Testing Testing - Ok so now here's our new look (but you don't have to have it, do you hear?)

[JustinExcelsisMumsnet]

This is a sneak preview of our redesign - it's planned across the whole site but we thought we'd give you a preview of Talk so you could give us your thoughts. ETA is early in the new year (God willing).

Two things we should make clear:

First Customise talk and Mn Classic WILL STILL BE AVAILABLE so don't panic if you really hate it!

Second it's not finished yet so not everything works perfectly - it's a test site.

You might wonder why we are bothering with a redesign by the way. We have had quite a lot of feedback that newcomers find the site a little hard to find their way round at first so we are trying to simplify it. We haven't changed much overall in nine years but we've added quite a few bits and bobs on, and to newbies it can be quite daunting we think.

And one more thing - we've found in the past (and we know ourselves) that change can be disorienting but do give it a go for a wee while before you trash it completely, please? .

There's no link to it yet - YetMoreTech will post it in a minute - he wants to add more caveats before he posts it up!

Hope you like it (or at least don't loathe it) - let us know your thoughts.

(Please address all complaints to [email protected])

I'll tell you why in the spirit of constructive criticism.

You have got a few topics visible but not the rest.,
So these will be the ones that get greatest clickage as some people won't bother with/see the other topics.

You need more equality in the topic listings.

Also 'to start a new DISScussion' needs sorting!!!

I like the colours and so on. Just need it to be clearer really in terms of where everything is.

I'm not keen either - sorry

I don't like change.

I am a MN classic kind of girl.

Don't ever take it away

As a online product manager myself, I can never resist a peek at a beta. I spend a lot of time looking at websites. The visuals are good but the content organisation make it quite undigestible. The information is very dense and difficult to read. There are no themes or pointers to help the user understand what they are looking at

For example: What is the difference between items in the light blue bar and the dark blue? Are the Forum shortcuts duplicating the talk topics above? Are the "Conception" etc links talk topics or information topics?
What have I selected at the moment? There are so many "ways in", I am lost.

If I was product manager, I would contact a specialist usability company like Serco (I don't work for them but have employed them in the past) to run some usability sessions to iron out all these issues. And I would make tough decisions about what is important and concentrate on making this clear. You can achieve a lot with just 6 user centred design session. Your design company may tell you can do all this kind of thing for you but in my experience this is usually not the case.

Hope this helps. Good luck with it.

well it looks all rather swish i must say but i agree with Stephla.

there seems to be a lot going on and if i were new i wouildn't know where to start

People who may be using an ancient old browser cos they have an archaic elderly computer will find that they can't view the new look very well. The left hand side is cut off and you can't scroll over to see it.

Don't tell me to upgrade as believe you me if i could afford to I would!

So Tech, don't forget that not everyone has the newest most fandangled computers and operating systems

Hoooray - the threads are at the top of the page!!! Thanks YMT. Much better

mmmmm i think i like it

as a newbie to this site, i must admit i find it much easier to navigate than i did the old pages.
much more user-friendly imo

why wont it let me sign in on it tho? - i really want to have a go. when i try to type in my log in details, it says they're wrong, but the fact that i can post on these boards proves they're not!!!!

stevielisa - the test site won't let you sign in because the User Database isn't the same as that used for the main site (think that's what YetMoreTech said earlier) - it was a snapshot, so only knows usernames up to a certain date. Thus as you are a new user, the test site does not know you exist.

I think it is great that as a new user you have found the Site Stuff board and have had explored the test site. Also especially great as you have posted your comments about your experience of visiting the test site. Given that the test site is aimed at making things easier for new users, I am sure that YetMoreTech and rest of MNHQ team will appreciate your comments... probably quite rare for a new user to even see the test site, given it's only linked to from this message thread.

Welcome to Mumsnet - I think you are no longer a newbie... but a fully fledge Mumsnetter now

I really don't like it.
I like the visibility of the topics on the old site and the colours on the new site are really "in your face".
I began to feel quite cross reading it simply because of the colours.

Haven't been on for a while, do not like the fact everytime I look at a thread I have the beginning at the top, and I have to change pages - what is that about?? Flipping it doesn't work. I much preferred the old way.

Perhaps it's just me - but some of the dates on the threads I'm watching page look a bit bizarre - like "19/59/08".

Testing removal of the Festive Smilies...

and again...

you know you have to think of something other than fsoandso..every time I send one it makes me giggle and think I am swaering when sending a x-massy emoticon, lol

only looked quick, but looks fine to me