Staffing Keeping it fresh vs consistent

[omgwes 18]

I had this topic one up recently and thought it’d be a good discussion! When are design changes good to keep things fresh and new, and when are they messing with the consistency of the site?

 

For example, do you like the banner or main graphics to stay the same or do you like a new one every month?

 

How do you cope with skin or layout changes? Are there things that are too big a change and negatively impact your experience? I know if I had to find a whole new way around a site it would be a pain.

 

As a member should you be on notice of changes and if so how long? How big does a change have to be to give notice?

[Sadrienne 242]

So... I am chronic for surprise changes. Like I would have a night where I couldn't sleep, and my members would log on to sudden new skin, graphics, the works. And this would happen regularly... randomly, and with zero warning whatsoever. It became a bit of a community joke "don't get too attached to the decor, it'll be gone tomorrow".

 

I have a member who still twitches (after six years!) when "skin changes" are mentioned.

 

If you're doing a major layout change, you're probably best off asking your members what they think will work beforehand. That would be smart. As far as cosmetic stuff, I don't think it should matter---unless you're contemplating things that may make it difficult for some members to read posts, like switching from a generally-dark theme to a blinding white one. I always got the impression that (jokes aside) my members were amused and enjoyed the random changes.

 

There are a few things I will keep consistent, though. There is always some form of green dominant in the theme. And there's usually stars somewhere, although I don't think I've put them in yet this time...

[Quell 249]

I hate change and I super care about aesthetics. So skin changes drive me bonkers more often than not. Graphics (assuming they are static) don't usually bother me at all either way. Change them or not, I'm indifferent.

 

I get headaches and migraines from certain mixtures of colors and certain amounts of overlapping pattern. That said if the shapes change but the colors etc. All stay the same it's fine.

 

(I'm also just a little fickle with appearance on forums.)

Edited January 3, 2018 by Thyme

[Elena 546]

We changed something at 6 months to 2 years. Banners were changed at anniversaries.

[Kit the Human 758]

I think actual layout changes should be run past your members, just because you're changing how they navigate the forum.

 

Cosmetic things, I don't care so long as everything is still legible and accessible. 

 

I don't mind if things change regularly. Or if they change rarely.

Edited January 3, 2018 by Kit the Human

[Uaithne 543]

I typically don't alert the members is it's a situation in which if I don't change it RIGHT NOW, it will never get done. (Maybe I have time right now, or maybe I'll lose interest if I wait.) I try to have members preview skin things before I make them official so that they're functional. But most templates or graphics, I don't run by them. The exception recently was the profile template because it was drastically different and they were all required to use it.

 

It took me several tries in a few short months to get a decent skin. I'm satisfied with what I have and don't plan on changing it anytime soon. I don't change things up routinely every X period of time.

[Deep Sea 326]

Last year, I changed the RP logo to have snow on it for Christmas, everyone thought it was adorable.

 

Then I put up a variant where the banner was burnt and torn. All the RPers panicked. It was glorious.

[SoulsRPG 15]

Our basic layout has been the same for over ten years at this point - we do have new skins every few months or so (at the very least, once a year).  Our members like new skins on the whole, and they can switch their preferred skin at any time in the user control panel, so there's no reason for us not to make new ones.  I think we have around 20 skins at this point, along with a mobile skin + layout that activates when someone browses our site on a phone or tablet.  That one's really useful, and our members love it!

[Gibson 21]

I don't think aesthetics are anything to alert members about. But if you change skins a lot I think all previous skins should remain available for members to choose.

[KARA BELLA 18]

I tend to change skins to match the seasons.  Mostly because my site is a real life based site in a place that has seasons, so it started with a fall one because that's what it was at the time and now we have two winter ones, one dark and one on the light side.  I usually changed the header and things when I changed the skin as well but nothing about those really ever changes the way the site is navigated or anything.  I think it is a good balance of change and staying consistent.

[Morrigan 1,826]

I am always changing and tweaking the initiative. >_> I find bugs and issues all the time and change tweak/go crazy etc. I'm actually working on a new theme for the site. I don't really announce it until it happens but I sometimes leave older themes in tact (not always). I do always make sure that there is a light and dark option for all members though because of accessibility.

 

@Dragon

[FriedKilamari 46]

I'm a huge fan of new skins! I feel like they make accessibility a lot easier, too. For example, I can't handle skins that are just black white and red--it's too hard on my eyes--so when sites have pastel skins I can switch to, I'm hooked. Plus people are usually suckers for customization, which is a bonus.

 

As far as tweaking the actual site layout, I think its better to stay mostly consistent, because once people are used to the current navigation a drastic change can be a little hard to cope with (thanks muscle memory). That's not to say you should never change, but I think monthly layout changes are a bit excessive.

[Rune 1,099]

I'm big on branding. I like things to match.

 

If a skin changes, the layout should remain (mostly) the same. Swap graphics until your heart's content, but make sure people aren't fumbling to find things constantly. Graphics should remain true to your board, usually following the same theme/idea. (Cry Wolf, for example, always has a wolf in our banner, and usually something else "hidden" away in the background.)

 

I like it when sites hold true to the same skin, but I also like it when they have seasonal banners and such. I think as long as you aren't changing everything constantly and making people hunt down links/important things you're good.

[Raven 18]

A full re-skin every 4+ years is fine, but change, especially in the positioning of things, really leaves me confused tbh. Colors aren't quite such a big deal, but I HATE having to hunt for information and links. I h a t e it. It's why I don't often join new sites.