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How can we improve Gymnation?

thatwaslight

By thatwaslight
in General chitchat

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Pseudonym Veteran member

Pseudonym

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Just for you, Gymrat, I'll add bringing back the anxious/shifty smiley to my To-Do list. It may not be top priority, but it's right up there.

:D

 

I've had a go at redesigning the Training Forum panel. It's a tricky one - there's a lot to consider.

As I say, I think it's appropriate that the training forums all go at the top, so bundling them into one Training Forum panel seems like a good way to go. The idea is to keep everything tidy and compact, without overwhelming people with masses of separate forums.

Clearly, no-one likes the auto-rotating accordion, so consider that dead. Also, we can't use anything that relies on mouseover, since that excludes everyone on touch devices.

So, here are four different options I tried...

http://www.gymnation.co.nz/sites/default/files/user_uploads/user-87184/images/P1020865.jpg

http://www.gymnation.co.nz/sites/default/files/user_uploads/user-87184/images/P1020865.jpg

 

Option 1:

The first one simply shows the recent topics from ALL training forums. There's a dropdown to switch the view from All Forums to an individual training forum.

Pros: Very clean and tidy.
Cons: Doesn't show all the possible forums at a glance, so newbies wouldn't know they exist. No easy way to go directly to an individual training forum page.

 

Option 2:

As with option 1, we see ALL training forums by default. The other training forums are tabs along the top.

Pros: Very clean and tidy.
Cons: Doesn't show all the possible forums at a glance, but it at least hints that there's more here, so newbies could explore (that's still not great though). No easy way to go directly to an individual training forum page. Scrolling along the line of tabs would be incredibly irritating.

 

Option 3:

Similar to Option 2, but this time our tabs are illustrated, and run down the left hand side of the panel.

Pros: Pretty! Shows all possible forums at a glance.
Cons: Doesn't really leave enough width within the panel for long topic titles, etc. No easy way to go directly to an individual training forum page.

 

Option 4:

I know this looks suspiciously like what we've currently got, but bear with me... there are some important differences! First of all, the accordion does NOT auto-rotate through the forums. Secondly, the default view is to show the 8 most recent topics from all training forums. If you want to see more recent topics in a certain forum, clicking the plus sign will expand that forum pane. If you want to see the entire forum page, clicking the forum title will take you there (this is how all the other front page forum titles work too, so this behaviour is consistent, which we like!)

Pros: Logical, neat design, if not totally beautiful.
Cons: Show all the possible forums at a glance. Can go directly to an individual training forum page.

 

Attached is a mockup of Option 4. What do you think?

post-87184-14166838517285_thumb.jpg

post-87184-14166838517406_thumb.jpg

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Pseudonym Veteran member

Pseudonym

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I had a meeting with our web developers yesterday - so we'll be fixing the Training Forums slider. and tweaking how the front page looks on mobile phones (not the full Gymnation Mobile, but a bit of a patch until we can find a sponsor)

So, before we start work, can I get some opinions on my suggestion for the Training Forum section above?

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Pseudonym Veteran member

Pseudonym

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Bugger. I was presenting Options 1-3 as examples of things that didn't work! :P

Both #1 and #4 have the default view showing the most recent topics for all training forums. The only difference is that with option 4 you can see at a glance what the forums are. (And I think that's absolutely essential if we want people to go into a forum and start new topics.)

Hmm. Let's see what a few more people say. I can't see any other way of fitting the same content into the existing space, so if everyone still hates the accordion (even with the changes), then we'll probably have to rework the entire front page to make more space.

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rapz Senior member

rapz

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an idea actually stolen from another board im a part of....

a notifications tab would be cool, so any threads that you have posted in you will get a notification  if someone has posted/replied to that specific thread, whether it be 2 days old or 2 years old you have the opportunity to contribute/reply to the thread.

sometimes if someone has replied to a thread you have posted in, currently there is the potential to have missed that post as the more recent replies to any thread moves to the top of that particular section if that makes sense?? unless you search for that specific thread its more than likely it will be missed unless you search through the forum for it.

it also leaves less room for repetitive topics/threads that ask the same question.

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Pseudonym Veteran member

Pseudonym

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Good suggestion. I think we have something similar in the Subscribe function. Have you used that at all?

It may need a bit of tweaking to work exactly as you've described, but it should simply be a case of automatically subscribing you to any topic you post in. I'll add it to the list. (But be warned - there's a lot of things to do that list, and not a lot of funds to do them with, so it could take a while... :P)

 

While we're talking new features though... Would you guys be interested in articles/videos interviewing high-level athletes from across the board (BB, PL, CF, MMA, etc) as they prepare for their events? And/or maybe event coverage itself?

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Gym rat Veteran member

Gym rat

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I was looking at this thread on my phone while I was at work during afternoon tea and thought.That is awesome idea on haviing articles/video interviewing high level profile athletes from across the board while they are preping for there events.It reminded of what go figure dose for the superman and wonder women videos.Yes I would be keen for a interview while I am getting ready for the 2014 Pan pacific  and video footage of me training as well plus it would be a good way to lift my profile more since I am gym nation version of Arine.

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rapz Senior member

rapz

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Good suggestion. I think we have something similar in the Subscribe function. Have you used that at all?

It may need a bit of tweaking to work exactly as you've described, but it should simply be a case of automatically subscribing you to any topic you post in. I'll add it to the list. (But be warned - there's a lot of things to do that list, and not a lot of funds to do them with, so it could take a while... Blum 3)

 

While we're talking new features though... Would you guys be interested in articles/videos interviewing high-level athletes from across the board (BB, PL, CF, MMA, etc) as they prepare for their events? And/or maybe event coverage itself?

ahh i see now, i suppose its sort of the same thing just not as user friendly, or im just blind and didnt look properly lol

thanks pseu

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StussyNz Member

StussyNz

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Would be good if we can get Regular Meetups going too; Maybe Regular meetups for training sessions with other members. Here some of the newer guys can ask the senior guys for training/nutrition tips etc.

I'm sure this would also help the community to grow; Word of mouth etc.

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Gym rat Veteran member

Gym rat

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Thats a great idea about having regular training sessions with other members on like if any of you guys come to Dunedin your more then welcome to train with me.If it is a Monday which is a quads day for me it might be a good idea to bring a zimmer frame with you just be on the safe side of things

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Pseudonym Veteran member

Pseudonym

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Some feedback.. the setup of the training forums is much better now having the latest topics rather then the slider Good Site a lot easier to get around now

Cheers Ben. I don't know if anyone's noticed yet, but we've also made it easier to find where you were up to in a topic. Now you can click the yellow topic icons to go straight to the first unread post in that topic.

:)

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