Ways Launch.Forum can improve?

Hi Kaj,

Sorry for the confusion. You're absolutely right. launchforum.com is our community, but is primarily a test site right now. It's definitely not ready to actually promote outside of forum admin communities like #AdminTalk.

LF hasn't been released. We have a signup capability available, but it's still in testing and we're waiting on bug fixes and features that still have to be implemented.

You found the site to look like a blog and that's actually understandable. I've been using the site to share some posts, and promoting them to the homepage (a feature of launch.forum). Some of it is just me ranting about stuff just to put it out there, and some actually relates to online marketing or the forum world.

When we are actually ready to get Launch.forum released, we definitely have to get a proper marketing site up.

 

We have to build the fiefdom, before we can defend it! =)

 

I don't think our greatest risk is having our ideas implemented by competitors - whether we allow that by announcing them and implementing them too slowly, or just waiting long enough that they eventually come to the same line of thinking. We are, assuredly, our own enemy. We have to finish the software. =)

I know (and accept) that we'll definitely see the stuff we're thinking - the stuff more based on overall Web trends - get picked up, but I'm not seeing anything *really* creative coming out right now.

I do rank xenForo the best development project right now because they have a re-engineered platform that's really fast, and working great. However, I don't follow any of the projects really vigilantly because I want to avoid trying to do the "same stuff a little better" or developing tunnel vision. I'm trying to source ideas from a larger sphere of influence. However, you'll repeatedly hear me tell you that I know I have to maintain forum DNA unless I want to rename Launch.forum Launch.{something else}.

As a related note, *legacy* is not a poor reflection of the team working on those products. It's a condition of EVERY software team over time. As time passes, you have 10+ year old code that is at your foundation. You also have huge user communities highly reactive to changes you make. So development is more costly, less efficient, and is subject to lots of hardcore criticism.

vBulletin, for example, may deserve some criticism in several areas. However, we need to recognize that the scope of the challenges they face are much greater than xenForo (lawsuit aside), or the early stages of Launch.forum's development (current status/delays aside).

For a company like vB to decide to simply start rebuilding the entire platform from scratch is not an easy decision. Kier and myself have the freedom to build in whatever we want. There is no legacy code holding us back. As long as we avoid legacy ideas that no longer work, we can (at least in xenForo's case) move fast and get a platform out there that can more than hold its own with the big guys. =)

 

I would start by removing forum descriptions, as your forum index is way to cluttered.
Somehow Launch.forum does not capture my interest as a user. Visually and functionality I do not encounter elements that lure me into participation or registration. More than a few things are currently too confusing and drive the user away.
There are many modern elements, but as a whole it could be improved to feel more modern.

 

I agree. I'm sure we'll be revamping the forum index.

Launch.forum actually does feel very comfortable to use. I'm one of the few people in the world to know that, of course. =)

One thing we're really trying to do is stay looking like a traditionally forum and not deviating so far away that it starts to lose that character.

However, I think there are serious issues with our font, and I think that'll drive engagement down. There will be all kinds of things we need to tweak, but one of the key things right now is that we don't really have any content that would really pull anyone into a discussion, just mostly geeky brainstorms by yours truly. =)

I'd love to hear specifics on what you found confusing or what you think would drive users away though. I'd definitely want to know what they are so I can figure out ways to fix/improve it. =)

 

I think the first question that needs to be asked is:

What do you want the user to do?

And once you have that clear, then design the page according to that goal. If your goal is just to create a traditional forum, then I do not see the point.

As a user I am bombarded with many elements on the page without any functional dominance of one element over another. For example: the 'change it where you see it' badge is one of the most prominent visual elements on the page, so logically this is where the user goes first. But its not a functional element, so functionally its a dead end.
Your UXD almost exclusively has mistakes like this. I am convinced that if you would sit down for a week with a good UXD specialist and overhaul the page and functionality setup that the result would be stunning.

Here is a start: http://awesomescreenshot.com/0b41215w91

 

LF is designed to be a hybrid, maintaining the feeling of an original forum and adding stuff that makes sense. We don't cut it because it's old, and we don't add it just because it's new. I've referred to it quite a bit as "keeping its forum DNA" intact.

Big thanks for taking the time to do a screenshot plus mark up! Lots of great insights in there.

I want to distinguish that we have two things going on:

1. Evaluate launchforum.com as a site on its own (which just so happens to be powered by LF), and
2. Evaluate the Launch.forum UX/UI in a generalized sense.

We have both of these things going on in your screenshot.

One thing I love is that you clearly like a very clean, minimized design, based on your suggested edits. I'm completely on board. I downloaded the screenshot, because I'm going to take your ideas into consideration for our next design related sprint.

Are you a UXD guy in the 9-5 or as a consultant? Seems like you're right on target.

 

I do not do 9-5 and am no consultant. But yeah, I love UXD and never hire UXD guys myself.

 

Well, you have great instincts.

 

Absolutely. If you try to drift too far away from the core ideas of forums, you get lost. We're too early in our development, but I believe we're on the right path to bringing a good mix of innovation to a traditional forum setup. xenForo's focus on doing what we (the forum community) already know BUT *Better* has worked out wonderfully, and now they have a platform where they have the potential to experiment a little and evolve.