The Home page sucks

[Jon]

Yes, I spotted one user and looked at his posts. Most of them in the Watercooler and such. Hardly a techinical question asked.

Are you anti-Watercooler, or for?

We are getting quite a few non-technical posters recently. In most cases, these new members are spammers. They post legit or barely legit looking replies, then in the following days, they go back and edit their post to drop a link or mention their product.

 

[AccessBlaster]

Just had a thought...are you saying you don't like the Watercooler section, or its placement? Or that you do?

I do like the watercolor and it's placement. I also like the banner.

My thoughts were it's unique to other sites who don't tolerate non-technical side talk.

 

[AccessBlaster]

Yes, I spotted one user and looked at his posts. Most of them in the Watercooler and such. Hardly a techinical question asked.

There's alot of "heavy hitters" on this site who regularly give good quality advice almost instantly. So for a novice like myself to but in is pretty rare. That's my only thought.

 

[Jon]

I do like the watercolor and it's placement. I also like the banner.

My thoughts were it's unique to other sites who don't tolerate non-technical side talk.

Ok, gotcha. Thought that was what you meant but was not 100% sure.

 

[561414]

I think expectations should be limited for what I can achieve as a solo developer with junior React development skills. StackOverflow has over 500 employees, of which several hundred are probably crack developers. But your comments gave fresh insights into possible directions.

By different page to guests vs users, I presume you are referring to guests vs logged in users? Are you aware of the "What's New" tab on the forum index page?

I never used the What's New tab before, but it looks exactly like what a logged in user should see as the homepage.

For what it's worth, I remember utteraccess had a more functional appearance and it currently looks more "modern" with that washed out look, but it's not intuitive, everything looks the same. Or is it just me and it has always looked like that? Anyway, are you planning to also change the entire layout with React or NextJS? Just curious.

 

[Jon]

I never used the What's New tab before, but it looks exactly like what a logged in user should see as the homepage.

Are you suggesting I should have two pages the same, What's New Tab and the same thing on the Home Page? If so, what is the benefit?

Anyway, are you planning to also change the entire layout with React or NextJS? Just curious.

The entire layout of what?

 

[561414]

Are you suggesting I should have two pages the same, What's New Tab and the same thing on the Home Page? If so, what is the benefit?

As a logged-in user, I am presented with a welcome page trying to convince me to join, even though I have already joined the community. This requires an extra step of clicking on the "Forums" tab, and then navigating to either "What's New" or "Watched" to access my relevant content. This adds an unnecessary level of complexity and requires me to dig deeper to find content that is more relevant to me, rather than being presented with relevant content straight away.

It's understandable that determining the best approach to implementing my suggestion may be difficult as only you, the site owner, have a comprehensive understanding of the technical challenges and the overall operation of the platform. However, I want to stress that my suggestion is aimed at improving the user experience for logged-in users by providing a more personalized and empathetic approach.

The website has a variety of features that have been meticulously developed and maintained, however, I suspect that some of them may not be utilized as much as others. To optimize the user experience, it may be beneficial to make the more popular features more prominent, or conduct a survey to gather feedback on which features are most valuable to users. Alternatively, tracking user behavior through observer functions could provide insights on which features are being actively utilized and where improvements can be made, doing that is quite the challenge though.

The entire layout of what?

I noticed in the opening post that you mentioned plans to revamp the homepage. I was wondering if there are also plans to update the rest of the forum with React in the future.

 

[Gasman]

So use the correct url?
I use

What's new

 

[Jon]

So use the correct url?
I use

What's new

That was what I was indirectly hinting at. If you duplicate a page, you have redundancy. It might also be confusing to some people to have multiple urls with the same content. For me, I rarely go to What's New. My preferred landing page is the forum index.

I have considered putting a feed of latest posts on the home page, but that would be for everyone, rather htan just guests or regulars.

 

[Jon]

As a logged-in user, I am presented with a welcome page trying to convince me to join, even though I have already joined the community. This requires an extra step of clicking on the "Forums" tab, and then navigating to either "What's New" or "Watched" to access my relevant content. This adds an unnecessary level of complexity and requires me to dig deeper to find content that is more relevant to me, rather than being presented with relevant content straight away.

See Gasman's post.

However, I want to stress that my suggestion is aimed at improving the user experience for logged-in users by providing a more personalized and empathetic approach.

I am big on user experience, as regulars here can attest to.

The website has a variety of features that have been meticulously developed and maintained, however, I suspect that some of them may not be utilized as much as others. To optimize the user experience, it may be beneficial to make the more popular features more prominent, or conduct a survey to gather feedback on which features are most valuable to users. Alternatively, tracking user behavior through observer functions could provide insights on which features are being actively utilized and where improvements can be made, doing that is quite the challenge though.

Are you aware that I did not create the forum software? Also, I have a whole section called Site Suggestions in a prominent area of the forums to get feedback. I've got multiple surveys in there too.

I noticed in the opening post that you mentioned plans to revamp the homepage. I was wondering if there are also plans to update the rest of the forum with React in the future.

React would be used only for the non-Forum sections. I am not looking to create forum software. It took teams of developers over 12 years to develop the Xenforo forum software I use on this site.

