The front page is ugly

Discussions about the forum and contents
Topic Author
kagantx
Posts: 25
Joined: Sun Feb 04, 2018 12:39 am

The front page is ugly

Post by kagantx »

Most of this forum looks professional and well maintained. But the front page has some kind of text-based forum preview from the early 90s.
This should really be changed.

I know the current front page may be useful to some users, but shouldn't it be placed elsewhere? This website should put its best foot forward.
freebeer
Posts: 2014
Joined: Wed May 02, 2007 8:30 am
Location: Seattle area USA

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by freebeer »

"from the early 1990s" is not actionable criticism. The home page loads fast and adapts well to mobile devices which is invaluable and which a lot of web pages from 2015 don't do. Yes it's bare bones looking but so is craiglist which is in the top 20 of all websites in the US (and has a revenue stream and company behind it whereas this site is a labor of love). I for one am happy with this site's home page as-is but if there are proposals for improvements I would hope that they could be specific as to what should change and be somewhat motivated by information design and usability improvements not just optics. And ideally not send the site backwards in terms of speed and especially mobile device usability.
Eric76
Posts: 224
Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2014 3:02 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by Eric76 »

Yeah, they should really consider lowering the subscription price. Lol.
Call_Me_Op
Posts: 9881
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:57 pm
Location: Milky Way

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by Call_Me_Op »

I don't think cosmetics should be a big concern. I like the static pages. I cannot tolerate moving images on the screen, so I request that if any changes are made, moving images be avoided.
Best regards, -Op | | "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." Einstein
Grt2bOutdoors
Posts: 25625
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: New York

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

kagantx wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 3:50 am Most of this forum looks professional and well maintained. But the front page has some kind of text-based forum preview from the early 90s.
This should really be changed.

I know the current front page may be useful to some users, but shouldn't it be placed elsewhere? This website should put its best foot forward.
For the price of “free” it looks just fine, runs like a top too. However, you are always free to make a sizable donation in advancing this upgrade.
"One should invest based on their need, ability and willingness to take risk - Larry Swedroe" Asking Portfolio Questions
Grt2bOutdoors
Posts: 25625
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: New York

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

Eric76 wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 5:54 am Yeah, they should really consider lowering the subscription price. Lol.
+1
"One should invest based on their need, ability and willingness to take risk - Larry Swedroe" Asking Portfolio Questions
User avatar
oldcomputerguy
Moderator
Posts: 17934
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2015 5:50 am
Location: Tennessee

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by oldcomputerguy »

If by "front page" you mean this page, then yes, it's a bit spartan and does not have any "flash-n-trash". But I happen to like it. It's actually my preferred landing spot here. "Flash-n-trash" would detract from the mission.

If that is the page that you don't like, I suggest you bookmark this one. It perhaps is a bit more dressed-up.

The purpose of the site is to provide an area for discussion of investing and personal finance. I can't see how that purpose would be served by adding needless decoration or annoying animation.
There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way. (Christopher Morley)
gd
Posts: 1638
Joined: Sun Nov 15, 2009 7:35 am
Location: MA, USA

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by gd »

Also not entirely sure what the "front page" is, but the "post listings" page is a favorite part of this forum for me. Clear, simple, fast, no extraneous fluff. It is a significant factor in why I continue to view the forum regularly. It's the index fund of discussion groups.
User avatar
KSOC
Posts: 645
Joined: Sat Oct 29, 2016 3:53 pm
Location: Central Pennsylvania

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by KSOC »

I use the "Post Listings" as my Home Page. The "Index" page is fine with me too. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round. | Nobody told me there'd be days like these.
targ
Posts: 139
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 8:23 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by targ »

Please change nothing. BH is a refreshingly simple, easy to read, easy to navigate site. We don't need no flashy-blinky Vegas lights here!
The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice. | -REBEC OF GINAZ
zuma
Posts: 641
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2016 11:15 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by zuma »

The front page is fine. I wish more websites looked like they were made in the 90s. Modern web design is mostly awful.
The Wizard
Posts: 13356
Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 1:45 pm
Location: Reading, MA

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by The Wizard »

I use my smartphone 95% of the time on the forum and use the New Posts page as my starting point.
I do vaguely remember what the home page looks like...
Attempted new signature...
User avatar
HueyLD
Posts: 9789
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2008 9:30 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by HueyLD »

kagantx wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 3:50 am Most of this forum looks professional and well maintained. But the front page has some kind of text-based forum preview from the early 90s.
This should really be changed.

