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The New Site. Feedback and Info II
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MSE_Martin
Posts: 8,272 Money Saving Expert
Welcome to the new look site. I hope you like it; we've been working on it for a long time. The main aim is to keep the feel of the old site (and all the content of course - that's still the same and its still ad-free and free to use) but modernise the look and make things easier to find.
This is the second feedback thread
The new site has been running for four days so far, and already we've made many tweaks based on observatons and feedback from users (thank you for all of thos) so I thought I would start a new updated thread for feedback. I'm very pleased to report the new site has worked very well, with very limited glitches so far.
Glitches we're aware of
There's a glitch in the Forums, that mean a scroll bar is appearing, which shouldn't happen except for people on 800 x 600 screens; it's being looked at. Also the Forum smilies box overflows too.
What's changed?
The look, the frame, the set up (the main site is now fixed width, the forum stretchy), the navigation. The site is an editorial site so articles are primary; there are now slightly changed sections.
Some of you may feel it looks a little busy/cluttered/too many colours. These were criticisms of the old look too. We did first try a version which had many less words and much more white space. And guess what? It looked very professional and very commercial, just like all the 'flog 'em stuff' sites out there. So I decided to stick with the feel of the old site.
Yes it’s busy; that's cos there's ENORMOUS amounts of info in it and I want people to realise that as soon as they hit the site. However, the difference now is it should be much easier to find.
The new sections
Firstly, these are now at tabs at the top of the page that everyone can see rather than running down the left hand side. The set-up has changed slightly too...
E.g. while there use to be three sections
The new system also allows articles to be placed in multiple sections with ease e.g. Bank Charges Reclaiming belongs in Reclaim & Banking & Credit Cards (because of credit card reclaiming) and that's now easy to do.
Within the sections
Each of the sections should now be much easier to use and the articles should be easier to scan, as they're split into categories. Plus I've introduced a 'Ones Not To Miss' Categorisation. Many people always said "help where do I start", so now this is obvious.
Also, the way that search engines like Google can access the site has been improved, which should mean the site appears a little higher in the search engine rankings.
Integrating the main site and forum
Links to the relevant forums will now be in every article and links to the top articles on the site in every page on the forum. This means its easier to move between the two.
Highlighting the tip and making it more obvious
The look of the weekly email box has changed so that it's easier to see what’s in it and easier to get all the info.
More space in the forums
Things have been moved in the forum, so there's less stuff at the top and the real forum starts much higher up the page. The shift from the navigation bar on the left (now above) to a browse bar on the right, has added content without using any more space, plus a latter addition is a Forum Jump bar.
The plan is to use this right hand space much more. Already you'll see articles, the tip box, forum etiquette, tools and the poll there. And we can add more.
Possibly, post of the month to go there - you never know even a picture of the Forumite of the week (or maybe not). Perhaps some blog links, some key content, top forum posts of the previous day. We've got room for it so it can be used.
The search
The main site search is now done by Google search to make things much easier to find; though we're still working on tweaking it. The Forum search hasn't changed yet though it’s on the list - we're still not sure the particular Google search we've got can cope with the vastness of the Forum or will order the info right for the way the forum works, so for the moment we're sticking with the current system.
What hasn't changed
The content is the same. There's no change to the site’s editorial, this is a purely cosmetic makeover.
For techies, the articles are still based on the same HTML though we've changed the back end article management system. One of the next jobs is to clean up the HTML of all the articles.
Also the software of the Forums hasn't changed. This makeover will have no impact - either positive or negative on the reliability. We've separately been working on that and things are getting better. Once the new look site is up and running, it gives me more resources to dedicate to that too.
Accessibility
A site map has been added, and the font sizes of navigation are now variable so you can increase the viewing size (this doesn't yet happen in articles unless you use the zoom facility - as the article HTML has changed). We're working hard to make the site more accessible for those with disabilities and it should be easier now than before for screen readers.
More tweaks to come
As we learn more how people are using the site, we've a few more tweaks to add in that should make it look better and feel easier. The list is currently of about 50 things so it may take a while.
I think that's it for the moment (I'm sure I've forgotten some things but will remember later).
My hope though is the new site is easier to use, and will allow more people to find the MoneySaving info they want more quickly already as you'll see from this blog the new site is proving people can find their way around it much more easily.
I know some of the Forum regulars have found a change of look and moving of tools a little off-putting, familiarity is ease, but I've heard from many who originally though "don't like it" who already love the increased functionality.
If you spot a bug?
I do hope you like it, please do give me feedback and report any bugs in the
discussion below or email [EMAIL="bugspotting@moneysavingexpert.com"]bugspotting@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL]
Martin
PS Enormous thanks to Brendan, Neil, Darren, Daniel, Dan, Richard and all the team at MSE Towers for the huge amount of work they've put into making this work.
