ASF Website Redesign

[Joe Blow]

I am starting this thread for all feedback and discussion relating to ASF's upcoming website redesign.

The internet continues to evolve and the software platform ASF uses is getting dated and I have decided that it is now time to make some changes. When ASF migrates to a new platform I will be taking the opportunity to rework the website to improve the design, and to add more content and features. One of my primary aims is to improve the usability of ASF on mobile devices such as phones and tablets.

There is not too much more to add at the moment, but suggestions are always very welcome. If there is a specific feature you would like to see added to ASF please feel free to mention it in this thread. I have taken on board all the feedback from others threads (and the recent survey) where suggestions have been made, but you are welcome to make them in this thread also.

I will update this thread when I have some more news to share.

 

[Value Collector]

Will we be getting a "like" button

 

[Joe Blow]

Will we be getting a "like" button

You most definitely will, amongst other things.

 

[galumay]

Out of interest, what platform are you going to use Joe?

The existing site is pretty functional, so I don't think it needs too much tweaking!

I use SMF for the forum I run and a couple of other I am admin on, its certainly easy to use from that side of the fence!

 

[Joe Blow]

Out of interest, what platform are you going to use Joe?

The existing site is pretty functional, so I don't think it needs too much tweaking!

ASF will be migrating to Xenforo. After a lot of research I have come to the conclusion that Xenforo is the forum platform with the brightest future. I agree that ASF is functional as it is, I just want to make it better and more user friendly, both for desktop PCs and mobile devices.

I use SMF for the forum I run and a couple of other I am admin on, its certainly easy to use from that side of the fence!

I'm not familiar with SMF's back end but Xenforo is a lot easier for forum administrators than vBulletin. Although I'm sure it will be a steep learning curve, I'm looking forward to the challenge.

 

[qldfrog]

Joe,
while in IT, I am not a fan of the latest blocky low information, big icons latest trends, yet I have to admit that having an html5 compatible version with automatically handle mobile/tablet and desktop without any extra work from your part 9unique common version) should be a must have.
I trust yopu in making sure that we will not loose too much functionality and will increase ease of use.
All the best for this project
Olivier

 

[Joe Blow]

Joe,
while in IT, I am not a fan of the latest blocky low information, big icons latest trends, yet I have to admit that having an html5 compatible version with automatically handle mobile/tablet and desktop without any extra work from your part 9unique common version) should be a must have.
I trust yopu in making sure that we will not loose too much functionality and will increase ease of use.
All the best for this project
Olivier

Thanks for your support. The current design was introduced in late 2010. At that time, tablets and smartphones were largely in their infancy and were not part of the equation when the design was conceived of and put together. In the intervening five and a half years, the use of mobile devices has exploded and the current software is very difficult to build upon with a view to the future. It has largely been abandoned by the developers. What I'm trying to do with this upcoming redesign is get all my ducks in a row for the future and ensure that ASF is using a platform that is flexible and has continuing support, development and innovation. At the same time I'm trying to improve the user experience in every way that I can possibly think of, but especially when it comes to mobile. I think it's going to be a bit of a case of trial and error, but these sort of large scale changes tend to be that way. Hopefully with a lot of input from the ASF community we can build a new ASF that is an improvement on the current website in almost all areas. That's what I'm hoping for anyway.

 

[shouldaindex]

I like this design, I've used it on desktop / ipad and it's fine to me. I don't like the idea of like buttons and turning it into a social media popularity contest. Text and the odd graphic or link is more than enough to get any point with substance across. I even like there's usually 10-20 posters a day, as you dont have to sift through rubbish to read something worthwhile.

I guess the question is though, are you wanting to grow it as a business, then you'd have to consider broadening it out with various strategies, if it's run as a non-profit hobby I'd like to think maintaining quality posters and posts should be the priority.

 

[myrtie100]

Hi Joe, I'm often using my mobile to read your forum.
One thing I have noticed is some uploaded charts are viewable and others aren't.
For example peter2's are viewable but porper's on the qantas thread isn't.

