Does It have the Look

abvolt

Member
Sorry but looks are one of the first things people notice when visiting a website and this one needs a lot of work, The look and feel of a board can make it work this one needs skins, Themes how will this be addressed.
 
Hello :) There are tons of people ready to leap in and design skins the moment this software goes on sale. Or did you mean, how easy would it be to do it yourself? In which case, I think you'll find the answers you need in this thread. And also in this one. (To sum up: pretty easy.)

I happen to like the minimalistic look of this forum, but even if you don't here is one big advantage: you won't have to rip out all kinds of junk you don't want if you customize it yourself.
 
Awesome, And I do agree less is better but members or customers don't .
I couldn't agree less. Users in general want simplicity. This is one of the reasons for the success of many websites including Google, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook and others; simple, clean design. Focus on content and functionality, not on tons of graphics and non-essential information.

Does it have the look? Yes, for me it does. I like this kind of design. Ask your customers what they think about it, invite them to this site. Prove me wrong.

Having said that, of course there will be other styles, and we should encourage customization. Every site needs a personal touch. Some are going to be happy with little changes, others will want a completely different look. But you should never confuse simplicity and user-friendliness with customisation, remember: KISS.
 
Users in general want simplicity.
I don't believe there is any such thing as "users in general." If you have 100 users they will want 100 different things. That's pretty well demonstrated all over this forum. And right here in this short thread.

Google, Youtube and Twitter are not popular because they are simple. They are popular because of what they offer the user. You can wrap the information people want in moldy bread and dog crap and they will still flock to it (see: craigslist).

A forum is a forum. If you get the concept, as a visitor you can use any of them. All the different forums have to offer to potential administrators is ease of deployment and management. That's where they succeed or fail. The public interface is trivial. They all do the same basic things.

And frankly, that's why I'm more than a little baffled at the rabid enthusiasm here when only 5 or 6 users of this software know what managing it is really like. From what I can brilliantly deduce, everyone here is a forum administrator or a plug-in or style developer, and as an administrator or someone who is going to have to work with the guts of the thing, I'm not sure how can you so eagerly praise what you can't see.

Ultimately this software doesn't need anyone to defend it. If it works for people they will use it, and it won't matter what anyone says about it.
 
I don't believe there is any such thing as "users in general." If you have 100 users they will want 100 different things. That's pretty well demonstrated all over this forum. And right here in this short thread.

Google, Youtube and Twitter are not popular because they are simple. They are popular because of what they offer the user. You can wrap the information people want in moldy bread and dog crap and they will still flock to it (see: craigslist).

A forum is a forum. If you get the concept, as a visitor you can use any of them. All the different forums have to offer to potential administrators is ease of deployment and management. That's where they succeed or fail. The public interface is trivial. They all do the same basic things.

And frankly, that's why I'm more than a little baffled at the rabid enthusiasm here when only 5 or 6 users of this software know what managing it is really like. From what I can brilliantly deduce, everyone here is a forum administrator or a plug-in or style developer, and as an administrator or someone who is going to have to work with the guts of the thing, I'm not sure how can you so eagerly praise what you can't see.

Ultimately this software doesn't need anyone to defend it. If it works for people they will use it, and it won't matter what anyone says about it.

I couldn't disagree more, as it ignores a lot of research and conclusions drawn from it.

When things basically work the same, it's not so much about what you are doing but how you do it. The user interface can have a dramatic effect on whether a user has a satisfying experience while using your site, or leaving annoyed never to return. When your competitors offer virtually the same service and content, then that "public interface" becomes even more important.

I work for a photo sharing site, which are a dime a dozen, and the one thing that arguably sets us apart from our competitors is our user interface. When we ask our users why they continue to stick with us, its one of the main reasons they cite. Sure almost all of them have different views on how certain things should be done, but overall they are satisfied with the simplistic approach to the way we do things.

The very example you gave, craigslist, is a prime example of where a simplistic approach to doing things has been successful. Some people would argue thats why MySpace lost out to Facebook, as it provided a better way of doing the same thing in large part due to its user interface. Google over Yahoo, etc. That's not to say content is not important, as it is, but it will only get you so far.
 