This is the second feedback thread
The new site has been running for four days so far, and already we've made many tweaks based on observatons and feedback from users (thank you for all of thos) so I thought I would start a new updated thread for feedback. I'm very pleased to report the new site has worked very well, with very limited glitches so far.
Glitches we're aware of
There's a glitch in the Forums, that mean a scroll bar is appearing, which shouldn't happen except for people on 800 x 600 screens; it's being looked at. Also the Forum smilies box overflows too.
What's changed?
The look, the frame, the set up (the main site is now fixed width, the forum stretchy), the navigation. The site is an editorial site so articles are primary; there are now slightly changed sections.
Some of you may feel it looks a little busy/cluttered/too many colours. These were criticisms of the old look too. We did first try a version which had many less words and much more white space. And guess what? It looked very professional and very commercial, just like all the 'flog 'em stuff' sites out there. So I decided to stick with the feel of the old site.
Yes it’s busy; that's cos there's ENORMOUS amounts of info in it and I want people to realise that as soon as they hit the site. However, the difference now is it should be much easier to find.
The new sections
Firstly, these are now at tabs at the top of the page that everyone can see rather than running down the left hand side. The set-up has changed slightly too...
E.g. while there use to be three sections
- Credit Cards
- Savings & Investments
- Loans & Banking
- Credit Cards & Loans
- Banking & Saving (which includes investments)
The new system also allows articles to be placed in multiple sections with ease e.g. Bank Charges Reclaiming belongs in Reclaim & Banking & Credit Cards (because of credit card reclaiming) and that's now easy to do.
Within the sections
Each of the sections should now be much easier to use and the articles should be easier to scan, as they're split into categories. Plus I've introduced a 'Ones Not To Miss' Categorisation. Many people always said "help where do I start", so now this is obvious.
Also, the way that search engines like Google can access the site has been improved, which should mean the site appears a little higher in the search engine rankings.
Integrating the main site and forum
Links to the relevant forums will now be in every article and links to the top articles on the site in every page on the forum. This means its easier to move between the two.
Highlighting the tip and making it more obvious
The look of the weekly email box has changed so that it's easier to see what’s in it and easier to get all the info.
More space in the forums
Things have been moved in the forum, so there's less stuff at the top and the real forum starts much higher up the page. The shift from the navigation bar on the left (now above) to a browse bar on the right, has added content without using any more space, plus a latter addition is a Forum Jump bar.
The plan is to use this right hand space much more. Already you'll see articles, the tip box, forum etiquette, tools and the poll there. And we can add more.
Possibly, post of the month to go there - you never know even a picture of the Forumite of the week (or maybe not). Perhaps some blog links, some key content, top forum posts of the previous day. We've got room for it so it can be used.
The search
The main site search is now done by Google search to make things much easier to find; though we're still working on tweaking it. The Forum search hasn't changed yet though it’s on the list - we're still not sure the particular Google search we've got can cope with the vastness of the Forum or will order the info right for the way the forum works, so for the moment we're sticking with the current system.
What hasn't changed
The content is the same. There's no change to the site’s editorial, this is a purely cosmetic makeover.
For techies, the articles are still based on the same HTML though we've changed the back end article management system. One of the next jobs is to clean up the HTML of all the articles.
Also the software of the Forums hasn't changed. This makeover will have no impact - either positive or negative on the reliability. We've separately been working on that and things are getting better. Once the new look site is up and running, it gives me more resources to dedicate to that too.
Accessibility
A site map has been added, and the font sizes of navigation are now variable so you can increase the viewing size (this doesn't yet happen in articles unless you use the zoom facility - as the article HTML has changed). We're working hard to make the site more accessible for those with disabilities and it should be easier now than before for screen readers.
More tweaks to come
As we learn more how people are using the site, we've a few more tweaks to add in that should make it look better and feel easier. The list is currently of about 50 things so it may take a while.
I think that's it for the moment (I'm sure I've forgotten some things but will remember later).
My hope though is the new site is easier to use, and will allow more people to find the MoneySaving info they want more quickly already as you'll see from this blog the new site is proving people can find their way around it much more easily.
I know some of the Forum regulars have found a change of look and moving of tools a little off-putting, familiarity is ease, but I've heard from many who originally though "don't like it" who already love the increased functionality.
If you spot a bug?
I do hope you like it, please do give me feedback and report any bugs in the
discussion below or email [EMAIL="bugspotting@moneysavingexpert.com"]bugspotting@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL]
Martin
PS Enormous thanks to Brendan, Neil, Darren, Daniel, Dan, Richard and all the team at MSE Towers for the huge amount of work they've put into making this work.
