UBB.Developers Forums General Discussion Suggestions and Feedback 5.4 Inconsistent treatment of icons/links

With this version, W3T now has three different approaches to handling icons/links. The group for posting, navigation, and display are images with an icon and text. The Favorites, Remind Me, Subscribe, Print Thread are icons with text links. The Post Extras are icons alone. Could these be made consistent?

I'd suggest that at a minimum the Post Extras be done like the Favorites, etc. with a text link. This would not only give an more consistent look, but the meaning of those icons is not readily apparent. With a text explanation, you'd also be able to eliminate the "Post Extras", as it would be clear for what the icons are to be used.

sam~

Totally agree. With the introduction of the new icons, my opinion is that the old Post/Flat Mode/Thread Mode icons look quite clunky.

MTO, any help in this dept?


= Jim =

May I add to this... we still have the problem with the "old" text icons that the []http://www.wwwthreads.com/w3timages/all.gif[/] button has very different meanings depending on where you are. I think it would be okay to use some kind of "up arrow" type icon, but use text links for all of those - would also make them language-dependent... makes little sense to have a different language selected but the buttons still say "previous" etc... that could and should all be language dependent. Using text links, you could also clearly say where you go to when you click that button... back to Search, Search Results, Board Index, Main Index... But I strongly agree that with all the added wonderful features (congratulations, Scream!) I think it should look less like patchwork and be more systematic. Also, maybe it's just me, but when I first saw the "Post Extras" it almost seemed like they were part of someone's signature... IMHO, they are a bit misplaced... I think they should go next to the subject... just my $.02...

Gerrit
SpiritBoard
http://www.channeling.net

Could you make this icon + textlink consistent look to version 5.4 Final release? Would help lot when translating forums to many languages.

I agree. IMO the icons should go with text. There is a lot of room there so I dont think space is the problem. I really like the new icons but I still think text helps to understand exactly what they are... Once you know what they are the icons let you identify this options at a quick glance, and I believe that's their purpose.

Agreed. To sum it up :

1) Get some new icons for the post / thread view / etc. options, and make the text associated with these icons language independent.

2) Move the "post extras" to a new location. First, I would change this text to say "post options" and then move these icons to the bottom of the cell to left; on the bottom of the cell that contains the username and picture.


= Jim =

I was going to start a new thread on this one, but it does tie in to the "post extras". I've been having difficulty with v5.4 and the "Favorites", etc. being right above the "Index" and other icons. I keep accidentily hitting the wrong icon. Could we move "Favorites", etc. to the left (justified), and the "post extras" perhaps in the middle?

Just my .02 []/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/]

http://www.yourvacationdreams.com

Scream, any chance of some last minute icon additions to replace the old post/thread view icons? It would give W3t a professional finish. :-)


= Jim =

>>the Post Extras be done like the Favorites, etc. with a text link. This would not only give an more consistent look, but the meaning of those icons is not readily apparent. With a text explanation, you'd also be able to eliminate the "Post Extras", as it would be clear for what the icons are to be used.<<

Yes! and move them over to the right, same as all the others.


[]http://www.wopr.com/w3tuserpics/Eileen-sig.gif[/]

I used to have the text next to them, but then several people said, no just use the icons[]/w3timages/icons/laugh.gif[/]. The problem with the post extras being moved over to the right is the last one in the thread ends up being right above the "add favorite, add reminder, print thread buttons" and it looks like quite the mess. This is why I had them in the middle to start with[]/w3timages/icons/wink.gif[/], but I can add the text links back in (if we get multiple people to agree on it[]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/]).

I'm not a very good icon guy. If we do go this route then the text next to these icons needs to be fairly limited because as MTO said in another thread, some things end up being quite long when translated to other languages.

I guess there is an easy way of making this optional. What happens if you add text and then people who would rather use just the icons leave that empty? maybe what I am saying doesn't make sense...

BTW my opinion is that the icons look good at the left (as they are now)

I don't have a problem with icons being close together either horizontally or vertically. I think by now most people have gotten used to homing in pretty precisely with the mouse.

I'll probably remove the text links anyway and make them get used to hovering for the popup alt labels. []http://wopr.com/S/devil.gif[/]

[]http://www.wopr.com/w3tuserpics/Eileen-sig.gif[/]

My vote against text in the post option icons!

Mateo Byler
CruceDeCaminos.com

I could probably take some time and make some more icons for "Edit", "post", and so on... though that would probably mean that they would all need to be changed.

I guess what really needs to be decided is:
- Do we want to remove all buttons and replace them by icons (possibly with linked text)?
- Or is it not worth the trouble and we should just continue with the buttons as till this date. One advantage of this is that you can learn to differenciate the kind of importance and functions that icons and buttons have. A button such as []http://www.wwwthreads.com/w3timages/reply.gif[/] is much easier to see in the middle of the other post and thread icons... and it should be easier to see, I think. Maybe what should really be done is allow the possibility of icon/button language folders, so that if you are viewing the boards in Spanish you see the Spanish buttons.

Mateo Byler
CruceDeCaminos.com

As stated earlier, my vote is for new icons.

As for your point about leaving icons as they are, giving them greater significance, I have to disagree. The current post icons don't exactly jump out at you; their color scheme should be changed if that is to be part of their purpose.

The new post icons IMO should be about twice the size of the "post options" icons, and maybe give them a brighter color scheme; something that contrasts well against the light yellow and blue.

And, move the post extras to the cell containing username and picture. :-)


= Jim =

I tried moving the post extras into that cell. Didn't work out too well. There is no efficient table structure to force the icons to the bottom of the cell for consistency and also on short posts it adds alot of blank space to the post body cell.

I think the new icons should have size attributes - they're leaping around all over the place as they load!

[]http://www.wopr.com/w3tuserpics/Eileen-sig.gif[/]

"And, move the post extras to the cell containing username and picture."

Totally disagree with this idea. Conceptually, the left column is associated with the poster, not the post. It's cognitively confusing to the user to put post options in the area associated with the poster. IMO, the date of the post shouldn't even be in this column.

sam~

"- Do we want to remove all buttons and replace them by icons (possibly with linked text)?"

I personally prefer buttons that include the text description, like the Reply button.

"- Or is it not worth the trouble and we should just continue with the buttons as till this date."

Probably other things of higher importance - like templates.. :)

"One advantage of this is that you can learn to differenciate the kind of importance and functions that icons and buttons have."

I think any distinction is too subtle for the user.

"A button such as is much easier to see in the middle of the other post and thread icons... and it should be easier to see, I think."

The icons seem to stand out sufficiently, but maybe it's the background colors here.

"Maybe what should really be done is allow the possibility of icon/button language folders, so that if you are viewing the boards in Spanish you see the Spanish buttons."

Excellent idea!


sam~

This kind of ties in with the language strings thread here... personally I think a text description by those icons would be essential especially for newer users. If we made them like buttons via table cells (see that language strings thread for more details), that would make it not only consistent but stick out more clearly and be less confusing.

Gerrit
SpiritBoard
http://www.channeling.net