I know the current front page may be useful to some users, but shouldn't it be placed elsewhere? This website should put its best foot forward.
I hereby nominate the OP for the task of making the forum front page “modern and professional,” including all the time and money associated with such undertaking.
aqan
Posts: 643
Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2015 6:07 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by aqan »

kagantx wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 3:50 am Most of this forum looks professional and well maintained. But the front page has some kind of text-based forum preview from the early 90s.
This should really be changed.

I know the current front page may be useful to some users, but shouldn't it be placed elsewhere? This website should put its best foot forward.
Simple is beautiful my friend. The professional ones sneak in ads and other useless content to make the site slower.
Do you have any specific things you’d like to change to improve functionality?
User avatar
JoMoney
Posts: 16260
Joined: Tue Jul 23, 2013 5:31 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by JoMoney »

I like the front page, especially how quickly it loads / lack of pictures (other than the one small logo).
"To achieve satisfactory investment results is easier than most people realize; to achieve superior results is harder than it looks." - Benjamin Graham
mouses
Posts: 4217
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2015 12:24 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by mouses »

i dislike the front page because it is pretty useless to me. I mostly have to scroll way down to get to the board links. It just seems badly designed.

However, it is not an acceptable criticism to say it's an old design. Age has nothing to do with bad user interfaces:

One of my pet peeves is websites that are perfectly fine and easily usable that are redesigned to apparently only be used by smart phone users and thus become awkward and often nearly unusable by laptop and pc users (because they change to giant items with lots of white space so minimizing does not help), or are bad for most older people, because we have a problem with low contrast (these redesigns seem to almost always go to thinner, faint type or type on a colored background.)
GoldenFinch
Posts: 2728
Joined: Mon Nov 10, 2014 10:34 pm

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by GoldenFinch »

I really like it a lot!

Many of the other websites I use are changed regularly and sometimes they just keep getting worse.
User avatar
tennisplyr
Posts: 3703
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 12:53 pm
Location: Sarasota, FL

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by tennisplyr »

Suggestions not criticisms.
“Those who move forward with a happy spirit will find that things always work out.” -Retired 13 years 😀
User avatar
oldcomputerguy
Moderator
Posts: 17934
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2015 5:50 am
Location: Tennessee

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by oldcomputerguy »

mouses wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 6:56 am I mostly have to scroll way down to get to the board links.
If you mostly want to start with the board links, you might bookmark the Forum home page, index.php
There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way. (Christopher Morley)
User avatar
nisiprius
Advisory Board
Posts: 52216
Joined: Thu Jul 26, 2007 9:33 am
Location: The terrestrial, globular, planetary hunk of matter, flattened at the poles, is my abode.--O. Henry

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by nisiprius »

I like the front page the way it is.

The true standard phpBB home page is only one click away (Board Index), and works perfectly when bookmarked. If you prefer it, set it your bookmark or favorite.

Please, let us never choose style over substance.

I strongly feel that beauty and functionality need not be a tradeoff. Unfortunately, nowadays in web design they usually are, and web designers are going for bling over usability, slithery slidy things with giant type that display about as much content as a bad PowerPoint slide... hide needed controls under slippery pictures, or play peek-a-boo with controls that can't be seen unless you already know where they are. It's worse than the old "for help, simply press control-alt-caps-lock-escape-5."

Given a choice between pretty and functional, give me functional every time.

The Bogleheads site is actually my test page for seeing if my Internet access is healthy, because if it is slow, I know the problem is (usually!) not the site.

I find it ironic that just as the smallest cell phone screens have gotten to have more real estate than early desktops (Mac, 512x384; PC, 640x480; my current cell phone, which is not even a "phablet," 800x480), web designers are dumbing down screens and providing far less content than they used to. The Vanguard "accounts" home page is an offender; so is Google News.

One historic note. I don't remember who first created the home page, but it was created at a time when the community was transitioning from the Morningstar "Diehards" forum, which had become unpopular due to lack of moderation, to the new "Bogleheads" forum... and the home page actually listed the subject lines from both forums in parallel columns. The act of someone trying to make the home page as helpful and useful as possible (as opposed to competitively trying to draw traffic to the new site for self-serving reasons.)

