Navbar update

[JustineMumsnet]

Morning folks, and a happy 2016, one and all.

We will shortly be releasing a new version of the navbar across some areas of the site on desktop view.

The idea is to have something clearer and more streamlined and that is more in line with the mobile version (which is where the bulk of MN users are) and standard web formats. It also allows us to accommodate a larger ad format at the top of desktop site - which advertisers are demanding because that's what most other sites offer.

We've done a first round of testing on a with some users (many to them) and the response was largely positive, so we're now testing it on parts (talk, reviews) of the live site. The plan is to introduce it everywhere if all goes well.

This is very much a beta version; and we'll be continuing to make a few design tweaks to the nav bar as needed and to the rest of the desktop site to accommodate it (at the moment on Talk it looks a bit jarring for sure but we are working on improving that). We're also looking at way to fit in the angels logo at least at the top of the page (it will disappear as you scroll). So, they'll be a few more updates over the next few weeks...

Do post any thoughts, concerns, feedback here. (Bear in mind it's a work in progress and all change takes a little getting used to )

Many thanks Justine

[AllMyBestFriendsAreMetalheads]

I'm also missing the little slidey bar from the top, I only found it a few months ago. Much easier than having to scroll back to the top of the page every time yes, I'm lazy

If only a few people use it, it's because everyone else is scared of going into customise! But I remember hearing that very few people used the option to highlight posts from the OP and everyone lost their shit emphatically denied that was the case.

I like the new look though, the drop down menus bugged me.

[RustyBear]

You don't have to go back to the top for a link to Active/I'm on. There's one at the bottom of the page too, under the emoticons

[JustineMumsnet]

@Skullyton

"We'd most likely be streamlining the desktop site irrespective tbh. Tis the way of the world and most people would agree, I think, that MN is rather "busy" compared to most other sites. We don't want to lose the richness, obviously, but think there's probably a middle way solution that overall improves it."

But Justine, you've taken most of our customisable options away, you've taken our purple floaty bar away, and now you've ditched the nav bar.

By 'streamlining' for mobile users, all you're doing is turning this desktop site into your mobile site. What considerations are you actually making for your desktop users? It really does feel like we don't matter.

We've not removed anything that is widely used to be honest. And we'll consider introducing anything that more than a minority want to introduce. But you can't build website usability around what fewer than 5% of folks want/ use. In the old days we could cope (just about) with multiple options because there was just one desktop version to handle. Now we have desktop, tablet and mobile and diversity of sizes within those three groups.

I challenge you to name any site that offered as many different variations as Mumsnet - it's just too complex and inefficient to make any sense.

[JustineMumsnet]

@AllMyBestFriendsAreMetalheads

I'm also missing the little slidey bar from the top, I only found it a few months ago. Much easier than having to scroll back to the top of the page every time yes, I'm lazy

If only a few people use it, it's because everyone else is scared of going into customise! But I remember hearing that very few people used the option to highlight posts from the OP and everyone lost their shit emphatically denied that was the case.

I like the new look though, the drop down menus bugged me.

Hi - we will definitely look at adding a link to active from all areas of a thread. Is there anything else from the slidey bar that was crucial?

[StillStayingClassySanDiego]

I like it.

[JustineMumsnet]

@Sparklingbrook

It's alright. Have spaghetti dog and pregnant water woman really gone for good?

They have indeed. RIP both.

[BertieBotts]

Sorry, Justine, the thing is I have a rare issue with the adchoices ads which is probably not worth you fixing. I'm in Germany, y'see, so I get local ads, but a lot of them are irritating or horrible, and while I used to report offensive or irritating adchoice ads when in the UK and you lot are very good at blocking them, there just aren't that many of us browsing from Germany to bother reporting every single annoying ad, so it's a case of blocking them all.

If you are interested, I'd definitely allow the normal ads if you would consider contacting adblock plus and getting your native (not adchoice) ads added to the acceptable advertising list, since I have never found them intrusive or offensive, and it's really only the adchoice ones I want to block. Currently, I have no option - it's all or nothing.

Now I'm used to the minimalist title bar I like it but I hadn't clicked that the inbox isn't immediately viewable. Could it be? I liked being able to see that I had new mail at a glance.

[BertieBotts]

BTW to slidey bar people: Rusty is right abut the link at the bottom, you can also jump to the bottom of a thread from the middle by clicking "Add message" by someone's name, and you can also use the back button in your browser, or press the backspace key on your keyboard to go to the last page viewed.

Threads with images still mess up the back button thingy, BTW, but you just have to press it multiple times, watch the address bar and see when it changes.

[YesEinsteinsMumDid]

Does any one else feel dumbed down? I like the fact that it was an intelligent site that treated us like intelligent people. And not idiots that needs everything so simplistic that it become unusable. Seriously are you taking lessons from Microsoft these days?
emojis - what happened to proper communication and not universal
simplified and streamlined - really? what you basically mean is, we have hidden stuff and don't really want you using the really useful functions because it is not so great for high traffic volume managing.



