@calmom — I had NO trouble reading CC on my phone at all until this “update”.
I never bothered to get the CC app for phones, so my android version was always just a tinier version of what I saw on my laptop. It was probably bad for my eyesight, but, it was okay for short spurts of browsing when I was between workstations.
First, I appreciate the Admin’s efforts for trying to create a nice forum for us to use. However, I’ll have to agree with the majority’s sentiments. There is a lot of white space - it requires me to scroll more than necessary to view the same amount of content. I’m not a CC frequenter but I miss the old look. This new theme isn’t user friendly. I’ve never scrolled so much!
Please consider reverting or allowing us the option to choose the forum theme we’re most comfortable with. Thanks for reading.
@gouf78 – I have no idea what the old site might have looked like on your device, but I can see the difference in design & see what has happened.
You can see what the old site looked like with this link:
http://web.archive.org/web/20190625001559/http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/
The layout involves a lot of different horizontal elements. Display areas and display width is controlled with multiple tables, and if I open the site up on full size screen browser (my laptop) and then resize the browser window down (narrower) – the multi-column layout is retained. So that means that to change the display for a smartphone, the old site would have had to either rely on the smartphone browser’s utilities or it would have needed to use a browser sniffing code to deliver different versions of the site to different devices. So basically that’s how stuff was done back in, say, 2010.
The new layout is a responsive design with no tables in the html – layout is completely controlled with
elements – and essentially the site is designed so the whole thing can be displayed in one long skinny column – but on a wider screen, the elements can be rearranged for a 2-column layout. The style sheet needs to specify where the width break points are, but there is no need to code for specific devices – the entire site is designed to rearrange itself depending on page width. So one design is instantly compatible with all devices, now and for the future.
So I get why people don’t like the look – I don’t like the look either, but this is the way it is done now. There are alternative ways the responsive design could have been implemented – for example, there could be different breakpoints allowing for a 3-column display on wider screens. And certainly they had other choices for font style & color, as well as background colors. (Nothing about responsive design limits color or font choice).
But my point was simply that I can see what they were doing and why they did it. There’s no going back at this point in terms of the page layout structure.
Theoretically it would possible to allow users some choice in theme settings in their control panels – to control colors, fonts, font-size, etc. – but it probably wouldn’t be possible to allow users to switch back and forth between the old and new layout, because of the elimination of the tables from the new layout. Basically the back end HTML code of each page has changed in a way that prevents that.
This not a clean easy look - can’t capture where I am and where I want to go in one look. It’s just confusing…I waiting a while to say this but it’s not getting any better in my view.
@calmom , I am a techno ignoramus, but none of what you just said matters to me, and, I suspect, a lot of other users. The fact is that no one can find anything now and it all looks the same. That’s a problem and if those on this thread who have been collecting data are right, it’s a problem for the future of CC.
So I wandered in due to a homepage bookmark I need to delete, and fell on to this little @calmom nugget…
When the layoffs start, remember that.
The customer is always right. The fact that some have apparently reverted to GitHub to recreate the old site should scare the hell out of everyone involved in making the change. Anyone with a paycheck tied to CC should be REALLY nervous right about now. Your core is breaking down, and new folks won’t have the same level of engagement…but hey if that’s the way things are done…
I didn’t really understand all that technical stuff @calmom just said. Can’t they just update the layout?
Anyone can control their own font size now, that’s a browser feature.
@calmom
I don’t see any tables in the old design source, looks like it was all done with CSS. It was fine on my phone before. I don’t mind reordering things to be more responsive, and trying to get a more modern look in general. However, the failures of the new design mostly don’t stem from its responsiveness, but from poor choice of fonts and colors, confusing navigation and content arrangement.
What matters, in the end, is IF we can use this, easily and effectively. It matters less whether there’s a complex techy explanation.
