New AI forum layout is unusable on a mobile device

sailorpaulsailorpaul
Posted:
in Feedback edited January 2014


The new format is unreadable on an iPhone 4s as soon as you jump to the comments section.  The new layout does NOT allow the reader to pinch zoom the size of text -- as a result the article is formatted fine BUT the much wider actual comments are so much wider as to be unreadable.


 


If this was done so that AI can insert an advertising on the top right (next to the article), then this needs to be done differently.


 


Why not insert the ad below the article at the same width as the article, and then continue with the actual comments also formatted at the same width as the article?  


 


That solves two issues.  


1.  The advertisers witll get petter position on the page and be viewed by more people


2. The comments will actually be read by more people


 


As it is now with the new page format, the only thing accomplished is that AI has CUT the number of times I actually look at the comments to less than 10% of the page views AI used to get from me.


Paul


 


 


 


PS  If you agree then please say so.  If not, then I'll STFU

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    sr2012sr2012 Posts: 896member
    sailorpaul wrote:
    PS  If you agree then please say so.  If not, then I'll STFU

    Agreed. I like AI and hope this is improved in time. A prototype was attempted: http://vb30.appleinsider.com/showthread.php?t=89889 (screenshots and what not have been deleted by the author by now)
  • Reply 2 of 15
    einsteinbqateinsteinbqat Posts: 169member
    I believe that the Forums should just have a mobile view, and incorporate the advertisements at the top or bottom just like it is the case currently with the news page. The current formattig of the forums are indeed very difficult to read from a mobile device.

    Please AI, fix this.
  • Reply 3 of 15
    s.metcalfs.metcalf Posts: 995member
    I completely agree that the AI UI is impossible to read on an iPhone. Even using the iPhone in landscape orientation (which is less comfortable with one hand) isn't enough to make the text legible without straining or squinting.

    As a result I mostly avoid AI in preference to other better formatted forums when using my phone, which is a lot. I like the community in AI so I hope they fix this soon.
  • Reply 4 of 15
    mrdek11mrdek11 Posts: 3member


    Not just on mobile.  It's significantly less usable on a 27" iMac now, as well.  It looks fancy, but could use some serious tweaking.

  • Reply 5 of 15
    eye forgeteye forget Posts: 154member
    This is the first time I've returned to AI in probably a month. It went from a several times a day site to hardly ever. I use an iPad and the site is a huge mess on anything other than Safari and just a big mess on Safari.
  • Reply 6 of 15
    muppetrymuppetry Posts: 3,331member


    The desktop version is very poor on iPhones, but the mobile version works quite well.

  • Reply 7 of 15
    sr2012sr2012 Posts: 896member
    The mobile version is quite nice (I'm talking about the forums not PM system)... Nexus 7 4.2 rooted with Ad block installed.
  • Reply 8 of 15
    sailorpaulsailorpaul Posts: 323member
    At long last the mobile version is accessible on my iPhone. I have no idea why other people saw it first. But I'm glad it's here at last for me
  • Reply 9 of 15
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by SailorPaul View Post

    I have no idea why other people saw it first.


     


    There was a limited beta testing period where I picked users who were either very active or who had preferred browsing here on mobile devices in the past to do use testing and provide feedback. That went for about a month, I think. I lose time so easily. 


     


    Glad to see it's live for everyone now. I hope a few things from the mobile site are brought to the desktop in a future UI/UX update here! 

  • Reply 10 of 15
    sailorpaulsailorpaul Posts: 323member
    Thx. Nice job. Did this also fix the poor layout on the news pages (when you drop down into the comments section) ?
  • Reply 11 of 15
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by SailorPaul View Post

    Did this also fix the poor layout on the news pages (when you drop down into the comments section) ?


     


    Do you mean the threads for news articles on forums.appleinsider.com, or the comments below the news articles on appleinsider.com? I don't see the comments at all on the latter. 


     


    As for in forum threads, there's not any meaningful visual contrast, but the mobile site is a near perfect match with the regular site in that regard. image If anything, the mobile site is better at it; there's a diagonal cross-hatch behind the posts. 

  • Reply 12 of 15
    sailorpaulsailorpaul Posts: 323member
    It's probably the comments below the news articles that give me so much trouble. In the past, the news article would be formatted very well for the iPhone. But then you get the comments -- and all of a sudden they text is too wide to effectively fit on the iPhone. If you shrink it down to fit then it it's too small to read. I ended up having to scroll back and forth which basically meant I never went to the comments. Ever.
  • Reply 13 of 15
    sailorpaulsailorpaul Posts: 323member
    For example, these comments used to be unreadable.

    http://forums.appleinsider.com/t/154727/ifixit-dings-new-21-5-inch-imac-for-low-repairability-as-shipping-times-increase

    Much improved now.
  • Reply 14 of 15
    sr2012sr2012 Posts: 896member
    sailorpaul wrote: »
    At long last the mobile version is accessible on my iPhone. I have no idea why other people saw it first. But I'm glad it's here at last for me

    Agreed.
  • Reply 15 of 15
    relicrelic Posts: 4,735member
    Looks perfect on a Android device. :p
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