Announcement: the community's new look

poppy123456

I've noticed in the last few days that sometimes when i comment on a thread it freezes, almost like it's trying to post my comment but nothing happens. I quickly have to copy what i've typed, refresh the page and paste my comment and then it;s fine.

I seem to remember there was an issue with this quite sometime ago, during that time members used to post multiple threads of the same topic thinking they hadn't posted but they had.

Not sure if it's anything to do with the changes here but it's very frustrating.

OverlyAnxious

Not sure if it's been mentioned before (haven't read all 6 pages!) but I'm using my smartphone today and there doesn't seem to be any way to see post dates on mobile?

They're in an odd place on desktop (under the members name, so doesn't look like part of a post) but I can't see them at all on mobile?

poppy123456

OverlyAnxious said:

Not sure if it's been mentioned before (haven't read all 6 pages!) but I'm using my smartphone today and there doesn't seem to be any way to see post dates on mobile?

They're in an odd place on desktop (under the members name, so doesn't look like part of a post) but I can't see them at all on mobile?

I’m using my iPhone right now and I can see dates on comments if they were posted before today. The dates appear on the top right hand side of each comment.
For comments posted today there’s a time for each comment, which appears on the top right hand side.

Adrian_Scope

Hi @poppy123456, would you be able to send me a screenshot of where the time and dates show when on mobile version? They're not meant to be active (and I can't see them on various devices). By PM or email is fine. 

Rosie2x

Adrian_Scope said:

Hello everyone,

Next week we'll be making a long-awaited change to how the online community looks. This re-themed appearance is being introduced to improve the speed, accessibility, and overall function of the community.

We understand it might take a while to get used to the community's new appearance, so we're going to be posting a couple of screenshots of the re-theme, ahead of the change.

Today I'm going to highlight the online community's new home page:

Accessibility note: unfortunately we can only share screenshots at this time, but we will be launching the re-themed appearance next week, so everyone will get to play around soon enough.

Navigation bar:

The community's main navigation bar (the purple bar along the top) is now a lot less cluttered and will include:
Categories: this menu item links directly to the community's main category view.
Discussions: this menu item links directly to a page displaying recent discussions from across the community.
A magnifying glass icon: this icon expands into a search bar so you can search across the community.
Sign in: this menu items links directly to the community's sign in page.
Register: this menu item links directly to the community's registration page.

Note: upon launch, the community's 'Night mode' toggle button will be moved to the navigation bar. This will allow users to switch 'Night mode' on and off.

Main homepage:

As you scroll down past the navigation bar, you'll note things have changed quite a lot and the main community homepage now includes:

Hero image: this large image sits at the top of the page.
Landscape pocket image: a landscape image sits below the main hero image, you'll likely see this used to link to Scope campaigns or community content.
Sidebar menu: we've updated our sidebar menu to include links to the community's main category view, recent discussions, and popular tags among other things.
Featured categories: we now have the option to feature specific categories and so from time to time, you may see a number of categories featured at the top of the page. Note: these will not be visible at launch.
Category menu: we have moved to a tile-based category view, so categories such as Community updates and Disability issues will be displayed side-by-side, making it quicker to scroll through all of our categories.

Please note:
1. As well as making this big change to the community's design, we will be gradually changing other parts of how the community looks and feels over the next few months. While none of the changes we make will be as big as the launch of the re-theme next week, each change will hopefully make an improvement to how we all use the community. This also means that we can be flexible and can make changes as and when they're required, so if something isn't working we will be able to address that issue quite quickly.

2. The names and descriptions of certain categories such as 'What am I entitled to?' are also subject to change and will be adjusted in the weeks ahead.

Let us know below if you have any thoughts on the new community homepage or the navigation menu.

