Wordings - 11/12/2000 4:59 PM
A few months ago I was helping Scream with some wordings for stuff (I'm a professional writer). I realize this kind of stuff is self-configurable, but still I'm interested in seeing the release version looking as good as possible. So here are some ideas for ironing out a few of the remaining points of possible confusion. I'm anticipating that quite a few of you will argue that the following are NOT confusing...because 1. you're smarter than newbie users, and 2. you've been staring at these W3T phrasings for a very long time and it's all become second nature to you. But I really think they can be improved.
1. after you post, and you're told you'll automatically be returned to the board, it's confusing to be offered a "return to board" option to click! User reaction will be "Wait....just below this you're telling me I'll go there automatically!" I'd suggest calling it "return to board even faster!" or "return to board right away!" That ironic exclamation point makes clear that we're aware of the redundancy (and it sort of echoes the "click here if you're not automatically transfered to our new web page" message users are used to seeing).
2. something that's always bothered me is the term "main index". Non-technically adept users have trouble with hierarchies. And while I like to keep names for stuff as terse as possible, "main index" is ambiguous to newbies. I'd suggest "index of all boards" or "all-board index". Or maybe "master index", though that's not quite as clear.
3. I don't understand why the smallest font on a thread page is that which names the board you're on! Shouldn't this be prominent, up at the top, perhaps just under "WWWThreads Version 5.1.1"? It's always a priority to show newbie users where they are at any given point, so this strikes me as a must. Also, the board name certainly doesn't belong in a row showing thread views...it's confusing, makes you think that, say, "Feature Wishlist" is a thread rather than a board. Board name should go above all this. The only problem with putting board name above is that the "main index" button, which takes you to a higher-level, will look subsidiary....another reason to change that wording to "index of all boards" or "all-board index".
4. again, I do value terseness, but it'd be clearer if "post" were "post new" (or, way better, "start new topic") to avoid newbie confusion with posting a reply. Yes, it'd be idiotic to be confused. But on sites that don't attract tech-savvy users (shoot, mine's about food!), I promise this will confuse substantial numbers.
5. I don't understand why the smallest font on a page showing a thread is that which states the name of the board. Shouldn't it be prominent, and up at the top, perhaps just under "WWWThreads Version 5.1.1? It's always a priority to show newbie users where they are at any given point, and this strikes me as a must. Also, the board name doesn't belong in a row showing thread views...it's confusing, makes you think that, say, "Feature Wishlist" is a thread rather than a board.
6. just a throw-away idea FWIW: W3T has started introducing a "click on a column title to sort that column" feature on some pages. Why can't I click on the "last post" column in the main index page to sort within each group of boards (and perhaps by board group order as well) by latest posting?
chowhound.com
For Those Who Live to Eat
1. after you post, and you're told you'll automatically be returned to the board, it's confusing to be offered a "return to board" option to click! User reaction will be "Wait....just below this you're telling me I'll go there automatically!" I'd suggest calling it "return to board even faster!" or "return to board right away!" That ironic exclamation point makes clear that we're aware of the redundancy (and it sort of echoes the "click here if you're not automatically transfered to our new web page" message users are used to seeing).
2. something that's always bothered me is the term "main index". Non-technically adept users have trouble with hierarchies. And while I like to keep names for stuff as terse as possible, "main index" is ambiguous to newbies. I'd suggest "index of all boards" or "all-board index". Or maybe "master index", though that's not quite as clear.
3. I don't understand why the smallest font on a thread page is that which names the board you're on! Shouldn't this be prominent, up at the top, perhaps just under "WWWThreads Version 5.1.1"? It's always a priority to show newbie users where they are at any given point, so this strikes me as a must. Also, the board name certainly doesn't belong in a row showing thread views...it's confusing, makes you think that, say, "Feature Wishlist" is a thread rather than a board. Board name should go above all this. The only problem with putting board name above is that the "main index" button, which takes you to a higher-level, will look subsidiary....another reason to change that wording to "index of all boards" or "all-board index".
4. again, I do value terseness, but it'd be clearer if "post" were "post new" (or, way better, "start new topic") to avoid newbie confusion with posting a reply. Yes, it'd be idiotic to be confused. But on sites that don't attract tech-savvy users (shoot, mine's about food!), I promise this will confuse substantial numbers.
5. I don't understand why the smallest font on a page showing a thread is that which states the name of the board. Shouldn't it be prominent, and up at the top, perhaps just under "WWWThreads Version 5.1.1? It's always a priority to show newbie users where they are at any given point, and this strikes me as a must. Also, the board name doesn't belong in a row showing thread views...it's confusing, makes you think that, say, "Feature Wishlist" is a thread rather than a board.
6. just a throw-away idea FWIW: W3T has started introducing a "click on a column title to sort that column" feature on some pages. Why can't I click on the "last post" column in the main index page to sort within each group of boards (and perhaps by board group order as well) by latest posting?
chowhound.com
For Those Who Live to Eat