Currently, the WordPress home page looks low grade to me. It needs pimping up!

I still appreciate your ideas. Many ideas in Site Suggestions have already been thought about or implemented.

 

[AccessBlaster]

This is where I land when I first open AWF, I look to the upper right for red indicators signaling I might have something new.

by providing a more personalized and empathetic approach.

I don't get the "empathetic" part.

 

[Jon]

@AccessBlaster I use this page too. Everybody has a different take on where they want to go first. And we all use the forums in a slightly different way.

I did add some personalisation, such as the ability to hide forum sections, hide other members posts or change the website theme.

 

[561414]

Hey Jon, I understand that the website may not have been entirely created by you and that you may have limited control over its features. I also understand that the template may not be fully customizable. However, I want to mention that it's not a big deal for me to go through extra clicks and I can solve the issue with a bookmark. I'm just bringing to light the areas that could be improved for a better user experience. It's ultimately up to you to decide if changes need to be made, but I do believe that there's always room for improvement because, like I said, and to reply to AccessBlaster too:

my suggestion is aimed at improving the user experience for logged-in users by providing a more personalized and empathetic approach.

Many of my clients are not technically savvy and may not be aware of basic web browsing functions such as bookmarking, understanding URLs, or paying attention to Notifications, OH MY GOD, so many people don't care about red badges with a number, they just ignore them.

Creating a personalized experience for logged-in users, where they can easily access their relevant content upon entering the site, is a thoughtful and considerate approach, therefore empathetic. This is not because they are unable to find the content, but rather because it requires additional effort to locate it.

But allow me to repeat myself, I just think it would be an improvement for users who do not know the forum as well as those who visit it constantly.

 

[Jon]

I agree with many points that you have made. I've not considered having the homepage being different for a logged in visitor. That is a kind of Dashboard concept.

It's only me creating everything on this site and I have no help from anybody. Expectations have to be very limited. My original question at the start of the thread is only about making the homepage more appealing to first time visitors.

I've toyed with the idea of creating a wiki section, where I could use chatGPT to help fill out the content. My Access knowledge nowadays is poor, and I don't think there would be enough volunteers here who would have the time or inclination to generate the wiki section. In an ideal world, I would like to make this as a more complete hub for Microsoft Access, rather than just a discussion forum.

 

[561414]

My original question at the start of the thread is only about making the homepage more appealing to first time visitors.

I googled some of the most active forums on the internet, the best homepage in my opinion was github, but it looks like it was made precisely by "crack" devs, it has a lot of animation and movement (by the way, you can check out framer motion for react, it's dead simple and powerful). The following seem much more affordable (open in private window to prevent it from showing you a logged in user experience):
1. medium, its homepage has site content, in my opinion, this would be the best choice
2. discord, homepage is simple, with simple visuals and I've used wordpress templates that do exactly that
3. stackoverflow, this could work
4. microsoft docs, this is very much applicable to this site
5. gamefaqs? wow, look at this outdated thing, it doesn't need to look modern

I've toyed with the idea of creating a wiki section, where I could use chatGPT to help fill out the content. My Access knowledge nowadays is poor, and I don't think there would be enough volunteers here who would have the time or inclination to generate the wiki section. In an ideal world, I would like to make this as a more complete hub for Microsoft Access, rather than just a discussion forum.

Why not offer reputation to writers? bounties or something. Maybe feature their websites or their posts? I mean, fame in exchange for wiki articles. You could start with a thread of potential topics of the wiki, and go from there and see who wants to write something.

I don't know. I'm just saying.

 

[NauticalGent]

Yes, I spotted one user and looked at his posts. Most of them in the Watercooler and such. Hardly a techinical question asked.

You talking to me??!?

 

[GPGeorge]

Revamping the AWF homepage using React, JavaScript, and TailwindCSS is a promising endeavor for a more visually appealing and user-friendly experience. To make an impactful first impression on visitors, consider incorporating a clear value proposition, showcasing popular forum content, and implementing intuitive navigation. Leverage dynamic visual elements and animations to engage users and highlight community achievements. Include a prominent call-to-action for new members to join discussions, and feature user testimonials to build trust. Keep the content fresh with the latest news or updates, and ensure a responsive design for optimal viewing on various devices. Additionally, integrating SEO tools into the development process can enhance the homepage's search engine visibility, ensuring it reaches a wider audience. Regularly seek community feedback to refine and enhance the homepage, creating a welcoming and compelling entry point for both new and existing users.

This reminds me of the time I invited a friend over for dinner. Before we even sat down to the table, she started moving furniture around in the living room because she thought it looked better that way. She also removed a couple of paintings from the wall because she didn't like the colors and gave me the names of artists I should collect instead.

Then when I served the roast beef, she got up and went into the kitchen and boiled up some pasta and white source instead.

But what do I know.

 

[AccessBlaster]

Heck of a first post

 

[Gasman]

Heck of a first post

ChatGPT?

 

[Jon]

It's very good English for someone from Pakistan. Let's face it, its spam. They drop the post, then go back and edit it later. "We provide web design services for React, Tailwind blah blah". Same old rubbish!

Edit: Their email address suggests they sell six sigma courses.