These screen captures are from the home page of the Cancer Council Community in Australia but I think the concepts would work well for our Discussion page (and/or the home page).
What I like:
- Visible calls to action. All are the same styled buttons. "Share your experiences" takes you to a page to join. The calls to action are located at the top, middle, and bottom of the window.
- The floating panel at the bottom prompting to join is interesting.
- Notice how "Sign In" is an option but de-emphasized as a text button rather than shaded as the others.
This next screen capture is also on the home page as you scroll down (you might be able to see it on a monitor larger than what I have).
What I like:
- The three distinct sections from which to choose. Limits choices but makes for quick decisions.
As you continue to scroll, you eventually see the above image.
What I like:
- Rather than just providing the stats and having a visitor infer meaning from the numbers, this provides a statement that influences (at least to me) why the community is important. It also puts the emphasis on the visitor - the community is there for you.
A quick mockup draft based on some of these suggestions.
- Created large hero with obvious call to action and welcoming text
- Separated Community sections into small-c categories with a listing
- Moved the numbers to the bottom with a "how the community can help you" title.
I asked IT's UX designer, Elizabeth Hill, for feedback on the Discussions landing page and a thread. Here are a few takeaways from our conversation.
Discussions
- The layout of the topic gives the impression of a typical discussion board which is helpful when landing on the page. Typical discussion board means showing number of replies, views, etc.
- The upper right corner icons in the topic list were not immediately intuitive but quickly understood when explained.
- Orange buttons draw the eye.
- Suggested researching to see if there is a standard for links/buttons that take you to a different site.
- The Options "button" acts differently than the other buttons on the toolbar. Was not obvious that the red triangle (which looks like a heart) was a drop down menu.
- The status bar would be better if positioned closer to the action/content. For example, clicking Bookmark displayed the status above the ad.
- Large horizontal ad was distracting
Topics
- Would be helpful to have an understanding of where you are in the thread.
- Improve alignment of buttons. Would be better positioned on the right so that they do not interfere with scanning the thread. (When scanning, looks at title, date, author. Having the buttons on the same side makes this scan more difficult.)
- Orange is a difficult color to read. Would consider making a color change to the orange titles. This would make the orange "call to action" items more prominent and make the page easier to read.
The Discussion board is one of (if not) the most visited page within the community.
So, what is it that members want to do when landing on this page and how can we make it easier for them to accomplish their goal? Also, what behavior do we want to encourage?
I've group visitors into 3 personas: Super User, Community Member, Anonymous Users.
Each group will most likely have a different purpose for visiting the Discussion board.
| Group |
Purpose for Visit |
Behavior |
| Anonymous Users |
Find information |
Join the community |
| Community Members |
Ask a question |
Answer other questions/give kudos |
| Super Users |
Answer other questions |
Sense of leadership |
Most of the traffic to the community is from anonymous users:
Proposal
Have three sections:
- Find your answer (e.g. top kudos)
- Ask a question
- Help others (e.g. unanswered topics)
For anonymous users and community members, the workflow should be browse/search for an answer then ask a question. (Q: Can we determine current workflow, i.e. do most browse/search before asking?)
For anonymous users, include an option to join the community.
For community members, change the text of "Start a Discussion" to "Ask a Question". I think the button should be relocated if the workflow is to browse/search then ask.
With our redesign underway, here's a design I like having revisited the Cancer Council Community again,
What I like:
- Distinct/clear separation of replies
- Small text for number of replies (as it's not as important as the content)
- Button alignment (and simplicity of choices)
