Creating a cleaner and faster AboveTopSecret.com -- member input requested.

Time constraints have prevented accomplishing what was discussed in this 10 month old thread - SEEKING MEMBER INPUT: ATS.5/3 - give your feedback
Not to mention, it's just me doing the work.

However, some promising new progress has been made.
New board home - screen shot
Site home page - screen shot
Recent posts page - screen shot
While the above examples show a dark-on-light execution, do not fear, logged-in members will have the option to select a light-on-dark alternative that will be much more fully integrated than the last time we tried that.

Also, with our new approach at a modern CSS3/HTML5 web app execution, all of those screen shots combined use only two image files -- we're greatly reducing the "weight" of ATS pages for faster loading, especially on mobile devices.

As the daunting task of propagating the new clean user experience into deeper pages such as threads, I need to know how much of ATS legacy features will break your heart if we loose or otherwise alter them. These include:


1) Mini-profile background images: Yeah, I love this one too. But the added complexity it brings to normalizing the visual design makes it hard to bring the new clean simplification to the display of threads.


2) Signatures: A few of the newer/modern forum systems - and updates to existing systems - are doing away with signatures on posts altogether. This is another aspect that impedes creating a new, highly readable and clean design for the display of thread content.


3) Profile custom colors: This was one of the very first tweaks I added to the ATS code back in 2005... and I personally like it. But again... with two options for full-page background colors, this could be problematic.


---- possible solutions to the above three is to offer two versions of each, one for the light option and the other for the dark option -- or only display those in the dark option... both add their own versions of new complexity.


4) MyATS favorite forums: I confess to having never used this... even though I spent a lot of time creating it. How many use the favorite forums list on the left-side of the MyATS page? Would a better option, for those who use it, be to display new activity in your favorite forums in a list-view similar to that of recent posts?


That is all for now. Thanks for helping with your input.

The more it looks like a newspaper the harder it is for me to see.

Just a big wall of text. Literal "white" space blinds me. the larger the monitor the worse it gets. Like having a flashlight in my eyes.

I suppose I'd get used to it or just change it myself with some plug in if I have to.

Duh, light on dark option. Thanks!

As far as use goes I only every use "RECENT POSTS" and "MY POSTS" and "MY THREADS."

Cant say Ive ever clicked on anything else.

Probably be nice if I actually answered the questions, huh?

1)Dont care about profile images or avitars. I've had them turned off for a very long time now.

2)Same with sigs. Take'em or leav'em.

3)Profile custom colors? No use for them.

4)Never looked at "MyATS Favorites"

Could also stand to lose the video images on the right.

I'm all for less clutter and color.

Make the RECENT POSTS auto refresh and I'd never need to click on anything.

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
4) MyATS favorite forums: I confess to having never used this... even though I spent a lot of time creating it.

How many use the favorite forums list on the left-side of the MyATS page? Would a better option, for those who use it, be to display new activity in your favorite forums in a list-view similar to that of recent posts?


That is all for now. Thanks for helping with your input.

I use the favorite forums all the time. It's a good way to keep up with news and aviation, which are the two forums I pay the most attention to.

In all honesty, I really like the current design. I'll admit I don't like change very much, but I really have nothing bad to say about the current way it looks!

reply to post by SkepticOverlord
I can live without Signatures and My Favorites, but pleeeeeeeeez don't take away Mini profile Backgrounds and Profile Custom colors!!!!!!!! I love playing with them too much!!!!!

reply to post by Wookiep


The current design was "good" when it was launched in 2010. A lot has changed since then, and it's time to bring ATS up to modern standards. One of which is accommodating both wider monitors and the smaller screens of smart phones.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Understood, I do agree about the smart phone accommodation. In that case, I suppose keeping the color scheme as similar to this version as possible would be my only request.

Edit to add: Oh and about the myATS usage. Personally, I use it very often to refer to the most recent threads I have commented on and it helps to keep up with those threads. Although, as long as profile history isn't removed it wouldn't be critical to keep it around IMO.

The mini-profile background colour is my substitute for an avatar, as you can see, and it might serve that way for others who are technologically challenged.

As for MyATS favourite forums- this is one of my standard stops, permanently set to the "recent posts" option.

Am I the only one noticing, no more deny ignorance moto? Hehe, how fitting.

No really, i'm glad you removed it, since this is one aspect of ATS that has been completely removed over the past years.