And one other note. The board is maintained by volunteers, and it is a policy of their never to make any modifications in phpBB that require code, due to the resulting endless work of re-creating the changes on every update; they customize only by involving standard built-in phpBB options.
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness; Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.
Lynette
Posts: 2407
Joined: Sun Jul 27, 2014 9:47 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by Lynette »

/////
Last edited by Lynette on Mon Jan 07, 2019 1:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Sheepdog
Posts: 5783
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:05 pm
Location: Indiana, retired 1998 at age 65

Re: The front page is wondeful

Post by Sheepdog »

oldcomputerguy wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 6:10 am

The purpose of the site is to provide an area for discussion of investing and personal finance. I can't see how that purpose would be served by adding needless decoration or annoying animation.
Well written. This site is beautiful in content, so that makes it beautiful to the eye. The front page is wonderful.
Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered you will never grow. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Tamalak
Posts: 1989
Joined: Fri May 06, 2016 2:29 pm

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by Tamalak »

Agree with the OP. I like the frontpage just fine and use it often but it actually looks bugged, like the .css couldn't load.
Turbo29
Posts: 1047
Joined: Tue May 01, 2018 7:12 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by Turbo29 »

I like it. Gives an instant view of active topics.
It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them. --M. Twain
User avatar
TinyElvis
Posts: 324
Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2015 2:33 pm

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by TinyElvis »

I wish more internet sites were plain text like the Bogleheads landing page.

The Drudge Report is one of the most visited sites on the interwebs and it is also plain text: easy to read and quick to load.
"Give a cat a fish and it will eat for a day. Teach a cat to fish and it will just sit there waiting for you to give it a fish."
FIBoston
Posts: 126
Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2017 10:41 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by FIBoston »

kagantx wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 3:50 am Most of this forum looks professional and well maintained. But the front page has some kind of text-based forum preview from the early 90s.
This should really be changed.

I know the current front page may be useful to some users, but shouldn't it be placed elsewhere? This website should put its best foot forward.
as a forum dedicated to pushing Vanguard as a preferred brokerage I find the outdated user interface to be perfectly on brand!
bondsr4me
Posts: 2427
Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 7:08 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by bondsr4me »

targ wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 6:31 am Please change nothing. BH is a refreshingly simple, easy to read, easy to navigate site. We don't need no flashy-blinky Vegas lights here!
got my vote on that.

Don
tibbitts
Posts: 23726
Joined: Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:50 pm

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by tibbitts »

kagantx wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 3:50 am Most of this forum looks professional and well maintained. But the front page has some kind of text-based forum preview from the early 90s.
This should really be changed.

I know the current front page may be useful to some users, but shouldn't it be placed elsewhere? This website should put its best foot forward.
It's excellent as-is for me. It is the "best foot forward" for the forum.

Consider how the forum was created before developing its own content: by scraping data from Morningstar's Diehards forum. I suppose you could make your own Bogleheads forum - check with the forum owners.
blueman457
Posts: 472
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2015 12:19 pm

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by blueman457 »

It is "ugly" but it is functional, loads pretty fast. I'm not a web designer but I would guess that there are ways to refresh the layout while keeping it predominately text.

The one change I would make is changing the home page font to a sans serif font for easier reading.

https://www.fonts.com/content/learning/ ... t-in-print
Jags4186
Posts: 8198
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:12 pm

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by Jags4186 »

Yes, we should cover the front page in ads, pop ups, and autoplaying videos so it looks just like a real 2018 professional webpage!
Dantes
Posts: 431
Joined: Wed Feb 25, 2015 5:38 pm

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by Dantes »

And Google should update its front page as well.
palaheel
Posts: 627
Joined: Wed Mar 22, 2017 7:35 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by palaheel »

freebeer wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 4:27 am "...The home page loads fast and adapts well to mobile devices ...
+1. And any changes should load at least as fast and adapt at least as well to mobile devices.
Nothing to say, really.
rob65
Posts: 379
Joined: Mon May 09, 2016 1:30 pm

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by rob65 »

I like the home page. Loads fast. Mobile friendly. Easy to read. I prefer the static view to the annoying bling on other sites.
User avatar
oldcomputerguy
Moderator
Posts: 17934
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2015 5:50 am
Location: Tennessee

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by oldcomputerguy »

Looks like we have a consensus.

