Changing the "top and bottom" of the Mumsnet site

[NellMumsnet]

You may notice that the top and bottom bits of Mumsnet are looking a bit different. Better, we hope.

If you’ve used Mumsnet for a while you’ve probably noticed that some pages, like the homepage, have one header design, while others, like the pregnancy section, have another – with a completely different set of navigation links.

From today we’re launching a new, unified header and footer across the site with the aim of making Mumsnet more consistent and easier to navigate. No matter what page you’re on, the navigation links will be the same. And in the same order.

It’s a big change for us, so we’re rolling it out carefully. For the next few weeks only a small proportion of Mumsnetters will be able to see the new design, so don’t worry if things look the same to you now. Based on the feedback we get and how well it goes technically, we’ll make it available to more and more people.

If you can see the new design, we’d love to know what you think:

• Has the new header and footer made Mumsnet easier to navigate for you?
• Do the navigation links make sense to you?
• What do you think about the mobile vs. the desktop designs?
• What could we do to make them better?

Do add comments below or email [email protected] if you have any thoughts, questions or concerns.

Also, although we’ve thoroughly tested the code, bugs may still slip through, so if you spot anything that looks wonky then we want to know about it. Please tell us which page you’re having problems with and the device you’re viewing it on – and if you can include a screenshot the tech team will love you forever.

[ScreamingValenta]

Thank you @MattKMumsnet - the Mumsnet Jobs are now showing again.

[MattKMumsnet]

@ScreamingValenta Hooray! That's good news.

[Graphista]

• Has the new header and footer made Mumsnet easier to navigate for you? Not sure I'm not noticing much difference.

• What do you think about the mobile vs. the desktop designs? I don't use the desktop as I'm usually on the phone but had a look for this. No don't like it, looks untidy, too many ads and on phone requires too much scrolling - left to right as well as up n down.

• What could we do to make them better? Tidy & clarify desktop - but then I'm not really a user. Fewer ads and if you must have ads can I say I HATE moving/flashing ones that bugger the loading and make it hard to read what you're actually wanting to read. Do away with the profile nonsense. My text font etc still looks the same on mobile site is that going to change? I have noticed it can be slow to load sometimes more recently plus that thing of getting a blank page, flashing and 'page didn't load correctly so we're reloading it' or whatever it says is happening more, that's annoying.

In work topic, the tab on the right that slides a weird job search option overlaid on the topic thread list is REALLY annoying. Plus to be perfectly honest (and I know it's not really on topic) I was job hunting last year, as was dd, I wouldn't come to mn to job hunt. And a quick search just now shows that there's very few employees using it too - seems a waste of resources. Do many mners even use this?

I'm on the mobile site on iPhone safari.

• Do the navigation links make sense to you?

I've still got the same shortcuts (is that going to change? I hope NOT)

The wee speech bubble icon takes me to talk - active - which I have THREE other ways of directly accessing from the same page - overkill.

The wee person icon to the right of it gives me options

Settings - but doesn't take me to what I recognise as settings but instead to my account - is that supposed to happen? And if so how do I get to actual settings?

Inbox - self explanatory - prefer the larger icon notifying a new message.

Profile - does anyone even use this? I don't. It's not that kinda site most of us like the anonymity and the freedom this gives us to discuss sensitive topics.

Logout - self explanatory.

Re the menu that can be accessed top left.

I only use talk, so the other options are superfluous for me, not sure how other users think on this. Do people read the articles etc?

Top talk topics - does that change according to numbers of posts/new threads?

By footer do you mean the list

Home, talk, conception etc (which by the way seems also superfluous seeing as these are all available via menu button AND shortcuts) With the blue background.

Or the bit in small print that says

Help/contact us etc? I think that's what I had before anyway? Never use it.

"I think it would be useful to have site stuff in the top talk topics." Agree - stickied there?

In a previous job I assisted in setting up a website similar to this. I'm not a tech - which was the point - I was the 'lay person' trying things to see what was user friendly. It was industry specific and I was a 'typical user' and as here tech seem to just LOVE adding buttons/links for the hell of it. Makes no sense, it's additional work for the software which overloads and slows everything down and makes things more likely to go wrong surely?

[Graphista]

Sorry that should say it doesn't look like many employERS use it.

[MattKMumsnet]

Hi @Graphista, thanks for your thoughtful feedback. We're going to be making continual improvements to the header and footer based on analytics and the feedback we get, so your comments are much appreciated.

I agree the settings and profile sections could use some work – we're actually working a project to make some improvements to them right now. Look out for a thread in Site Stuff shortly to discuss it...