Hands up everyone who wants to try out the BRAND NEW MUMSNET MOBILE SITE

[RowanMumsnet]

Hello comrades

As lots of you will know, we've been developing a brand new, souped up version of the Mumsnet mobile site for seven geological eras quite a long time now.

We can now exclusively reveal that the new mobile site is... TOTALLY AND UTTERLY ABOUT TO BE RELEASED, LIKE, ANY TIME NOW.

We've tested it on loads of MNers ( to those who have helped out) but inevitably there will be glitches that only reveal themselves once tens of thousands of you dive in and start using it - so please use this thread to let us know about those (with the usual info about browsers and devices).

And if you like it, please pass along and to ShamTech, BrunoTech, JessicaMumsnet and all the other techs and MHQers who have been working their digits off on this.

The new improved apps are coming, honest... but in the meantime, if the old apps are driving you bonkers, do please take the new mobile site for a test drive.

@ilovesooty

We're completely sure that in time we'll all grow to love the new version

That sounds pretty dismissive tome.

And this approach killed the TES site. People got fed up with the persistent emphasis on changing a site which didn't need changing. People were told they'd grow to love it.

People left in their droves.

Sorry if that sounded dismissive, ilovesooty - that wasn't the intention at all.

We just hope that you'll all bear with us while we iron out the creases. As we've said, we are taking copious notes of all the issues raised, and our Tech folk will be along in the morning to answer all your queries.

YY SwedishEdith - I too would like to know why MN have brought in the new mobile site. I'm not as a rule resistant to change, but I'm genuinely struggling to understand the reasoning behind this. There was nothing wrong with the way the old mobile site worked on my not-very-flash Windows phone, but it's unusable for me now (posting this from DH iPad)

Oof. Way too bright and text size is coming out huge on my Nexus so it's taking an age to read and too much scrolling. /requestsdesktopsite

I've had to change to desktop site on kindle as,in addition to the glare-induced headache, I was starting to feel queasy/not quite nauseous.

DawnMumsnet - are you able to tell us why these changes have been introduced to the mobile site?

Ok more comments. I can't seem
To get rid of the shortcuts bar. I've clicked to hide it but it reappears again pretty quickly.

I appreciate that I do change my mind on a whim occaisionally but id like the chance to decide when I do, rather than find the little bugger apearing again obscuring an already limited view.

What I do like is the little arrow at the top of a thread, providing a few shortcuts instead of them cluttering the screen. I'd prefer it though if those just related to actions on the thread e.g watch, show all messages etc and flip.

I can't find how to flip the thread anywhere. It makes me sad.

Long time (unregistered) lurker here, just joined to echo how awful the mobile site is now. Urgh.

I miss the "go to top" buttons you could get all through a thread. It saved my fingers lots of work.

*Tapirbackrider Wed 20-Aug-14 23:27:03
I've tried using the new layout 3 times tonight - each time I've had an epilepsy aura triggered.

Won't be using it*

That's not good at all. It's a pain to read yes, but if it's triggering epilepsy, it needs sorting now.

It's working fine on my iPhone. No complaints. It's a thankless task making any new website. Humans hate change!!

There's no page back/ forwards at the top. And neither do the threads youre on go automatically to the last post after you posted, so you get taken to the top of the OP, then you have to scroll all the way down the page to press next / last and then repeat ad nausium.And that's before you even find your spot to carry on reading.

User testing or basic research surely would have picked up these ridiculous flaws. Why would you ignore this stuff?! It may look smarter but taking away functionality AND screen real estate is bonkers.

I don't appreciate the large and permanent banner (rather retro forcing engagement in this way isn't it?) and I don't appreciate the large and unwieldy permanent toolbar at the bottom either. Maybe if you could customize the toolbar so it works for you, but even so, massive size for no discernible gain.

I'm sure you've been told by your design company that you'll get negative feedback then everyone will forget and love it, in the manner of new coin launches and brand name changes etc. But really, this is different.

When you decide that 'we'll all learn to love it", that kind of sentiment only refers to look & feel. Not impairing basic functionality. People don't give in to difficult navigation and usage, they give up... And go.