:beer
There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way. (Christopher Morley)
LiterallyIronic
Posts: 1577
Joined: Sat Dec 05, 2015 9:36 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by LiterallyIronic »

No, it's perfect. Like Reddit (before the horrible redesign they're trying to push), it's just simple text. That makes bogleheads.org and reddit.com the only two websites that will load on my phone. And it's super easy to find stuff when using the site on desktop, too.
User avatar
JPH
Posts: 1427
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:56 pm

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by JPH »

blueman457 wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 8:02 am It is "ugly" but it is functional, loads pretty fast. I'm not a web designer but I would guess that there are ways to refresh the layout while keeping it predominately text.

The one change I would make is changing the home page font to a sans serif font for easier reading.

https://www.fonts.com/content/learning/ ... t-in-print
I think you have that backwards. From the link you provided: "Serif typefaces have historically been credited with increasing both the readability and reading speed of long passages of text because they help the eye travel across a line, especially if lines are long or have relatively open word spacing (as with some justified type)."

Also, why can't you set your reader to use the typeface you prefer?
While the moments do summersaults into eternity | Cling to their coattails and beg them to stay - Townes Van Zandt
blueman457
Posts: 472
Joined: Sun Jul 26, 2015 12:19 pm

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by blueman457 »

JPH wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 9:16 am
blueman457 wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 8:02 am It is "ugly" but it is functional, loads pretty fast. I'm not a web designer but I would guess that there are ways to refresh the layout while keeping it predominately text.

The one change I would make is changing the home page font to a sans serif font for easier reading.

https://www.fonts.com/content/learning/ ... t-in-print
I think you have that backwards. From the link you provided: "Serif typefaces have historically been credited with increasing both the readability and reading speed of long passages of text because they help the eye travel across a line, especially if lines are long or have relatively open word spacing (as with some justified type)."

Also, why can't you set your reader to use the typeface you prefer?
I should have attached this link: https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2013/0 ... al-battle/

which states (and other sites as well) that sans serif is generally better for digital formats.

And I'm not sure what you mean by changing my reader to use the typeface... I use chrome browser.

Blue Man
User avatar
Alexa9
Posts: 1872
Joined: Tue Aug 30, 2016 9:41 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by Alexa9 »

It is simple and agree that it looks dated but it doesn't bother me. Maybe it could have the same format as the subforum categories.
User avatar
UpsetRaptor
Posts: 1068
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2016 4:15 pm

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by UpsetRaptor »

I agree with OP.

The look and simplicity of the entry www.bogleheads.org page may be fine for those of us who already know/love this site, but remember that all the clueless noobs out there are inundated with financial "advice" from many directions, and don't know what's good and bad. FAs all have professional looking sites. I fear the first impression here can be a turnoff.

Can't beat the price though.
montanagirl
Posts: 1805
Joined: Thu Nov 19, 2009 3:55 pm
Location: Montana

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by montanagirl »

We talking about bogleheads.org? Yeah don't change a thing. Works great on a mobile and ok on the desktop too.

I am so tired of slow, clunky, heavy web sites that reload every time you enter or click on something. Looking at you, Vanguard! And my bank, and Amazon, and every other "modern" site.
tarmangani
Posts: 144
Joined: Thu Dec 28, 2017 9:14 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by tarmangani »

No, I like that there's at least one website left on the entire Internet that actually does what it's supposed to do: load quickly and present clear information.
targ
Posts: 139
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 8:23 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by targ »

UpsetRaptor wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 9:28 am I agree with OP.

The look and simplicity of the entry www.bogleheads.org page may be fine for those of us who already know/love this site, but remember that all the clueless noobs out there are inundated with financial "advice" from many directions, and don't know what's good and bad. FAs all have professional looking sites. I fear the first impression here can be a turnoff.

