the rest of it makes less sense to me. The way I'd reorder the forum structure would be something like:

Community
General
Hardware
OS X Software
iPhone, iPad, iPod
Dev Playground

I realize this may seem like nitpicking at first, but the logic behind this applies to when you think about posting a new topic. And in my experience, I'm more likely to want or need to post a new topic in hardware, Software or iOS before the others.

Opinions?

Doug

I agree - and that's something we can change pretty easily, given consensus amongst the staff.

RavingMac · RavingMac #30 (**permalink**)

01-22-2012, 05:20 PM

How about setting up the Buy/Sell/Trade Forum as invisible until a member meets the criteria? Is this feasible or desirable?

McBie #20 (permalink)
Member Since: Apr 26, 2008 Location: Belgium Posts: 1,836 Mac Specs: 2008 MBP 17" - 10.8.2 & iPad - iOS 5.1	01-14-2012, 02:12 PM Looks great .... much more modern And better for my old eyes -_- The arrows ( < and > ) at the bottom/top right to go to the next/previous screen should be a little more separated from the page number as my fingers are too thick to use this feature on iPad in an efficient way. Cheers ... McBie " Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler. " A. Einstein The problem is not the problem. The problem is your attitude towards the problem. You understand ?
	QUOTE Thanks

pendlewitch #21 (permalink)
Member Since: Sep 10, 2011 Location: Nelson,UK Posts: 1,645 Mac Specs: iMac 27" Mid 2010, 3.2GHz Intel Core i3,4GB 1333 MHz DDR3, ATI Radeon HD5670 512MB, ML 10.8.3	01-15-2012, 04:12 AM There is much to like on here so well done everyone. At first glance, I think font size within the post is an issue. It may help if you changed the colour of the post header to something more solid, or turn down the brightness of the background because the contrast ratios don't seem right. The eye is also drawn to a straight line and I'm finding it difficult to assimilate. Here is an interesting paper to go all techie...paras 4 and 5 on the first page. http://www.pnas.org/content/82/17/5983.full.pdf Apart from that it's great. iMac 27-inch Mid 2010, WD My Book 1TB Firewire, Magic Mouse,Magic Trackpad, iPhone 4, iPod Nano 4GB 3rd Gen,ATV2, Samsung LE40 Series 6, Denon AVR1910, Kef HTS 1001.2’s and Kube-1 Sub Denon DCD510AE, Panasonic DMP-BD60,Sky+HD,Logitech Harmony One Advanced. MOTM October 2012.
	QUOTE Thanks

louishen #22 (permalink)
Member Since: Oct 22, 2007 Location: London Posts: 8,650 Mac Specs: Mac Mini Core i7 2012 \| White 2009 MacBook 2 Ghz \| 733 Mhz G4 Quicksilver	01-15-2012, 12:22 PM Looking good As others have said, I would like to see and easy link to new threads Member of the Month September 2008 & August 2012 \| Found advice useful? – use the rep system
	QUOTE Thanks

lifeisabeach #24 (permalink)
Member Since: Sep 30, 2007 Location: Wilmington, NC Posts: 5,787 Mac Specs: iMac i3 (mid-2010) + OS 10.8; TV 2; iPhone 4S; iPad 1	01-16-2012, 10:40 PM I may be the odd man out on this, but I'll be brutally honest here and say I don't like it. The font is too... I dunno... squarish? Easy to read and sharper than what is in use now, so that is a plus at least. Actually I guess it's the same font, but a tad smaller and fully black rather than grayish? In any event, there's just too much of it everywhere. Or maybe I'm just distracted by it because there's so little in the way of color and graphical elements. The logo... while updating it is certainly in order, the fonts used are very much boring. That may be the single worst change here. The red-colored rows that indicate the section title, post count, etc, are perhaps a little too tall in relationship to the font size. Actually the fonts in those red bars seem inconsistent. At the very top, where it says Home, Forums, Articles, etc... that doesn't look too bad for the size. But below, it's either a different font or a smaller one, not sure which, and the letters look a bit too much mashed together. Speaking of red... there's too much red. Perhaps the forum categories could be changed to a blue color... to match the > icons to the right of each. That would help offset the colors a bit. Or better yet... same color blue as the category titles (General Discussions, e.g.). Compare the header for this post from the old and new site: What scratches an iPhone 4s glass? http://stage.mac-forums.com/forums/i...ml#post1327708 On the new site, the background that was red and clearly differentiates one post from the next now is a rather like gray that sorta floats there. I do like the whole "shadow box" look for each post, but I think making the header graphic more solid would help break up what on first glance looks like, I dunno, a bunch of text floating on white background. It looks somewhat surreal, perhaps? Sorry... not sure how better to describe what I'm thinking here. Maybe pin striping just inside the border of each post would look good? Anywho... those are my initial thoughts. EDIT: What looks really good is up top... the stylized bar where the name/password fields are. That rocks. In fact, I think using that style, with the light gray background and white pinstripe border on top of the shadow should be implemented more throughout the forum, like for each posting to address the concerns I had. This would add more color (even if it is gray) and some graphical nicety to the whole look here, and some more consistency. Standing request for all troubleshooting: Please provide your Mac model/year and OS version. Also advise us if you have used or installed any antivirus, security, or "cleaning" software on your Mac. If you have installed MacKeeper in particular, you are hereby advised to uninstall it. --------- If all else fails to fix your problem, read this tip. Last edited by lifeisabeach; 01-16-2012 at 10:49 PM.
	QUOTE Thanks