 

[Joe Blow]

I like this design, I've used it on desktop / ipad and it's fine to me. I don't like the idea of like buttons and turning it into a social media popularity contest. Text and the odd graphic or link is more than enough to get any point with substance across. I even like there's usually 10-20 posters a day, as you dont have to sift through rubbish to read something worthwhile.

While I'm not trying to turn ASF into social media - there is plenty of that on other websites - I want to integrate it a little better in a couple of ways. Firstly, I want to give people the option of sharing more of ASF's content via social media which I think will expose more people to the great content that can be found here. I also want people to be able to like the posts of others, not to turn ASF into a popularity contest, but as a way of letting others know that their post has been read and appreciated. Not drastic changes, just small incremental ones that will hopefully make ASF better.

I guess the question is though, are you wanting to grow it as a business, then you'd have to consider broadening it out with various strategies, if it's run as a non-profit hobby I'd like to think maintaining quality posters and posts should be the priority.

ASF needs to be a business. I have a drawer full of legal threats and two legal battles that I have had to fight in the courts, one of which is still ongoing. The time where ASF could be run just a hobby has long since passed, and it needs to mature as a business in order to both grow and to protect itself. However, I definitely want to maintain the quality of posters and posts, that is one thing that will never change. That's why I started ASF in the first place and it is the reason I am still doing it 12 years later.

Hi Joe, I'm often using my mobile to read your forum.
One thing I have noticed is some uploaded charts are viewable and others aren't.
For example peter2's are viewable but porper's on the qantas thread isn't.

Yes, I'm very dissatisfied with the current mobile style. It is buggy and not something that is user friendly enough. It can be a lot better and that's what I'm hoping to achieve. I am happy to hear that someone uses it though.

 

[noirua]

XenForo is a commercial Internet forum software package written in the PHP programming language using the Zend Framework. The software is developed by former vBulletin lead developers Kier Darby and Mike Sullivan. The first public beta release of XenForo was released in October 2010. XenForo 1.0.0 Stable was released on March 8, 2011.[1] XenForo has several SEO features built in. Its popularity is growing, according to feedback from various community forums and weblogs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XenForo

https://xenforo.com/

https://www.facebook.com/XenForo

https://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/xenforo.259644/

 

[galumay]

Joe, if you need any help let me know, I run an IT business and while I haven't used Xenforo I am familiar with the better known platforms like VBulletin and particularly SMF.

 

[Joe Blow]

Joe, if you need any help let me know, I run an IT business and while I haven't used Xenforo I am familiar with the better known platforms like VBulletin and particularly SMF.

Thanks galumay, I appreciate the offer. It's still very much in the early stages but I will be sure to get in touch should I have any questions for you.

 

[Craton]

How about a spell checker Joe?

FWIW: here's a list of forums that uses Xenforo: https://xenforo.com/community/threads/the-big-forum-list.26352/

 

[Joe Blow]

How about a spell checker Joe?

I will see what I can do. I thought most spell checkers were browser based these days? There is a spell checker built into Firefox that I use.

 

[Craton]

Joe.
Hmm, that's funny coz I use FF above all other browsers but spell checking doesn't work as expected here, am now also suspecting elsewhere too. I've checked the settings both within FF and Win 10, all looks OK for spelling checking.

Tested here using IE and spell checking works as it should and will change misspelt words automatically.

I'll have to dig a little deeper...

 

[CanOz]

I noticed that Firefox crashes allot when ASF is one of the pages i've got up. There's a slow/stopped script error that comes up. Google Chrome work fine though. Any one notice this? It happened a bit in China, but its very frequent here.

 

[pixel]

I noticed that Firefox crashes allot when ASF is one of the pages i've got up. There's a slow/stopped script error that comes up. Google Chrome work fine though. Any one notice this? It happened a bit in China, but its very frequent here.

Could be some of your settings or add-ons? What script is it?
I've been running Firefox for yonks and never had - or have now - a problem with ASF.
Can't think of any other pages either that would give me grief.

 

[JJZ]

I'm on FireFox 45.0.2 ASF runs fine for me...


JJZ

 

[CanOz]

I'm on FireFox 45.0.2 ASF runs fine for me...


JJZ

Thanks mate, i'm on the same version.