Can't beat the price though.
If flashy-blinky modern crap is required to catch someone's interest, I seriously doubt that person is BH material to begin with. Part of the beauty of BH is that it *IS* different.
The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice. | -REBEC OF GINAZ
stimulacra
Posts: 1006
Joined: Wed Dec 21, 2016 2:50 pm
Location: Houston

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by stimulacra »

kagantx wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 3:50 am Most of this forum looks professional and well maintained. But the front page has some kind of text-based forum preview from the early 90s.
This should really be changed.

I know the current front page may be useful to some users, but shouldn't it be placed elsewhere? This website should put its best foot forward.
I've noticed that forums that switch over to a more “curated” homepage are a lot less pleasant to navigate.

I enjoy the text-based main page. My phone has a crappy data plan that maxes out halfway through each billing cycle before dumping me in the penalty box connection. Bogleheads is one of the few sites that loads up quickly when that is the case.

Load speed factor is a big criteria for me.
johan851
Posts: 240
Joined: Sun Apr 17, 2011 12:59 pm

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by johan851 »

It's clear that everyone likes the content and doesn't want the page to be heavier. I agree with that. But I wouldn't say no to some small tweaks - font, a little cleanup at the top, etc. It wouldn't change how I use the page, though.
zuma
Posts: 641
Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2016 11:15 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by zuma »

blueman457 wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 9:22 am
JPH wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 9:16 am
blueman457 wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 8:02 am It is "ugly" but it is functional, loads pretty fast. I'm not a web designer but I would guess that there are ways to refresh the layout while keeping it predominately text.

The one change I would make is changing the home page font to a sans serif font for easier reading.

https://www.fonts.com/content/learning/ ... t-in-print
I think you have that backwards. From the link you provided: "Serif typefaces have historically been credited with increasing both the readability and reading speed of long passages of text because they help the eye travel across a line, especially if lines are long or have relatively open word spacing (as with some justified type)."

Also, why can't you set your reader to use the typeface you prefer?
I should have attached this link: https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2013/0 ... al-battle/

which states (and other sites as well) that sans serif is generally better for digital formats.

And I'm not sure what you mean by changing my reader to use the typeface... I use chrome browser.

Blue Man
You can customize your font settings in Chrome. Bogleheads will display your serif font choice.

Georgia is a very good serif typeface that was designed for screen use.
Tamalak
Posts: 1989
Joined: Fri May 06, 2016 2:29 pm

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by Tamalak »

I am completely baffled by the consensus of "omg no don't load it down with ads and slow to load content".

Are the pretty-looking sub-forum pages of bogleheads slow to load and full of ads? No? Then where did this nonsense idea come from? All the OP is asking for is for the front page to be consistent with the professionalism of the sub-form pages.

You can add css to a page without making it sluggish. Smh :oops:

The amount of mindless "kids these days" in this topic is overwhelming.
Last edited by Tamalak on Mon May 14, 2018 9:53 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Youngblood
Posts: 712
Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2008 6:18 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by Youngblood »

Yep it works great, but how about adding some color options to the current design?
"I made my money by selling too soon." | Bernard M. Baruch
Spirit Rider
Posts: 13977
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2007 1:39 pm

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by Spirit Rider »

FIBoston wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 7:44 am as a forum dedicated to pushing Vanguard as a preferred brokerage I find the outdated user interface to be perfectly on brand!
You couldn't be more wrong. Bogleheads does no such thing.

Sure a substantial percentage of Bogleheads have accounts at Vanguard, but their are many, many who have additional accounts or their only accounts at Etrade, Fidelity, Schwab, TD Ameritrade.

Bogleheads is a philosophy and a community based on living below your means and investing in low cost index funds. Become a more active participant and you will see that.
MrJones
Posts: 775
Joined: Sat Mar 18, 2017 2:23 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by MrJones »

Youngblood wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 9:52 am Yep it works great, but how about adding some color options to the current design?
Why?
targ
Posts: 139
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2013 8:23 am

Re: The front page is ugly

Post by targ »

Tamalak wrote: Mon May 14, 2018 9:51 am ... All the OP is asking for is for the front page to be consistent with the professionalism of the sub-form pages. ...
Then might I suggest the OP load this as his bookmarked link:
www.bogleheads.org/forum/search.php?sea ... ive_topics
The capacity to learn is a gift; The ability to learn is a skill; The willingness to learn is a choice. | -REBEC OF GINAZ
Post Reply