Which is more important, form or function?

ozma · 05-09-2007, 03:30 AM

I worry that Rosey rolls her eyes everytime I post in this area of Bhuz, because I sound like a broken record.

Look, I really like the new Bhuz. I appreciate that it has bells and whistles even if I don't use them all. I already blog a lot hither and thither and don't need a new one, but I know that other people might like one. The layout sometimes feels a little crowded, but I got used to it. The gallery seems to be helping people figure out how to post pictures more frequently and the pm, while glitchy at times, is a nice solution for when members want to keep Bhuz mail on Bhuz. And the icons make me fell like I know people better.

But...and I know you know what I'm going to complain about...the banner. Some people love it, some people hate it, and smattering people have problems because of it. People have mentioned installing adblock or changing browsers (to get around the aesthetic problems some folks have, and the technical problems other people have.) but frankly some users can't change broswers or settings (like myself) other users aren't very technically savvy and enjoy the idea of changing settings on their computers about as much as they enjoy a trip to the dentist.

If the falling stars/changign backgrounds served a purpose other than looking pretty, I'd agree that the user should just suck it up and change or deal with the decline in access. But it doesn't serve any function other than looking nice. I personally feel that the goal of being easily accesible, worldwide, by a wide range of computer users on a wide variety of platforms/browsers should trump "Hey, we can use animation in our banners!." Any single one of those images used in the background of the banner would look smashing without the layer of animation!

So, form or function?

zumarrad · 05-09-2007, 06:00 AM

Form follows function, right?

Personally I find the banner fairly pointless. Whenever I open Bhuz, I get a large black block at the top of the screen with a button off to the right, which eventually fills up with the pretty picture and the stars. I hate that download time, it annoys me - call me impatient if you will. But then, after I open a thread, I don't see it any more because I've invariably scrolled away from it. So I never even *see* the animation.

On the one hand, this means the stars don't bother me. On the other, I miss the animations of the images melting into each other unless I happen to scroll back up at the right time. I'm on the standard screen resolution ( I don't do full-screen). And I never see this stuff when I'm actually using the site, so what's the point in having something that obviously takes a lot of energy, slows the site down and causes some people problems, when nobody is going to look at it on the forums anyway?

I think it looks nice on the home page, but the forums... what is the point, really?

meissoun · 05-09-2007, 06:09 AM

I could do without the stars.

<Evil Me coming out>
Animated stars remind me of the beginnings of webdesign when every 2nd Oriental dancer who had a website put some blinking stars on it and it just looked cheap. So I have come to associate animated stars with amateur webdesign...
<Evil Me crawling back into its cave>

I personall think that the old BHUZ looked much classier. Maybe we could have the new functions with a touch of the old elegance? Not necessarily the same design, just some simple, no-frills layout.

Anyway, as long as you don't hire the Gilded Serpent's webdesigner, we should be on the safe side!

(Oooops, I though Evil Me was back in the cave???)

MEISSOUN

artemisia_danst · 05-09-2007, 06:13 AM

i LOVE new bhuz and all of it's new functions: pm, groups, gallery, downloading video's and music... and really happy with the avatar function, i remember so much better who is who! can't wait for chat, (but maybe not, i already spend to much time on here).

i got used to the active topics function dissapearing

i can do without the banner, especially if it seems to makes other people experience of bhuz not so pleasant as mine...!!!

Artemisia

Lauren_ · 05-09-2007, 07:31 AM

I think the banner and the falling stars are lovely, but I wish they were restricted to the home page. I suspect it's the cause of my computer crashing, and the proposal that we should all switch to firefox so we can block the design element that's causing the problem is a little silly to me.

Michelle75 · 05-09-2007, 08:05 AM

Hi Ozma,

I for ONCE in my life am lucky not to have these issues. Are you on a dial up conncetion and have to wait on a slow page download?

I usually am the one to have computer problems so I can sympathize with that but now I have the cable connection where I always have a connection and I LOVE it.

What I'm trying to get at is, are you having problems b/c of the animation at the top is making you have a slow page download when logging onto Bhuz? I was confused when I read your post. I spend half of my life in confusion anyway.

outi · 05-09-2007, 08:27 AM

Michelle, it seems that we living outside of North America and Europe, have really serious problems with the loading time. Today I'm seem to be lucky and everything has been well, but I don't like to wait for several minutes for each page, which is way too usual with the new bhuz.

Michelle75 · 05-09-2007, 08:33 AM

Hi Outi,

Yes, waiting is a pain in the rear. Glad you didn't have issues today. I'm curious as I am NOT at ALL computer savy and I don't keep up with the times, is broad band connection offered where you are and in other areas outside of the US? I would think they are. If they are, do they have a ridiculous price on them?

tamrahennatx · 05-09-2007, 09:11 AM

I don't have a problem with the banner, and on top of that, I like it. I find the stars soothing, silly as that may seem.

(Not trying to be contrary, just trying to voice the other side).

