UPDATE FROM MNHQ - New OP view

[LilyMumsnet]

Hi all,

We're currently testing a new topic page layout called ‘OP view’. You may have noticed it already if you've been on the Gardening topic page in the last month. The aim is to make it easier for users to understand what a thread is about.

Today, we're making ’OP view’ available on Property/DIY, Telly Addicts, The Doghouse, Food/Recipes, Housekeeping and Home decoration. This change will only be on mobile and desktop, OP view is currently not available in the apps.

From initial feedback, you told us that you'd like to be able to switch between OP and classic view. You'll still be able to do this by using the icon on the page, but now you can also choose a default view in your Talk settings.

We appreciate your feedback so feel free to add it to this thread.

Same here.

Ugh awful. Theres no way I would choose to view MN using this new feature.

@Seeline YES! 100% what you've said.

I agree with PPs that the best way for users to know what the thread is about is for the OP to use an informative title. We get posts on the AIBU board with the title “AIBU”? Or “AIBU to think….?” I just skip those now. In fact I skip most of AIBU because of all the “posting here for traffic” or posts that are not asking a question at all.

A “preview pane” like in the proposed view won’t necessarily help. The first line of the post can be something like “so what do you think about this? then a line break. So I’d probably skip those too.

I do.
I also use the mobile site on my phone - I suspect most Android users do

Oh God just realised that the threads now open in a new tab too!! Why? That is just so annoying. I don't use the 'My Feed' feature for that very reason!!

I absolutely hate it! Think it's probably the thing that will push me to stop using mumsnet completely if the site ends up looking like that

Presumably because changes have to be written in a different code and by app developers. So makes sense to test a concept on a more flexible platform before investing in app development. (Is my guess anyway)

If users have requested something along these lines then as long as there is the ability to switch between them (and it actually work…) then fine but if you do roll it out it needs ALOT of work, that is SO messy and difficult to read on a mobile. Im genuinely surprised that either no one bothered to look at mobile view before making the page live or someone has Completely forgotten mobile users exist. It’s bad. 😂

I can’t see any difference on the mobile version?!

Hard to read. Time-consuming. Have to wade through screeds of words. I'm just not going to do that. I want to scroll and a get a broad range of input rather than deeper narrower input. My eyes can take in many titles more quickly and can make quicker decisons re. level of interest the old way.

Sorry @MNHQ it is shit - it feels like Facebook having to scroll through pages to just see 10 threads. On the upside, if you roll it out across the site I may be able to break my MN addiction and get off the site and get my time back (in the same way I have left FB).

It's a nope from me. Takes up loads of space, adds nothing. I switched view immediately and will be finding the setting to make that the default.

Ah, I take it all back - the opening up a new tab thing when you click on a thread. That’s a bit crap. Why would you want that clutter?

Hurts my eyes, will be avoiding it.

Is that why some of the OPs on normal threads were in gigantic font earlier, due to meddling?

So I’ve just switched back to compact view but it now still opens up a new tab when you click on a thread. I do not agree with this HQ. Why’d ya do it?

Me too. Never downloaded the app, I just use a Chrome tab on my phone.

Its terrible. And who wants to open a new tab with every click? I dont have infinite memory, I dont need tabs to keep opening up.

Also, it is clumsy, cluttered and no easy to read.

Much prefer just the titles. I can then click on them and see what theyre about! I dont need a preview on them before hand.

It ain't broke but let's fix it anyway and dress it up to seem amazing. Can't polish a turd MNHQ why try?

We've set the threads to open in a new tab because we know that users like to have control over the threads displayed on a topic homepage. That is, we know users like to click on a thread, read the thread and then press back on their browser to find an unchanged list of threads on the topic homepage - ie the list will not have updated with the most recently updated threads, until the user refreshes the page.

Whilst we're able to keep the topic homepage static on the classic view when the user presses "back" on their browser, it's A LOT more complex to do this on the new "OP view" because of the way the page is built. Therefore, we decided to make threads open in a new tab to get round this issue. We know it's not ideal for everyone - but it does mean that the original topic homepage list of threads stays static until the user is ready to refresh it.

We are looking into other solutions to solve this problem though. The feedback is very helpful, thank you.

I would much prefer to be able to see publicly how many 'thanks' a post has.

Please don't change the layout 🙏

App never changes you can't even edit or quote a quote on the app. It's ridiculous!

The truth is we don't like change, I can still remember with some embarrassment some major grumbles from me when the mobile site was minorly tinkered with many years ago. Didn't take long to get used to it (I think @BIWI told me to get a grip and give my head a wobble )

It's awful on ipad safari. Far too much scrolling and big blank spaces.
Please revert.
What would be useful would be to be able to see who had started a thread, as we used to be able to, without having to open the thread.

@LilyMumsnet thanks, I hate it

You've made some fab changes recently but this is bad, sorry - I can't deal with a cluttered phone screen. I'm on mobile browser version (Firefox) . It works ok but it's too much... the thread title is fine in my opinion, I don't need half sentences thrown around, it's distracting and messy.