MacLicious #25 (permalink)
Member Since: Nov 26, 2009 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 262	01-17-2012, 03:10 PM I am happy with the forum the way it is. Easy to read, easy to find everything. Everything familiar and where it should be. I dunno, maybe I'm just getting old. // MacBook Air mid2011 i5 4gb ram 256SSD // 2009 24"iMac 3.06 C2D nVidia 130GT 512mb // iPad2 64gb 3G // iPhone4 32gb used now as an iPod +Current phone Samsung Galaxy S3+ // iPod Video 80gb
	QUOTE Thanks

Exciting Updates - Mac-Forums Beta

Internet Services

Web Development

Digital Marketing

Consumer Tech

badshoehabit #17 (permalink)
Member Since: Aug 02, 2011 Location: Tyneside, UK Posts: 80 Mac Specs: Mac Book Pro MC721: 500GB 15.4" 4GB Core i7	01-14-2012, 10:55 AM No problem for me reading the new design but users who have colour blindness may have trouble with all the red. The UK RNIB website has good guidance for website design to avoid such problems.
	QUOTE Thanks

AKlove #26 (permalink)
Member Since: Aug 11, 2010 Posts: 5	01-18-2012, 12:04 PM The first thing that jumped out at me was the logo, I don't like it. The old one has a glow about it, the new one makes me feel like I'm in a hardware store forum, for some reason. And maybe the red is a little thick and heavy for me. I quite like it the way it is actually, but then I'm not a big fan of change unless it is a huge and significant one that vastly and obviously improves things. I do like the little touch that makes the individual sections on the page look slightly lifted above the background. Looks great that way. Last edited by AKlove; 01-18-2012 at 12:16 PM.
	QUOTE Thanks

SaucerBoy #27 (permalink)
Member Since: Dec 10, 2011 Posts: 21	01-19-2012, 09:39 PM I don't know exactly how it would look, but if you could make the profile bar in the top right scroll along with the page it might be neat. I don't know if it would be necessary, but worth a shot.
	QUOTE Thanks

Doug b #28 (permalink)
Member Since: Jun 22, 2008 Location: Forest Hills, NYC Posts: 3,339 Mac Specs: 15-inch Early 2008; Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo; Memory 4 GB 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 10.7.5	01-20-2012, 05:08 PM I'm going to chime in but with a different issue from aesthetics. At least for now anyway... This has more to do with functionality. I feel like the order in which the fora are laid out, needs a bit of revision. I kind of understand having the "switcher" forums near the top, but the rest of it makes less sense to me. The way I'd reorder the forum structure would be something like: Community General Hardware OS X Software iPhone, iPad, iPod Dev Playground I realize this may seem like nitpicking at first, but the logic behind this applies to when you think about posting a new topic. And in my experience, I'm more likely to want or need to post a new topic in hardware, Software or iOS before the others. Opinions? Doug Alternatives to iTunes click here !
	QUOTE Thanks

RavingMac #30 (permalink)
Member Since: Jan 07, 2008 Location: In Denial Posts: 6,780 Mac Specs: 4GB Mac Mini, 13" MacBook, 15" MacBook Pro OSX 10.7, 32 GB iPhone 3GS, iPad2 64gb 3G	01-22-2012, 05:20 PM How about setting up the Buy/Sell/Trade Forum as invisible until a member meets the criteria? Is this feasible or desirable? Of course, I know everything . . . I just can't remember it all at once.
	QUOTE Thanks

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Mac OS X 10.7.3 Beta Drivers Reveal Evidence of New Mac Pros	SafeHarbor	Apple Rumors and Reports	18	12-27-2011 12:22 PM
Mac Users Get More ISP Choices	schweb	Apple Rumors and Reports	1	03-06-2003 10:57 AM