CLICK REPLY TO POST YOUR FEEDBACK
Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert.
Please note, answers don't constitute financial advice, it is based on generalised journalistic research. Always ensure any decision is made with regards to your own individual circumstance.
Please note, answers don't constitute financial advice, it is based on generalised journalistic research. Always ensure any decision is made with regards to your own individual circumstance.
Don't miss out on urgent MoneySaving, get my weekly e-mail at www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips.
Debt-Free Wannabee Official Nerd Club: (Honorary) Members number 000
0
Comments
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Its definately better captain, I pretty much only use the forums but have noticed that the other areas are more prominently positiond?
I can see them where as before they were sort of just part of the noise around the edge and top so to speak.
its clearer and more intuative thats what im getting at
positiond
posishond
??????0 -
My thoughts after living with it for a few days...
Still not liking the forum's green. It's not so bad that I can't live with it, but will never like it.
The sidebar's colour is OK. It seems pretty empty as you scroll down and could do with something in there. When I first load a forum page, the posts go fullscreen for a sec and then squashes to size - that's a bit annoying.
I don't like the way the main site goes right to the left edge. It could do with some separation - Perhaps like Ubuntu website puts a brown frame around each page. (Quite like their Forums colour scheme as well). Or maybe just a thin green line on the left matching the colour of the right sidebar would do (See link below).
The little pics in the homepage and elsewhere don't sit well for some reason - and not being a designer I can't explain why. :undecided
At first I though it was because they could do with a frame or shadow, but then I looked around and I saw that other sites often don't always have that yet look OK.
Perhaps it's because they're square. Would Golden Ratio be better?
Green bar down left and more rectangular images Does that look better???
Final thing. Still got an overflowing smiliey box, and a scroll bar even in 1024
Final Final thing - I'd still like to see one unifying logo (apart from Martins headshot). Something that looks good small scale and could go on buttons&banners linking here and replace the favicon (which I think looks pretty horrible)0 -
When I want to quote someone or reply to a thread the font and font size has changed itself to Times New Roman size 3 when its usually Verdana size 2. Why? Is there any way to stop this happening? Its easy enough to change it manually when I'm replying but when I quote someone it just looks wrong and I can't be bothered to re-type it in my preferred text.:heart2: Love isn't finding someone you can live with. It's finding someone you can't live without :heart2:0
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how about the facility in userCP to turn off the side bar (if it isn't already!)?
it's just using up valuable screen size for me.
cheers0 -
I'm actually quite digging this new colour. :T
It's quite calming which is good after a hard day slaying [STRIKE]dragons[/STRIKE] debts!
The old colour was a bit......well pink, so this is a massive improvement.
It's alot easier to navigate aswell. I don't find it as patchy and cluttered like the old site so a big thumbs up from me. :beer:
Don't fear evolution people, embrace it! :cool:0 -
A quick note on the right hand side bar.
I know some forumites don't like it and think "it wastes valuable screen size" to quote the above. Actually it is EXACTLY the same size as the old left hand bar so the screen width is EXACTLY the same; it's just the fact it's new that makes it more obvious.
We have lots of plans with the right hand space. Unlike most forums which are stand-alones - this forum is designed to be an integral part of the main site - with people moving too and fro. The right hand browse bar is a vehicle to do that and very important for the site navigation.
It's also got the Forum jump in - and will act as a noticeboard for important and urgent information that we need to let people know.
Please give it time to get used to it. There is more forum space than ever before (the top has been decluttered).
MartinMartin Lewis, Money Saving Expert.
Please note, answers don't constitute financial advice, it is based on generalised journalistic research. Always ensure any decision is made with regards to your own individual circumstance.Don't miss out on urgent MoneySaving, get my weekly e-mail at www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips.Debt-Free Wannabee Official Nerd Club: (Honorary) Members number 0000 -
ah to be honest with you, I don't actually remember the old side bar either, so it just shows how much i don't use it! lol
but i like the forum jump yeah, but that could be at the bottom of the page
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pssst, look down and you'll find the Forum Jump is still at the bottom of each page
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I'm used to the new look already, I quite like the colour, it's chilled and relaxing
so well done to all involved
(even tho my smilies are still having the odd moment to themselves :rolleyes:)I got food in my belly and a license for my telly
And nothing's going to bring me down0 -
I particularly like the new header strip.
However, I have a big problem with the positioning of the main body of the text. It's all to the left. This is already giving me a serious crick in the neck from looking sideways all the time.
Having it in the centre, or at least with a much small side-bar would be a lot better.
Enough computer users have health problems without adding to them.0
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