« Disallowing edits to posts
Profile tab on the main menu
Storing the modified-post user id »

Online Arantor

  • Wedgeward
  • Posts: 10,364
  • The Twelve Tasks of Asterix is awesome.
    • View profile
    • Innovate, not Imitate
Profile tab on the main menu
« on February 12th, 02:12 AM »
This might be a bit controversial, but bear with me. It gets a topic of its own because it's that important in my mind.

I think we should rename the tab and some of the options inside it.

As a first off, I think we should rename the tab to be called 'Options' or 'My Options', rename 'Summary' to 'My Profile', and 'Look and Layout' to 'My Preferences'.

Everything after that's a bit more fuzzy, but I think these alone could make it more usable. I'm not averse to doing more complex and big restructure-like things to the profile area, though, but I have no idea in which direction it should really go.

Thoughts?
Posted: February 12th, 01:37 AM

Oh, and put 'My Preferences' into the main menu, too.
   computer-aided
   community building		             

Other stuff:

Offline Norodo

  • Friends
  • Posts: 267
  • Wedge and Mini Babybel. The only good reasons to like France.
    • View profile
Re: Profile tab on the main menu
« Reply #1 on February 12th, 03:41 AM »
Quote from Arantor on February 12th, 02:12 AM
As a first off, I think we should rename the tab to be called 'Options'
Agreed.
Quote from Arantor on February 12th, 02:12 AM
Rename 'Summary' to 'My Profile'
Agreed.
Quote from Arantor on February 12th, 02:12 AM
And 'Look and Layout' to 'My Preferences'.
Nooot so sure. Though I can't think of a better name myself.
read/shoeonhead

Online Arantor

  • Wedgeward
  • Posts: 10,364
  • The Twelve Tasks of Asterix is awesome.
    • View profile
    • Innovate, not Imitate
Re: Profile tab on the main menu
« Reply #2 on February 12th, 03:44 AM »
On the Look & Layout vs My Preferences, I wanted to indicate that it is up to the user (hence the My part) and that if we already have 'My Profile', that's information about them, whereas L&L is things they can configure about the forum that aren't related to how they appear, but how the forum appears to them.

The only alternative is 'My Options', I think, which is even less desirable.
   computer-aided
   community building		             

Other stuff:

Offline live627

  • Consultants
  • Posts: 1,014
  • Took me forever to restyle a menu. And now, it loooks wonderful.
    • View profile
Re: Profile tab on the main menu
« Reply #3 on February 12th, 03:48 AM »
Quote from Norodo on February 12th, 03:41 AM
Quote from Arantor on February 12th, 02:12 AM
And 'Look and Layout' to 'My Preferences'.
Nooot so sure. Though I can't think of a better name myself.
It's better than what I thought up (My Options)

Online Arantor

  • Wedgeward
  • Posts: 10,364
  • The Twelve Tasks of Asterix is awesome.
    • View profile
    • Innovate, not Imitate
Re: Profile tab on the main menu
« Reply #4 on February 12th, 03:51 AM »
Quote from live627 on February 12th, 03:48 AM
It's better than what I thought up (My Options)
Great minds think alike, eh? (See previous post)

Though I won't argue that there is some validity to My Options.

Don't know if you've used SimpleDesk 2.0 at any point, but there's the preferences page for the helpdesk. Well... in the midst of all that, there's a link on the main HD navigation to get there, and it was discussed what the item should say, and in the end we actually concluded that users would get less confused with 'Options' vs 'Preferences', and history seems to bear that out, actually. But I'm thinking that what works in a helpdesk probably doesn't work quite the same here.
   computer-aided
   community building		             

Other stuff:

Online Arantor

  • Wedgeward
  • Posts: 10,364
  • The Twelve Tasks of Asterix is awesome.
    • View profile
    • Innovate, not Imitate
Re: Profile tab on the main menu
« Reply #5 on February 13th, 05:19 PM »
Alternatively, how about 'My Account' for the tab itself?

It's just dawned on me that I can't really rename 'Summary' to 'My Profile' given that there's a 'Forum Profile' entry already there, but I'll think of something.
   computer-aided
   community building		             

Other stuff:

Offline Dr. Deejay

  • Junior Member
  • Posts: 85
  • I'm addicted to the "Go up/Go down" feature
    • View profile
Re: Profile tab on the main menu
« Reply #6 on February 13th, 05:43 PM »
I think it's a good idea :) It's to the point and says what it links to :)

Online Nao

  • Wedgeward
  • Posts: 10,275
  • Reality check: I just discovered that Wedge already has a 'Mark unread' button for PMs, a feature in my to-do. Uh. It just isn't in the 'right' place...
    • View profile
    • Cynacittà @ noisen
Re: Profile tab on the main menu
« Reply #7 on February 13th, 05:47 PM »
Hmm... My Account is perhaps a bit too much, innit? I mean, it's longer than 'Profile' in probably every language you could think of...

But I see what you mean.

My Account
- Profile (<--- view how your Profile appears to others)
- Edit Profile
- Preferences (<--- layout settings, mostly)
- Settings (<--- real account-related settings)

Something like that, right...?
  I say Wedge Wedge (in the butt)
« Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact. » (Homer Simpson)

Online Arantor

  • Wedgeward
  • Posts: 10,364
  • The Twelve Tasks of Asterix is awesome.
    • View profile
    • Innovate, not Imitate
Re: Profile tab on the main menu
« Reply #8 on February 13th, 06:07 PM »
Well, any case where you have two words instead of one, it's going to be longer - but I'm thinking of the meaning here. Only yesterday on another forum I saw someone ask where they had to go to put their signature in, because it was that inobvious to them.

But yeah, that's essentially what I'm thinking of.
   computer-aided
   community building		             

Other stuff:

Online Nao

  • Wedgeward
  • Posts: 10,275
  • Reality check: I just discovered that Wedge already has a 'Mark unread' button for PMs, a feature in my to-do. Uh. It just isn't in the 'right' place...
    • View profile
    • Cynacittà @ noisen
Re: Profile tab on the main menu
« Reply #9 on February 13th, 06:33 PM »
Thing is, a "My Account" link could perfectly well fit into the sidebar's user box... So it's not like were out of options :^^;:
  I say Wedge Wedge (in the butt)
« Everyone knows rock attained perfection in 1974. It's a scientific fact. » (Homer Simpson)
« Disallowing edits to posts
Storing the modified-post user id »