Feedback on Twins Daily mobile

[Brock Beauchamp]

Hey, I'd like to ask some questions about the TD mobile experience. If you have input on what you like or don't like about the mobile theme (which is the blue/white theme seen on phones and smaller tablets), it will help me establish what to change or add in the future.

 

1. How often do you use the mobile theme compared to the desktop theme?

 

2. From a usability aspect, what do you dislike about the mobile theme?

 

3. What is missing from the mobile theme that you'd like to see added?

 

4. What mobile device do you use to view the mobile theme?

 

5. Any additional comments?

 

Thanks!

[DaveW]

 

 

jk it is fine, however the ads are really really annoying. The bottom rail ones.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

jk it is fine, however the ads are really really annoying. The bottom rail ones.

 

That ad is going to stay, though I'm going to work on alleviating some of the irritating aspects of it... Such as a "close" button and having it disappear entirely when the screen height drops below a certain point.

[Squirrel]

Mostly I find it okay using my iPhone and iPad although I find navigating between threads and forums a little more ... cumbersome. I wish on the mobile there were navigation buttons to jump me around

[Ricola]

I don't use it. I mostly visit the site on iPhone5s and iPad Air, and I don't find the slight speed bump in the mobile site to be worth losing all the extras on the full site.

 

My $.02

[Brock Beauchamp]

Mostly I find it okay using my iPhone and iPad although I find navigating between threads and forums a little more ... cumbersome. I wish on the mobile there were navigation buttons to jump me around

 

Yeah, same here. I've been thinking of ways to streamline that but ultimately, I just end up at "use the back button in the browser" as the answer every time.

 

I will continue to think about it but I don't see an easy answer to the problem.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I don't use it. I mostly visit the site on iPhone5s and iPad Air, and I don't find the slight speed bump in the mobile site to be worth losing all the extras on the full site.

 

My $.02

 

Fair enough, that's why we offer the ability to switch between the two sites.

 

Though your iPad should show the desktop site by default.

[Mike Sixel]

I rather like the skinny design of the mobile version. I HATE the way the ads force a lot of things to not appear as I want the first time I open a forum, but it takes all of .005 seconds to scroll down. I use it exclusively on my phone. I use a Rezound, but am buying an S5 this weekend, I believe.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I rather like the skinny design of the mobile version. I HATE the way the ads force a lot of things to not appear as I want the first time I open a forum, but it takes all of .005 seconds to scroll down. I use it exclusively on my phone. I use a Rezound, but am buying an S5 this weekend, I believe.

 

I've been trying to replace that top ad with something smaller but all of our "good" ad sources have been slow with mobile offerings. I'm hoping to resolve that problem in the relatively near future. It bugs me as much as it bugs the rest of you.

[Craig Arko]

In the mobile version, is there a way to mark all forums as read? I'm missing it if there is.

[Brock Beauchamp]

In the mobile version, is there a way to mark all forums as read? I'm missing it if there is.

 

Nope. It's one of the more aggravating things about the theme, IMO. Once I figure out a way to implement it fluidly into the current navigation, it will be added. Overall, the navigation is the weakest part of the theme, though I've shored that up a bit with the new top-level menu I added a few weeks ago.

[maxisagod]

The random number of times it sends me to the app store to buy some candy game, get's really annoying.

[drock2190]

I dont like it because it doesnt have a sidebar of the recent articles on the main page. I dont even look at whats on the main page a lot of the time, I just want to see what everyone is commenting on.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I dont like it because it doesnt have a sidebar of the recent articles on the main page. I dont even look at whats on the main page a lot of the time, I just want to see what everyone is commenting on.

 

In the top nav, there's a What's New option. That does pretty much what you're talking about.

[edavis0308]

Having some type of 'back to forum page' at the bottom of a thread would be useful instead of like you said, having to hit the back browser button or scroll back to the top.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Having some type of 'back to forum page' at the bottom of a thread would be useful instead of like you said, having to hit the back browser button or scroll back to the top.

 

That's a good idea. It will be awhile before I implement it (it will probably be 3-4 months until I get to the redesign) but that's definitely making the list.

[edavis0308]

That's a good idea. It will be awhile before I implement it (it will probably be 3-4 months until I get to the redesign) but that's definitely making the list.

 

 

Now that we mention it, the main page could use it too I think I am still used to BYTO having it. It's the little things, ya know?

[Brock Beauchamp]

Now that we mention it, the main page could use it too I think I am still used to BYTO having it. It's the little things, ya know?

 

When the main site is redesigned, there will be a similar feature added, though the implementation will probably be drastically different than you expect.

 

But yeah, functionality like that will be added to the desktop site.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I've sat with tech guys who sit at double-barrel 27 inch HD monitors as they have worked on designing a website for a three inch smartphone… (not saying that's you, or that that's even bad, just a little ironic, probably no way around it)...

 

Anyway, I love the TD desktop site and would be grateful if the desktop site remains an option for the mobile.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I've sat with tech guys who sit at double-barrel 27 inch HD monitors as they have worked on designing a website for a three inch smartphone… (not saying that's you, or that that's even bad, just a little ironic, probably no way around it)...

 

Nope, that's pretty much the way I do it. My office setup is a 27" monitor, a 22" monitor, and a 15.4" monitor.

 

Anyway, I love the TD desktop site and would be grateful if the desktop site remains an option for the mobile.

 

Absolutely. That will always be an option.

[tharasix]

The mobile site always pulls up the forum root, and not the front page with the articles for me. Not sure if that's by design, but it's irritating having to go into the forum and click on the post link in the first comment. Also, the symbols in the buttons near the top give me no clue as to their function.

[Mike Sixel]

It always shows login at the top, even when I am logged in.

[Brock Beauchamp]

It always shows login at the top, even when I am logged in.

 

A bug I need to fix. Just haven't gotten to it yet.

[Brock Beauchamp]

The mobile site always pulls up the forum root, and not the front page with the articles for me. Not sure if that's by design, but it's irritating having to go into the forum and click on the post link in the first comment. Also, the symbols in the buttons near the top give me no clue as to their function.

 

If you go to TwinsDaily.com it pulls up the forum root? That's... odd. I've tested the theme on multiple devices and I've never seen that before.

 

The icons are pretty standard internet fare. A search glass and four bars for the main menu. Never been fond of the "3/4 bars" to represent a menu but it's what people are using across the internet.

[Mike Sixel]

A bug I need to fix. Just haven't gotten to it yet.

 

 

NP, just making sure you knew. Nothing worse than customers pissing about problems they don't report to IT (as we both know).

[Craig Arko]

Is the nav widget in the thread/forum title area (white on blue) new?

 

If not, I just noticed it and it's a big help.

[Brock Beauchamp]

Is the nav widget in the thread/forum title area (white on blue) new?

 

If not, I just noticed it and it's a big help.

 

Nope, that has always been there. When I redesign the theme, its function will be more prominent. I don't know why they hid the button so it looks like a title instead of a flyout menu.