Home page update

[JustineMumsnet]

Hello all,
The eagle-eyed amongst you may notice a change to the home page. We've updated it to be more in line with the look already introduced on our events pages and on Talk. It's not the finished article - we are planning more tweaks over the coming days and weeks to make it clearer/ neater/ generally more useful. Please do let us know what you think and in particular any thoughts/issues/improvements you'd like to see.
Many thanks

[Ninjagogo]

It looks great on the mobile. Will use the ipad later....

[AugustRose]

I don't like it but then I am a dinosaur who only views on a desktop. I suppose it is in line with most other sites and easier for phones/tablets.

[cozietoesie]

I'm warming to it faster than I thought I would. It introduces an extra step for me but.....it's just one step, so no biggie.

[cozietoesie]

One extra that might be useful - but I don't know if it's even technically possible - would (for me) be the inclusion of a 'My Favourite Topics' within the Topics section as there is in the app. (I find myself using that almost all the time when I'm using the app.)

[Seeline]

Is it just me - I can't see the MN logo on the front page at all. I still haven't got one on the Talk pages either.

[cozietoesie]

I haven't got one either. The Clairol banner ad is front and centre at the top, so that may be squeezing it out?

[cozietoesie]

Sorry - it's not a Clairol ad on the Talk pages but something else. (But no MN logo there either.)

[DarrenHardysDrongo]

Just came onto Site Stuff to rant about MN messing about with the site again! Using a laptop it now takes about 300 clicks to find the Talk page.

[AugustRose]

You have to click/tap Active on the right or click on menu and select Talk to get to the Talk pages.

As this is most popular part of the site it would make sense to have a Talk button in an easy to access place on the main page.

[cozietoesie]

Effectively, it's there though - just labelled 'Topics'. Would you find it easier than f that were renamed, do you think?

[cozietoesie]

iPad - 1, cozie - 0

....easier if that were renamed....

[Pipbin]

Is it just me - I can't see the MN logo on the front page at all. I still haven't got one on the Talk pages either.

Good point.

I'm sure I'll get used to it........

[HoneyDragon]

There's a home page?!

Wow.

[arandomname]

WTF have you done to the home page?

I get that it's "mobile first" design, and haven't seen it on a mobile, maybe it looks better than it does on the laptop I'm using.

But - sliders are bad! I know everyone uses them, but that is a trend that's seen it's day. What is your web designer thinking? Seriously no one looks at them.

Go have a look at the research on this. Users simply ignore sliders. You might get some clicks on the first one, if you're lucky, but forget the rest of the images you've so carefully chosen, no one will even look at them.

I like the design of new boxes linking to content from the home page, but they're hidden below the fold - if I wasn't exploring it thinking WTF I simply wouldn't have seen them. As a MN user the old page was great because I could see at a glance what the new topics were - lots of them, not just the top one on the slider.

Also being able to see the menu at first glance is important on desktop as gives you an idea of what the site is about.

You've effectively hidden the content, I expect far fewer new users will find Talk.

And you've made it very busy indeed. With the addition of the ad in the background, I feel like I'm being assaulted with visual overload, but no idea where to go really.

There's a huge picture of Mr Maker on the home page. If I came here for the first time I would think this was a site trying to sell me stuff, and patronising me as a mum. I would have no idea it was a thriving discussion forum.

What's happened to your daily threads that used to appear with active? Is that's what's on the slider now? Oh, it is, isn't it.

I'll eat my hat if the conversion rate for anything other than the top slide tanks, compared to the click-throughs you used to get with the "discussions of the day"

I use "discussions of the day" (did it used to be called "threads of the day" or have I imagined that?) almost every time I come on the site (several times a day. ) Or I did. I'm not going to watch a slider change to see the content now, I just won't bother. I'll go straight to active. But it's a shame, I did like that feature.

If it was me I'd improve it by getting rid of the slider completely, move the boxes below up a bit. Put the menu back, and do something with discussions of the day so you can see them, in a list.

Do you do usability testing for Mumsnet changes?

[arandomname]

Ah, I see, Discussions of the day are still in a box in the right, on the pages other than the home page.

That's something I guess!

[arandomname]

Are you doing away with the logo?

You seem to be phasing it out?

[Sparklingbrook]

I never ever look at the Home Page.

[arandomname]

See, before if I came to mumsnet for the first time, I would see at a glance, from the menu, that it's about "Talk, Pregnancy, Education, Babies, Child, Parenting, Food, Style and Beauty etc"

All things I am interested in, in varying degrees. It looked like a site for me.

Now, I see the Mr Maker and Clairol (the ad), neither of which hold any interest for me.

It would likely make me think that you had very different ideas on motherhood to me and the site is not for me.

It looks like a marketing person's version of motherhood, not a site by-parents-for-parents now IMO.

I would be interested to the difference in your bounce rate for new users.

Maybe I'm wrong and your designers know something I don't (very possible!). Maybe people like me are not your target market any more and you want to appeal to people who like Clairol and Mr Maker?

[arandomname]

Nothing specifically wrong with Mr Maker btw, just he's a brand and it feels like I'm being marketed at, even if it is BBC. Clairol is definitely a brand and I'm definitely being marketed at.

When they are the main things you can see, it gives an impression of a very commercial site, not a discussion site with a commercial aspect IYSWIM.

[Pipbin]

I have to say that on the mobile it looks like the links you get at the bottom of news sites that say things like 'you won't believe this tip to get rid of belly fat'.

[SilverBirchWithout]

I never use the home page.

[JeffreySadsacIsUnwell]

Seriously annoying. It looks like a bunch of ads. I thought the talk part of the site was down the first couple of times I tried logging in.

[DoubleNegativePanda]

I just logged in and immediately said "WTAF?". Look, I know it's good to keep up with the times, but honestly. Haven't you learned that mners DO NOT LIKE CHANGE.

Put talk back at the top at least, pretty please. And less obtrusive advertising.

[arandomname]

It's making Talk further away. Now I have to click three times to get onto Threads I'm On.

Click Menu
Click Talk
Click TIO

A few home page designs ago, I just had to click once

Hover over Talk, menu appears, click TIO
This could be done in one smooth action.

Then the most recent design, it was twice:

Click Talk
Click TIO

This feels we're going backwards in terms of usability for regular users.

[arandomname]

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of regulars have a tough time finding Talk.