Honestly, it looks good from my end! Only joined tonight so not sure how it previously looked, but I like it! ♡ thank you

Naz18

Thankyou for this Interesting discussion. I work with Ophthalmologists so thought would give my opinion on this too. The term 'Visually Impaired' can be used quite loosely at times. From a researcher point of view, anything that affects your vision from being clear would 'impair your vision' such as lack of spectacles and photophobia (which would give blurred vision). If the visual symptoms are treatable such as with spectacles, or photophobia can be resolved if the cause was non neurological such as an eye infection, then it is not considered a 'Visual Impairment' from a registration point of view. There is a set criteria that vision needs to be (after all corrections and treatment) in order to be registered. So on forms, it is this Visual Impairment they are talking about. 

To be registered VI you can also have reasonable vision but reduced Visual Fields. So spectacles may improve your vision but if you have reduced visual fields then a VI registration can still be considered. 

Hope this helps with the general discussion. I would recommend RNIB and the section on Criteria for Certification.       

L_Volunteer

Thanks @Username_removed for sharing your thoughts about this 

shadow66

Apologies if this has already been asked elsewhere and I haven't seen it.

With the new look website and it being also revamped for a mobile, I wondered if Scope have (or plan to have) an App with which to access the site or via the existing Tapatalk app rather than having to log in on a mobile through a normal browser window?

Adrian_Scope

Hi @shadow66. While we are always discussing options, there are no immediate plans to develop an app and our platform software has very limited compatibility with Tapatalk. But never say never!

L_Volunteer

Thanks @Username_removed for your recommendations 

chiarieds

Today I'm having what sounds like the same problem that Poppy mentions on this page with a few posts......when I click 'Post comment' nothing happens. I lost one post completely; managed to save another by quickly copying it, then pasting again, & a couple of others froze for some time. Also when I tried 'Preview' before posting to check hyperlinks I'd put in, again it froze for a while; trying to 'Save draft' just didn't seem to work either.

L_Volunteer

Hi @chiarieds

Thanks for bringing this to our attention! Would you like to email this to community@scope.org.uk? I have a feeling that emailing the team will bring a quicker solution so fewer people experience this. I hope you have a better experience with the rest of your day 

chiarieds

Thank you @L_Volunteer - but this thread's fine for posting any problems that come up. This 'freezing' remains an intermittent problem. Perhaps I should say that I have a Linux OS (desktop computer) & use Firefox.

Another thing I thought I'd previously mentioned, is that, in the new categories section, there is no longer anywhere for members with just a 'Physical impairment' to post. I appreciate that the list of 'Impairments' needed to be streamlined, but where does someone with a rheumatological disorder now post for example?

I'm also puzzled as to the logic that has clumped 'Neurological conditions' in with 'Rare, invisible & undiagnosed conditions.' I'm not convinced that MS or strokes are particularly rare for example.

poppy123456

Yes I constantly have the issue where my comments freeze so I have to quickly copy it before it disappears.
I also see that there’s still an issue with sticky’s at the top of each section when trying to view on a phone. When I click that section it tells me I can’t view it. There’s not a problem when viewing on my desktop. Frustrating!

colet

Love it 

L_Volunteer

Thanks for continuing to raise these important issues with us. Unfortunately, I am not the person who can fix these issues. However, I hope someone responds to you soon who is able to. Have a good day everyone! 

Spoonbill

Pretty sure this site is built on Discourse, in which case there are apps for mobile - perhaps an admin could confirm, maybe also check them out for accessibility?

Ross_Alumni

Spoonbill said:

Pretty sure this site is built on Discourse, in which case there are apps for mobile - perhaps an admin could confirm, maybe also check them out for accessibility?

Hi @Spoonbill

Thanks for your comment  

The community isn't built through Discourse, though you are correct that Discourse does have an application on mobile devices.

chiarieds

Just noticed when trying to save a draft, preview, or post, it seems that I don't have permission to do that; much like my comment last night...... I don't have permission to do much, unfortunately.

Edit: now there's a 'Permission problem' with trying to comment on a recent post in the Community co-production group, which was where I was just trying to post. Am I under moderation?

poppy123456

chiarieds said:

Am I under moderation?

If you are under moderation then surely your comments wouldn’t appear straight away? Have you tried commenting on a thread to see if it posts?