Is the new version too bright?

MSE_Martin

Hi folks,

While for most the new version (we hope) looks great.

Some have reported that they find the white background too bright - and indeed we've tested on a large number of monitors and about 1 in 20 it does look very bright. THis can make it difficult to concentrate on or read.

A Quick Fix for the Brightness Problem

So we propose to keep the current look, but allow people via the User CP to select a

New Version - Less Bright option.

In this we can only change the font colour and background colour not anything else (as then it becomes a layout not just a CSS change)

My proposal is to add a light grey in every area where the white is - though it could also be cream if people prefer it.

Open to suggestions (below) - do let us know and we'll try and get it done by next week.

One thing I will say - we can't put the same level of support into this version - e.g. if we build an image for the new version with a white background, it'll look a tiny bit odd - but Im sure you can live with that

Martin

Update - if you go to the User CP and Edit Options you'll see there's now a "new version (less bright)" option which we hope will help

fermi

Thanks Martin.

Should help quite a few people.

If you or Ian could post the colour codes you are going to try then that would be helpful to test.

For reference, the modification to the CSS that I'm currently running with Stylish is below.

May not be suitable for or liked liked by others, but it gives an idea....

.alt1, .alt1Active
{
    background: #E6F3DF !important;
}

.alt2, .alt2Active
{
    background: #D9E5D2 !important;
}

.inlinemod
{
    background: #FFFFCC !important;
}

}

Which gives something like:

Aesop

I life what fermi had done in his example.

mandi

Thanks Martin,

Yes I agree the new version is very bright. I have tried it a couple of times but had to revert back to the old version for that very reason

espresso

MSE_Martin wrote: »

Hi folks,

While for most the new version (we hope) looks great.

Some have reported that they find the white background too bright - and indeed we've tested on a large number of monitors and about 1 in 20 it does look very bright. THis can make it difficult to concentrate on or read.

I like the new layout and colours (I also liked the previous cheese & onion trial) and I do think that it definitely improves the look of the forum however I do find the new amateurish looking bright buttons and the traffic light online/offline indicator very distracting when reading posts on the forum.

Could we have a Classic View option like in Windows?

These buttons do not fit with the rest of the new look forum style and basically spoil it for many users. The multi quote button is a very good example of how not to design a user friendly button!

As posted above users can easily change the colours/fonts etc. to suit their specific needs but the buttons definitely need improving!

MSE_Martin

Esperesso - those are the new buttons - and I'm not going to resource redesigning them. They're clear and bigger as many users have requested. They're part of the furniture and people will soon get used to them.

Please can we keep this to my original request the ONLY thing we can change is fonts and background colours.

MSE_Martin

Fermi - isnt that a little too green. Think we're going to knock up a quick version with a cream background and post it here.

fermi

MSE_Martin wrote: »

Fermi - isnt that a little too green. Think we're going to knock up a quick version with a cream background and post it here.

Yep. Probably waaaaay too green. :cool:

As I was doing it for myself, I decided I may as well go for it and tone it down a lot.

I posted that up as an illustration, rather than an actual request for those colours.

A cream background sounds like it may be just the job.

Not too far off the current default, so as to still be in keeping with the new style. But not something that gives those of us with bright displays snow blindness.

bat-out-of-hell

.alt1, .alt1Active
{
background: #F9FBF9 !important;
}
.alt2, .alt2Active
{
background: #D9E5D2 !important;
}
.inlinemod
{
background: #FFFFCC !important;
}
.page
{
background: #F9FBF9;
color: #000000;
}


Fermi, see what you think, may be a bit too subtle, not sure :think:

bat-out-of-hell

Thats odd, in stylish it does not change the main background, but in the CSS editor of the webdevelper toolbar it does?????

Jesthar

Hi Martin,

I've found the new scheme uncomfortably bright even on my dullest monitor (I run several due to being a professional computer geek ). However, I've never had a problem with the V1 colour scheme, so I'd venture to suggest that if you took the post header green, background white and default text colour from that, it would potentially solve most of the problems without requiring anything other than a minor CSS change.

Thanks for looking into this!

~Jes