Hello, I have just joined and I was trying to find a Register or Join link on the top right. Eventually I had to drill down into a Forum (picked one randomly) and tucked away from sight was a "Register" link. I think you'd have a much better Visitor to User conversion if you made this more obvious to unauthenticated users at the top right. Thanks Rodney PokerDIY.com
I suppose this is the first complaint on the issue of registering that DP has received in the last three years??? Welcome to DP though. rodney...
Interesting comments... I am a .NET web developer and don't consider myself to be stupid. I run quite a few websites and know alot about usability etc. The fact remains - it took me a while to sign up. Call it what you will (stupidity? Bad layout? Whatever) - the fact is it did. And if it took me a while, there is a good chance it took other people a while. Do those people complain? I don't think so. Do the people who don't find the link try again? Maybe not. There's a good book about usability called "The inmates are running the asylum" and how developers design things from their own experience and view. Of course, if 39000 succeeded, it MUST be right? Maybe that could be 100 000 if it were designed better. Just because something is working doesn't mean it can't work better.
Hummm..I wont call you stupid... But my dear friend, May be registering in this forum is only difficult for self indulged, .net Web developers, who run quite a few websites. Very difficult to find register link....indeed. I can only advise you to get your eyes checked.. Its a common problem with grade 1 nerds..
How many forums the OP joins? Or has tried to join? Myself, I have found on any forum I go to, including this one, that there is always a "Register" link at the top of the page. Not being a programmer, a computer geek, etc.... Maybe that is why I have never had a problem registering at any forum. Welcome to DP.... To forestall new threads being opened, do read the FAQ's, and again, LOOK AT THE TOP OF EVERY PAGE for the information you will need to enjoy your stay here.
Hehe - ok - point taken... I have also learnt my lesson - do not try and offer feedback... ps - can you leave the Register link in that highlighted like that screenshot? I was looking at the top right corner and top left corner - it did not occur to me that the most important link would be in the middle of others on a bar a bit down the screen. Guess I must be a bit fik hey!
Perpahs you'rent familiar with VB that's what it is in most vb forums. And i think people automatically start expecting it around there. Sometimes you look and can't see...happens when you're on the computer a lot Welcome
Aah - forgot about Ctr-F - but yes AnaB - you are right - this is only the second Forum of this type I have seen (VB Forum?) - must be a PHP product. In the Forum product (DotNetNuke) I use the Register functionality is part of the website so it's abstracted from the Forum UI but I guess if everyone on this thread has used this before they'd know automatically where to look... Actually - this is something I noticed on the another site (and again - by all means feel free to shoot me down with disgust, but I'll say it anway) - from a usability POV - am I joining the WEBSITE or the FORUM? On the other site I had to make 2 users accounts - one for the site and one to post on the Forum - they had not integrated their user bases. Madness.... how many users are going to bother signing up twice? It's hard enough to persuade a user to sign up once! Just thought I'd mention it but wouldn't have bothered if I known how people respond to honest feedback in these parts (thanks for the decent answer
That could be the problem. A forum junkie knows where everything is placed in vB. All forums using vB work similar (atleast 95%). And its the most popular product in forums category. Anyways, welcome to DP.
Hehe - cheers! I am now going to go and post on the rest of the boards and have my site reviewed etc...