I don't believe there is any such thing as "users in general." If you have 100 users they will want 100 different things. That's pretty well demonstrated all over this forum. And right here in this short thread.
Well, I do. Of course not everyone is the same but there is definitely a consensus between people, and that is that they like it simple and easy on the web. There is no denying there, I'm sorry. Anyone with some knowledge about web design and usability will confirm this.

What is demonstrated on this forum is a positive vibe about this software, yes in general, and of course it would be ludicrous to not attribute this for a big part to its user-friendliness and simplicity. I didn't see 100 users wanting 100 different things in this thread. Also just because administrators *think* they need something completely different, doesn't mean they're right. In fact, the majority doesn't have a clue what they're talking about. That's why they fail and keep failing. That's why only a small minority ever builds a succesful forum and/or website. Because they think they know, while in fact it's their users who know, and who they should listen to. If their ego wasn't in the way...

Google, Youtube and Twitter are not popular because they are simple. They are popular because of what they offer the user. You can wrap the information people want in moldy bread and dog crap and they will still flock to it (see: craigslist).
And you do not consider a good usability part of what you offer a user? You really think that a user-friendly design does not contribute to the success of a website?

Those websites did have something to offer, and it wasn't just content, it was also the way this content was presented. Google gave the user better search results, but also a front end that could attract many more people than any other search engine. You really think that Google would have been this successful if the frontpage was cluttered like the other search engines at that time? Most people didn't even know about the better search results, they just found it easy to use because is looked simple. Google was like the oasis in the middle of a fast growing, cluttered internet. Of course its layout was a major contribution to their success, how can anyone even think about doubting this?

A forum is a forum. If you get the concept, as a visitor you can use any of them. All the different forums have to offer to potential administrators is ease of deployment and management. That's where they succeed or fail. The public interface is trivial. They all do the same basic things.
I guess that's why vB4 received so much criticism on the new style, because no one cares right? It can look crappy and hard to use, but if it has all the features, it doesn't matter. I guess that's why this site is growing quicker than any forum software community out there and not in the least because of all the vB users attracted by how it looks, without knowing much if anything about the backend.

'They all do the same basic things' so does a car, but still people seem to think that the way it looks is just as (if not more) important than the fact that it has 4 wheels and an engine. Seriously, you must be aware of this?

And frankly, that's why I'm more than a little baffled at the rabid enthusiasm here when only 5 or 6 users of this software know what managing it is really like.

From what I can brilliantly deduce, everyone here is a forum administrator or a plug-in or style developer, and as an administrator or someone who is going to have to work with the guts of the thing, I'm not sure how can you so eagerly praise what you can't see.
You just proved my point here, looks are important. And did you forget who is working on the backend? Do you even know? Most people trust these guys, they know what they're capable of. Also if you would have checked the Have You Seen...? forum you would know that the backend is as good as the front end, if not better.

Ultimately this software doesn't need anyone to defend it. If it works for people they will use it, and it won't matter what anyone says about it.
Well that's one thing we can agree on :)
 
I work for a photo sharing site...
You can't compare photo sharing and forums. Apples and oranges.

The very example you gave, craigslist, is a prime example of where a simplistic approach to doing things has been successful.
I think you might have missed the point. Craigslist is not simple by design. It appears simple now because it uses circa 1994 technology. It is archaic and ugly, yet people flock to it for the content.

That's not to say content is not important, as it is, but it will only get you so far.
Content is not only important, it's everything.

You really think that a user-friendly design does not contribute to the success of a website?
I must have missed the part where I said that. But, in all fairness, I could have been very drunk at the time, I will concede that.

You really think that Google would have been this successful if the frontpage was cluttered like the other search engines at that time? Most people didn't even know about the better search results, they just found it easy to use because is looked simple.
Incorrect. The people who used Google at first were geeks who were enamored with the improved results and preached and proselytized to anyone who would listen about the improved results. Typical web users at the time (and there were very few of us) didn't take http://google.stanford.edu seriously. It looked like a school project, which is exactly what it was.

