What is the reasoning for hiding so many IPB icons?

[broni]

I'm talking about all those elements with "opacity" set to "zero", which pop-up upon mouse hovering.
IPB board looks like a hide-and-seek game board.
I'm sure some members are not even aware that some of those items even exist.
"Topic preview", "Mod tools", "close-open" button, etc., etc.
How anyone can know, for instance how to close/open a sidebar unless one knows, that a button is SOMEWHERE there and after sliding mouse cursor all over, finally: Eureka!

On a top of it some buttons opacity is set to something like "0.1" and I almost need a flashlight to see them.
All post buttons for instance...

Personally, I set all those invisible items opacity to "0.5" and I did the same for all those "0.1" opacity items.
However another IPB update comes and I'll have to do it all over again.

Now, please give me reasonable explanation for those "improvements".

[realmaverickuk]

I agree, from a usability perspective, it doesn't make much sense really. It's likely naturally users will see the expand topic but the sidebar one is likely to go missed by 90% of users.

[• Jay •]

Oh no, I don't want some wart... excuse me... "beauty mark" on the face of the board (board index), constantly sticking out at me.

By all means, add an option in the User CP or something for those not technically savvy, but don't fugly up the software because somebody doesn't know where it is.

[broni]

Well I'd say that 90% of computer users are just that - computer users and I don't see any reason to force them to investigate something what should be in plain view.
I understand that you may be very computer savvy and you know IPB software back and forth, but most our members are just plain people.

[jackflash]

As people continue to migrate to the web, hiding such links has many drawbacks. I agree with Broni on this one.

[bfarber]

Since you asked the reason it was done, I can give you that. You can then debate whether it's valid or should be changed afterwards. :)

The reason a lot of these options were hidden was because in 3.1 and below we wound up with so many features that there were hundreds of icons and buttons and links on every single page. It overwhelms new users - they load a topic or a forum listing and there are literally just so many options they don't know where to start or what they all do. To improve this experience, we have hidden options that are not always necessary and made them context sensitive. For instance, when you mouse over a topic row in the forum listing you will see the mod options button and the topic preview, but it's hidden when you are not moused over the row. It cleans up the interface dramatically for new users who are simply browsing the site.


Now, like I said, you are free to discuss further whether you think the change is for the better or worse.

[♥ Adam ♠]

Since you asked the reason it was done, I can give you that. You can then debate whether it's valid or should be changed afterwards. :smile:

The reason a lot of these options were hidden was because in 3.1 and below we wound up with so many features that there were hundreds of icons and buttons and links on every single page. It overwhelms new users - they load a topic or a forum listing and there are literally just so many options they don't know where to start or what they all do. To improve this experience, we have hidden options that are not always necessary and made them context sensitive. For instance, when you mouse over a topic row in the forum listing you will see the mod options button and the topic preview, but it's hidden when you are not moused over the row. It cleans up the interface dramatically for new users who are simply browsing the site.

Now, like I said, you are free to discuss further whether you think the change is for the better or worse.

I think you had good attentions, but it does not make it user friendly.... A lot of my members who had stuck with me when we used phpBB, Word Press, vBulletin, and XenForo ..... Were lost when we switched to IPB because so many things were hidden (some of them still are and I find new people who join are also lost).

[CallieJo]

Personally, since I know where and what they are, I like them hidden and out of my way. However, I can see this being a concern for some end-users.

One might argue that finding these hidden gems is a treat while keeping the pages uncluttered in appearance. I agree. I love the new appearance and would rather not have all the clutter.

Others might argue that it makes it hard for some end-users to utilize these features because they are hidden. I agree to an extent, because I question if they would be utilized at all by end-users who are less savvy.

I vote to keep them hidden. Mainly because I don't see the need for end-users to have all these extra options showing. I honestly don't believe that they would be utilized as often as the more savvy users would use them. An example is the sidebar. How many big websites give you an option to close the sidebar? There are very few that I have ever seen. Most websites use sidebars to showcase navigation, information, ads, user options, etc. Having an "x" in the corner of it, looks tacky IMHO. I have always thought it was an eye-sore and I'd rather not have that option at all. Having it hidden is a plus!