I also find the dark-on-light imagery hard to read and am glad to know that we'll be able to use the light-on-dark if so desired.

I would hate to see the signature line go. Something as simple as a one line quote or favorite expression bespeaks so much about a member's personality and I, personally, use this to get a small glimpse into the personality of the other members with whom I'm communicating.

if you are going to have page numbers, how about moving them from top to bottom, this would eliminate the top button,, and if you press the next page button it takes you to the top of the next page anyway or have them on top and bottom

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Very nice. I wasn't sure about it at first but it is growing on me.

Mini-profile background images- Wouldn't miss that much. We can have our avatars. Those of us with backgrounds could just change it to an avatar.

Signatures- Nice to have but wouldn't miss them.

Profile custom colors: LOVE THEM. Especially if we might remove profile background images. It's nice to at least leave the color. Font color is no big deal but I'd hate to do away with both profile colors and images. I'd prefer to still have the color than the background images. Profiles look naked without them.

Favorite Forums- I use them every time I log on for the staff forums but otherwise they aren't that big of a deal. I guess I could learn to live without them.

By updating what you see to be doing is 1) taking away the signature space, in which we point to our favorite creations for others to share, 2) taking away many avatars, as they are based on the background images, 3) My favorite forums are what I go to every time I come here, and many times during my visits here. These are some of the most usefull things about the site.

It's so fine as it is now (and I love the dark backgrounds and white print) that what the proposed changes seem to be doing is removing quality, removing quick-routes to threads, and removing our personal guides to what we think is sharable with other readers.

I know it's your site, and you should be proud of it. These particular changes will lessen it. Please reconsider. Thanks.

i like the new one, cleaner looking... and i too use favourite forums all the time as well

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Seems like it's another step to becoming more of a soulless mainstream news site.

With the default color skeme change and loss of personalisation options but that is just my opinion.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Personally I love the new look, admittedly I will miss the vibrant colors.

Background images, well I love my avatars and I would hope there would be suitable mechanism to replace them. Avatar creation is really popular, there are even contests that are done with them.

Signatures: Meh.

Custom Colors: Meh

MyATS: There's cobwebs on mine. I live on the recent posts page.

~Tenth

Originally posted by Zaphod58

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord
4) MyATS favorite forums: I confess to having never used this... even though I spent a lot of time creating it.

How many use the favorite forums list on the left-side of the MyATS page? Would a better option, for those who use it, be to display new activity in your favorite forums in a list-view similar to that of recent posts?


That is all for now. Thanks for helping with your input.

I use the favorite forums all the time. It's a good way to keep up with news and aviation, which are the two forums I pay the most attention to.

I use this all the time as well it's basically my ats home page

Originally posted by AshleyD
Favorite Forums- I use them every time I log on for the staff forums but otherwise they aren't that big of a deal. I guess I could learn to live without them.

I'm not considering removing the feature to have favorite forums, just considering an alternative display method. The current method is very "top heavy."

Originally posted by SkepticOverlord

Originally posted by AshleyD
Favorite Forums- I use them every time I log on for the staff forums but otherwise they aren't that big of a deal. I guess I could learn to live without them.

I'm not considering removing the feature to have favorite forums, just considering an alternative display method. The current method is very "top heavy."

That's good to know, as favorite forums is, as the above poster says, basically my ATS home page as well (I use recent posts and Favorite Forums to catch up on both recent and day-old threads).

You may not get a true indication of user thoughts on these issues on this forum, as it has no star capacity (ah, a good idea, give this forum stars too!) and so individual posts here don't have the "second the motion" feature that stars bring.

I know some of us don't like change, but keeping the options high - i.e. please keep signatures, I've come across some of the best threads that way - produces happier users and readers. And since I've never u2u'd you, a sincere thanks for doing what you've done during your career, nice work and you've made the net a much nicer place to crawl around on.

reply to post by SkepticOverlord


Yeah, that's cool. Whatever makes the load easier.

Have you considered creating a poll like you used to do? It might be easier for you to collect data. Maybe ask questions like, 'Out of the following four, what feature would you be the most disappointed to see discontinued?' or 'Which of the following features matters the least to you?'

Etc.

Personally, the only one I'd really miss is profile background colors but life goes on and we'd all adjust if that had to go by the wayside, too. lol