And we'll consider introducing anything that more than a minority want to introduce.

1. locking threads?

[SarahMumsnet]

Hey everyone - a couple of people have answered the question of how you know when you have a PM upthread, but just in case folk are only looking at the MNHQ responses: if you've received a PM, you'll see a little bell on the blue person-icon that takes you through to My Mumsnet.

[SoupDragon]

No, I don't feel at all dumbed down.

Simple, clean design doesn't equal thick.

Spaghetti dog and gurning woman OTOH...

[JustineMumsnet]

@YesEinsteinsMumDid

Does any one else feel dumbed down? I like the fact that it was an intelligent site that treated us like intelligent people. And not idiots that needs everything so simplistic that it become unusable. Seriously are you taking lessons from Microsoft these days?
emojis - what happened to proper communication and not universal
simplified and streamlined - really? what you basically mean is, we have hidden stuff and don't really want you using the really useful functions because it is not so great for high traffic volume managing.


And we'll consider introducing anything that more than a minority want to introduce.

1. locking threads?

No that's not what I really mean. Of course we want Mumsnet to be really useful and we would never remove something really useful (as defined by more than a small minority of members using it) but there are only so many variations that are sensible before it makes the whole thing slow, ungainly and unusable.

And we do lock threads now and then.

[JustineMumsnet]

Btw I've checked and only 3% of users had floaty nav bar turned on. Nonetheless, as said, we can see that the active link from wherever you are in a thread would be a useful thing, so Tech's looking at adding. Let us know if there was anything else in the floaty bar that feels crucial.
Thanks

[YesEinsteinsMumDid]

I will happily admit I am more than grumpy about the improve to simplify thing. 48hours swearing and hunting about in a software program for a previously easy to find function will do that. So the useless dumbing down comment might be a little unfair. But it does still feel like that. Hunt the useful function is so prevalent in so many sites and can make them impossible to use.

However the issue of spammy posters reactivation zombie threads is a real major pita for the late night posters. Although we are probably in a minority of the users. Being able to lock old zombie threads would stop this.

[Secretus]

I used the floaty thing all the time. I don't ever remember turning it on though. I only use desktop. I have a good ad blocker so I never saw spaghetti dog and now have a big empty space at the top.

[JustineMumsnet]

@BertieBotts

Sorry, Justine, the thing is I have a rare issue with the adchoices ads which is probably not worth you fixing. I'm in Germany, y'see, so I get local ads, but a lot of them are irritating or horrible, and while I used to report offensive or irritating adchoice ads when in the UK and you lot are very good at blocking them, there just aren't that many of us browsing from Germany to bother reporting every single annoying ad, so it's a case of blocking them all.

If you are interested, I'd definitely allow the normal ads if you would consider contacting adblock plus and getting your native (not adchoice) ads added to the acceptable advertising list, since I have never found them intrusive or offensive, and it's really only the adchoice ones I want to block. Currently, I have no option - it's all or nothing.

Now I'm used to the minimalist title bar I like it but I hadn't clicked that the inbox isn't immediately viewable. Could it be? I liked being able to see that I had new mail at a glance.

Hi Bertie - if you have a PM it will be immediately viewable, as Sarah said, as a little bell by the My Mumsnet icon. Thanks for the thought re ads - we'll look into that.

[SarahMumsnet]

Here's a screengrab of where the PM-indicating bell will appear, btw

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

Still think it should be in red...

[ProfYaffle]

Thank God for the demise of the hover menu thing! Used to drive me mad, glad to see the back of spitty women, pa baby et al.

[SoupDragon]

I've just logged onto my Macbook and on the left are the social media buttons that stay fixed whether I scroll up or down - can the old floaty bar options be added to that?

[PlentyOfPubeGardens]

It's incredibly bare, it looks like it hasn't finished loading. I really don't think it suits a desktop site, it just looks unfinished. Why must it look the same as the mobile site?

The logo needs to be up there, and the PM envelope.

I'm glad the drop down images have gone but am secretly missing spaghetti dog already.

[RatOnnaStick]

the active link from wherever you are in a thread would be a useful thing, so Tech's looking at adding.

You're not going to add it to the damn social media thingy I have hidden are you?

[RatOnnaStick]

O dear, xpost with Soupy.

[SoupDragon]

I just ignore the social media buttons :) Although, to be fair, I rarely use my Macbook to mumsnet.

I will use it even less now as it doesn't seem to have a button to take me to the top of the page* and the floaty bar has gone... :o

*there may well be a button combination to do this but I am clueless.

[goodnightdarthvader1]

Dislike. Can't get to Pregnancy or Childbirth talk just by hovering like I used to.