But it's not a new website. It's a horrible change to am existing one that's we didn't ask for.

It's painful, literally, and hard work to use.

No more scanning through the threads or having a casual browse. There's barely any room for more than one post on the screen at a time.
The glare of the white is going to trigger a migraine if I stay on any longer so I'm off.

Find it hard to believe the posters who tested this all liked it.

These aren't creases. You seem very unwilling to accept that people may have genuine complaints with the new site, why is that? We're completely sure that in time we'll all grow to love the new version. - Please. We're not in school.

I would guess you have had a UX person in banging on about whitespace and metro style. You've sacrificed functionality for flash and that is definitely not what UX is about.

Either be honest and say 'this is what the site is gonna look like, if you hate it take your business elsewhere' or say 'okay we may have got this wrong and we'll listen to feedback'. But give it the benefit of the doubt for a wee while and really get to know it is just patronising bullshit. One area of expertise to which MN will never be able to lay claim is modern website design.

The normal layout and colours felt warm and easy to use. Relaxing.

This is like being in a brightly lit hospital waiting room at 3am.

Ok sorry to bug you but I'd rather feedback while I can make a difference.

I agree it takes longer to get to the bottom of a thread now.

A little nark is that on my iPhone if I keep my finger On an option then often I get the choice to open in a new tab.

Now Id rather not have that shortcut bar keep reappearing but seeing as it does that I tried keeping my finger on the threads I'm on tab and no option to open in a new thread comes up. It's all or nothing.

I've seen this occaisionally elsewhere so I presume it's the way it's been programmed. But it is quite annoying as I like to open tabs that way.

That said - if the glare issue was better then I'd say that the active conversations list is actually easier to read now.

You do realise you'll never please us all.

I think there is the possibility that quite a few of us will eventually get used to parts of this upgrade but it feels like we've lost a lot of the functionality and options to personalise the way we interact - things like whether we read a thread flipped or not, how we customise it.

I like the circles at the bottom of this text box, with the smiley face, italics etc.

There is stuff to like, we just need to feel like we can make it "our mumsnet" new easily.

Thanks for trying to improve things. We do appreciate it, at least some of us, and without that desire mn wouldn't be the website it is, even if we are slightly stick in the muds when it comes to change!

Dawn I can't read anything it's too white and all I can see is the spaces between the letters unless I concentrate really hard. I am dyslexic and it is a horrible horrible experience.

It's actually making me feel teary because it is so difficult. I haven't felt like this about reading for a very long time.

I like the look of it but on my android tablet using chrome, when I try to bookmark a post the thread jumps back to the top which is annoying. Also I can't find a way to flip threads. If that function Is there then it's well hidden! Finally I miss the highlighting of the OP's posts.

But still, well done everyone at MNHQ

Put it back!

Dawn can Tech switch back to making the old mobile site available while the problems with the new site are resolved?

Who actually tested these changes? Were they people that regularly use MN from a mobile device? How can you implement changes that drastically degrade the usability of the site and then just clear off for the night?

I work in IT and we develop very similar mobile websites, albeit with a much, much smaller customer base, and if my team managed a release so badly we'd be in serious trouble with our employer.

I like being able to click the pic to inset a instead of having to type it out.
The background is too bright.
I like the size of the text.
I wish the TIO would work like
the old one re displaying previews of subsequent posts and taking you to your last post on a thread. Going back to the start of a thread you've already posted on is ridiculous.
I like the drop down buttons at the top right of the page.
So I'll go for 6/10 Could do better.

Ok great excitement here because I've finally found out how to highlight OP posts. Thank you.

That said I am going slowly frustrated that no matter how often I click the "hide shortcuts" option nothing seems to be happening. I may as well psychically try to remove the shortcuts bar. I might be more successful.

greenmouse go to the top right hand of your screen and there should be a stylised downward arrow In a circle, click on it and then click on "customise".

There should be a box to click on for "highlight op posts".

Then save changes.

Now I'll make no guarantees it works as I've been clicking on "hide shortcuts" all evening to no effect but I believe that's at least where you're meant to go.

Hope that helps.