In so many cases, in life, how an entity responds to dissatisfaction is half the battle. There is no roadmap here. Most advice is coming from users to other users-- a nice thing to see, but it shouldn’t be left to that. No gauntlet thown down to ‘love it or leave it.’
hey @calmom thanks for your great explainers over the past 24 hours.
That said, to elaborate a bit more on CC making the site more seo-friendly and mobile-first by using a responsive design:
[QUOTE=""]
As you note, responsive design doesn’t drive color or font or spacing or letting…that’s all chosen by the designers and was a conscious design to go down this path (and not test it or show it to readers or even the moderators first)
Responsive design also doesn’t affect the site flow and architecture, for the most part. For example, somebody decided not to put any forums above the fold when a reader clicks on “go to the forums.” And someone decided to make the alphabetical listing of colleges almost impossible to find (one of the most infuriating and baffling changes, to be my mind. If a kid would like to explore “Rice University” for example, he has to figure out that it’s in Texas before he can find it). And someone decided to make Parent Cafe hard to find. And not put the time stamp on top. And put “recent activity” only at the bottom of the screen. And so on.
If this weren’t a site that i depended on so much in the past (and still need in the future), I’d be viewing this whole thing with a morbid fascination and a relief that it didn’t happen on my watch. But instead all I feel is sad.
[/QUOTE]
I’m not arguing pro or con - I’m just saying that I can see where this came from. The “in” thing in web design these days are fully responsive sites with block design. “Block” means that each content element is in its own “block” than can be moved around or restacked so that the site can be viewed as a long skinny column, or in wide format with the blocks restacking themselves side by side.
I don’t know why they chose a 2-column max width design vs 3 columns. It’s fairly easy to go to more columns, but it gets unwieldy with more than 3 or 4. But the problem from a design standpoint is that a decision has to be made as to how the blocks will stack - what will be at the top, what will be at the bottom. And I think the frustration that people are feeling is because old left-side navigational links have been pushed to a “below the fold” position on the wide layout version.-- plus there have been some changes to how the menu is displayed, requiring more clicks for some topic areas – but actually making some others, such as “professional & grad school” more prominent. I think this could be fixed by adding a “go to topic index” button or link near the top of the page – and they are taking up unnecessary space with the fairly useless “Most Active this Month” box. (A “most active” topic list would be much more useful than one highlighting individual posters)
@calmom — I appreciate the explanations. But none of it matters. The end result has been a disaster. And no, I never had a CC app—it was good on all fronts before this disaster.
There is nothing to defend from your viewpoint.
If CC wants to start over from square one as a new site with whatever they think is great then go for it! Not with me. I only check in to hope for change .
It’s a joke even writing this, the writing moves all over the place. It’s a total joke. And will soon be a meme.
Just logged on after a few weeks away. What the heck?! I feel like I stepped into a bad dream. Super annoying new format. This isn’t working for me 
Thank you to CC for having me to log in 7 times today. It just keeps getting better.
My only delight is learning how many of you, behind the screen names, have solid logical thinking and tech savvy.
So much for us old folk not being able to keep up (or other annoying stereotypes.)
A lot of people hate this new lay out. Please bring back the old look. Do we have to beg you?
I also love that we are keeping this thread at the top of the “Latest Posts” subforum. Don’t lose the momentum. 
We once again thank everyone for the feedback. We will close this thread as it is no longer productive. I started the thread below, where we will share status updates on the issues listed previously as we have news to pass along to you. Use that discussion only to report new technical issues so that it’s easier for us to collect them.
Please note:
- Comments that rehash already-reported issues will be deleted; this new thread is meant to highlight what we already know and update you as items are being addressed.
- With over 100 pages of feedback, we are quite clear on the redesigned areas that are of concern to you so there is no need to repeat them as that only make it difficult for us to see actual new valid functionality issues.
If you continue to feel that you are not being heard, please send a single submission to voice your feedback/concerns/impressions on the new theme via email to admin@collegeconfidential.com.