New Forum Index Page Design

Question

We have a new design on the Forum Index Page

Link to the page: https://gmatclub.com/forum/

As a beginning of a complete redesign and refresh of the forum pages.
It's a laborious process.....

Before we move on to other pages, I wanted to ask what you thought it.

Thanks!
BB.

LeoN88 · Answer

What exactly has changed? couldn't spot any difference.

Skywalker18 · Answer

LeoN88 , The user interface of the forum index page has changed. Check this link( https://gmatclub.com/forum/?view=new ) of the forum index page. There is a tab on the top right corner of the forum home table - "switch to old view".

LeoN88 · Answer

Thank you, I've cast my vote. This reminded me of Pagalguy UI revamp back in 2012/13.

bb · Answer

LOL. LeoN88 Are you saying the new design looks like a 2012 or 2013 design?

What does that mean about the old one - it is even older or it is more modern?

LeoN88 · Answer

Hey bb, No Sir, you completely got me wrong. I was making an analogy here. You'll get the joke if you knew about the incident. Back in ~2012/13 PG had an active user base, we all loved the UI and engaged heavily with the content (mostly geared towards the CAT exam). The PG team changed the UI (earlier it used to be like GMAT club style), we hated it so much that the PG team faced a lot of backlash, there was a sheer drop in #active users, engagement etc. few users also wanted the team to reverse migrate

The GMAT club UI is still very user friendly and the changes that you're proposing is minor- I don't think that'll be a problem (plus you guys are also collecting feedback, that's good). It might look old but still very easy to navigate. Cheers,

bb · Answer

Too funny. I get it now. I totally understand though. I have made mistakes like that in the past and i have been on the receiving end as well - a company changing the design for no particular reason other than to change the design...

I hope we can avoid that. Part of the reason to redesign is that the last design effort was in 2013 actually when the GMAT changed and they introduced IR. That was a while ago and since we have added a lot of new things and features that were not contemplated in the design, they are not always well integrated. We are hoping to fix that and also simplify and make the site a bit easier to use and friendlier for new folks. There is an option to switch back to the old UI (top right) if anyone wishes to use the old style instead of the new one and I do appreciate the feedback. We have reviewed the new design with moderators about 6 months ago and everyone liked it but it is different than actually using it... we will likely be making adjustments and modifications. Your feedback will definitely help with making it better! Thanks! BB.

Carcass · Answer

I like it. Minimal. Functional. I totally endorse the new layout. Hoping in some kind of Divine intervention for a similar look on the other (dark) side.

bb · Answer

Pretty mixed results so far

I am still trying to get used to the new layout.... but I don't feel I am a regular user. So I am not really considering my needs reflective of the user experience.

MBACrystalBall · Answer

Hi BB,

Here are some thoughts and perspectives that might help.

I like the cleaner, open look of the new design. 
 
 I wasn't sure if the font size was reduced, or maybe it was the text/background contrast. I found the new text just a wee bit tougher to read.
 
 For the section which lists the most active experts, top users and best posts, I preferred the earlier design. It looked more compact and needed less scrolling.
 
 I'm not too sure how important it is to show 'Who is Online'. There are currently 2217 users IDs listed. This section takes up a lot of real estate and looks quite cluttered (in contrast to the clean, open look for the rest of the page). If you haven't seen this legacy feature being used much, taking it out wouldn't hurt.

Overall, a fresh modern look is always welcome.

Hope some of this helps.

bb · Answer

Thanks for the feedback Sammer!

I agree with the "harder to read" aspect... unfortunately.... something needs to be improved.

New Forum Index Page Design

What do you think?

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