Then we used it and said, "Oh, dear, this is something different, isn't it? I didn't get 5 pages of crap when I searched for buttonwillow! I'm going to use this from now on. Adios AltaVista!"

And did you forget who is working on the backend?
No, did you? I read many No one at vB cares about us! posts in the old pre-IB vB forum, and I started to wonder, "Who are the creeps who build this software? They must be real a-holes if so many people are mad at them." Then I remembered, "Oh, that' right, this is the internet. People are demanding and fickle. It's got nothing to do with anything."

Now the despised and shunned have become reborn. It's all very biblical and inspiring. It makes me want to start a new "resurrection" forum.
 
Ultimately this software doesn't need anyone to defend it. If it works for people they will use it, and it won't matter what anyone says about it.
It SHOULDN'T need defending, but the trolling is incredible lately.

People are so angry and burnt out about vBulletin, they've come here to spread their vileness. They just want to vent, and we make good targets. So I'm pushing back. I'm gonna kick a few shins if that's what it takes.

XenForo is the real deal, and there's plenty of room for amazing styles, awesome plugins, and building all kinds of cool stuff on top of it. But don't take my word for it. Watch the videos which Kier has posted so far. Use the software and realize that, like a well-appointed kitchen, everything is where it should be, and nothing is far out of reach.
 
Google, Youtube and Twitter are not popular because they are simple. They are popular because of what they offer the user.

I think people have forgotten one of the key reasons Google was so popular in the early days: unlike Yahoo, Google didn't pick and choose which sites it would list. So, you could search Google for "sites about dogs" and come up with all kinds of stuff that Yahoo didn't see fit to include - all the way from "Bob's Tiny Home Page About Dogs" to "The Gigantic, Official Encyclopedia of Dogs." You got way more interesting results.

Of course now you only see what sites Google sees fit to give a high ranking to, and the criteria for that is even tougher than Yahoo's used to be, so the same stuff turns up over and over again and Bob and his tiny home page about dogs have long since disappeared. It's like Walmart vs. mom and pop stores, only with websites.
XenForo is the real deal, and there's plenty of room for amazing styles, awesome plugins, and building all kinds of cool stuff on top of it.

Well that's the thing isn't it? Why even bother complaining about the minimalistic appearance - you (plural) can tart it up with whatever kinds of huge garish graphics and in-your-face color combos you like. :p
 
The clean, simple look and organic, interactive feel of XenForo may well be an acquired taste. There are plenty of sites with dark, heavy graphics and/or a busy, cluttered look - often gaming sites and others that cater to younger members. Given time, these people may come to appreciate the subtle sensual pleasure of the default or lightly modified XenForo style, but in the meantime they have a right to wonder how it will look when modified to thier own taste.
 
Oh I agree they have a right to know how easy it would be to customize. That's why I didn't launch into defensive fangirl mode in my first post - I answered the question. (To the best of my non-coder ability anyway.)
 
It SHOULDN'T need defending, but the trolling is incredible lately.

People are so angry and burnt out about vBulletin, they've come here to spread their vileness.
From visiting around, it seems that they use other sites - including a certain blog or two - to come down on XF, even moreso than here.
My guess is they have too much time on their hands.
 
You can't compare photo sharing and forums. Apples and oranges.

Same basic principles are used when designing a user interface, regardless of the underlying software being used.

I think you might have missed the point. Craigslist is not simple by design. It appears simple now because it uses circa 1994 technology. It is archaic and ugly, yet people flock to it for the content.

Content is not only important, it's everything.

I understood the point you were trying to make, but think you gave a rather poor example. Craigslist is simple by design, regardless of whether one finds it ugly or not, or outdated.

Content, while important, is not everything and is rapidly being devalued. You can have the best content around, but if people are constantly frustrated trying to use a poorly designed site, they won't return and just go elsewhere.
 
I couldn't agree less. Users in general want simplicity. This is one of the reasons for the success of many websites including Google, Youtube, Twitter, Facebook and others; simple, clean design. Focus on content and functionality, not on tons of graphics and non-essential information.

Facebook actually has not a very good UI in several areas in my opinion.
 
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