Uulady · 05-09-2007, 10:06 AM

I have broadband and bhuz loads slowly.

heinakuu · 05-09-2007, 10:14 AM

with the new bhuz,I think I am all the time "travelling around in bhuz to find my friends". I could be better without the big banner which take so much space in the upper part, and I am really really fed up with the falling snow. It's spring in Finland finally, I do not want to see ANY snow now!!! But I have no problems with loading times, fortunately.

I liked the groups first, but I feel that going there is an effort, and I miss the active topics still. I love the to see the new profiles and like the blog, but that's because I did not have one before, did not understand how calming it is to write things out of your mind.

Thank you for bringing this issue up.

ozma · 05-09-2007, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michelle75

Hi Ozma,

I for ONCE in my life am lucky not to have these issues. Are you on a dial up conncetion and have to wait on a slow page download?:

What I'm trying to get at is, are you having problems b/c of the animation at the top is making you have a slow page download when logging onto Bhuz? I was confused when I read your post. I spend half of my life in confusion anyway.

If I attempt to access Bhuz at work in my free time (allowed at work and when I usually have time to Bhuz) the page loading time takes 3+ minutes. It is Japan internet explorer w/ various firewalls. Because of the firewalls I cannot simply change the browser (unless I download and install it every morning...same with adblock programs...) Japan is all speedy broadband/ADSL so there is not usually a speed issue.

At home, where I have control over browsers and always use firefox, not an issue. If I can use the one machine at work that adblocks everything, not an issue.

jawahir · 05-09-2007, 05:16 PM

my browser continues to stop functioning when i'm using bhuz. i don't know if it's coincidence, or ??? because i use firefox (on the mac mind you). what happens is all my links, functions/actions stop working so anytime i click on something, nothing happens. this has never happened to me until the new bhuz. i have to close and reopen firefox and then it works. i don't know if it's because of the banner or what. but i agree the banner animation is totally unecessary...i'm a less is more type myself.

zumarrad · 05-09-2007, 05:36 PM

I'm in NZ, on dialup,and the loading times are OK for me. The only problem is that every time I open a new page, there's that big ugly black space at the top for several long seconds before the images come in. It's not even a plain ugly black space - it's a black space with the BHUZ logo on top of it off to one side, and the grey bit that holds the button. I know it's just the space where the Flash animation loads.

ETA: Oh, and I'm on Firefox.

ozma · 05-09-2007, 08:22 PM

My firefox , on mac, occasionally freezes on the new Bhuz as well. I suspect the banner...but frankly at this point my microwave could explode and I'd blame the Bhuz banner.

I think the idea of the falling snow being on the first page only sounds great. I'm willing to put up with possible slow first page loading if I know that after that I'll be able to access forums and reply to things in a timely fashion after...and whatever money was spent on the design won't be wasted.

Lauren_ · 05-09-2007, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jawahir

my browser continues to stop functioning when i'm using bhuz. i don't know if it's coincidence, or ??? because i use firefox (on the mac mind you). what happens is all my links, functions/actions stop working so anytime i click on something, nothing happens. this has never happened to me until the new bhuz. i have to close and reopen firefox and then it works. i don't know if it's because of the banner or what. but i agree the banner animation is totally unecessary...i'm a less is more type myself.

This is EXACTLY what happens to me in Netscape on the mac. I'm glad I didn't download & install Firefox (and transfer over all my favorites & cookies & saved logins & preferences) only to discover I'd still have the same problem.

rosey · 05-10-2007, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozma

My firefox , on mac, occasionally freezes on the new Bhuz as well. I suspect the banner...but frankly at this point my microwave could explode and I'd blame the Bhuz banner.

I think the idea of the falling snow being on the first page only sounds great. I'm willing to put up with possible slow first page loading if I know that after that I'll be able to access forums and reply to things in a timely fashion after...and whatever money was spent on the design won't be wasted.

Ozma, we hear your pain! We are working on this over the weekend.

ozma · 05-10-2007, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosey

Ozma, we hear your pain! We are working on this over the weekend.

Oooooooooooooooohhh!

As fun as it has been to think "Curses, Bhuz Banner!" when anything bad happens to me (iPod Sync, drunken salary men on the train, paper cuts) I'll be all chipper-dipper when this problem is gone.

Lauren_ · 05-10-2007, 08:49 AM

Really??? Really?????

YAAAAAAAAYYYY!!!

sumayasaahir · 05-10-2007, 12:22 PM

I dont think the old bhuz looked elagant. It looked sterile, imho. Simlpe, yes, elegant, no.

mish_mish · 05-10-2007, 12:47 PM

I have already ten what OB looked like. Old Bhuz, who?

ozma · 05-11-2007, 04:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumayasaahir

I dont think the old bhuz looked elagant. It looked sterile, imho. Simlpe, yes, elegant, no.

True, but my issue is not if the stars are pretty or annoying. My issue is that the stars make Bhuz not function properly for some folks. The old site was sterile, but I could access forums!

Which is more important, form or function?

Questions?