I'll do my best to help out, with the caveat of course that I am only me, and I can't speak for anyone else. I have noticed that DW has way more style options than when I originally joined, and I appreciate that there has been a lot of work done in a relatively short time.
One thing I have consistently seen is that the ZOMG HUGE TYPEFACES turn a lot of people off, because they don't know why the site is like that or that it can be changed in, like, ten seconds. I'd had my account for a couple years and had no idea about the px vs. em thing, why it was that way, and that I could make the type smaller by adjusting my browser default a couple points. I think it's great that DW is taking into consideration that not everyone has the same visual acuity. But those of us who don't need that larger type, come here and our first thought is, "Ugh! Big clunky shouty typeface!" So I'm not saying change it, but some of that big type needs to tell newcomers that the big type can be instantly changed.
In terms of bugs/technical problems, I think people have problems with many of the layouts being too wide, such that elements end up overlapping one another on the page. It isn't all the styles, but it does happen. No idea why, but I can't recall ever having that issue on LJ. Is that something I should report if I see it?
In order to explain what I mean by "clunky and garish," I will probably have to screencap some layouts and add notes about what drives my eyes crazy. Currently, I see this comm's layout as a black background with white text boxes, which in itself isn't so bad. It's the white/black stripe outline around the text boxes that's hurting my eyes. The black "Link Reply Thread Parent" bar isn't helping either. In this case, design + ultra-high-contrast color scheme = DNW.
Another example I can think of offhand: I like the Nouveau Oleanders in general, but the hard black/white oleanders at the top are bothersome to me, as are the rather proportionally over-sized (to my eye) harsh white/black flowers beside the subheaders. If I could keep the design but choose to, say, eliminate one of the two matched flower designs at the top, and/or change their color (and that of their smaller offspring) to something less glaring? That would rock. But as far as I could tell, those elements come in any color you want as long as it's black/white.
Oh, and I do miss having tags displayed in more compact fashion, so I didn't have to scroll waaaaayyyy down the page to get through the whole list.
It's late tonight, but I really will take some screencaps within the next week and explain what is/isn't working for me. Also, I take a lot of photos and may be able to offer a few for the development team to use as header images, if they're interested.
no subject
One thing I have consistently seen is that the ZOMG HUGE TYPEFACES turn a lot of people off, because they don't know why the site is like that or that it can be changed in, like, ten seconds. I'd had my account for a couple years and had no idea about the px vs. em thing, why it was that way, and that I could make the type smaller by adjusting my browser default a couple points. I think it's great that DW is taking into consideration that not everyone has the same visual acuity. But those of us who don't need that larger type, come here and our first thought is, "Ugh! Big clunky shouty typeface!" So I'm not saying change it, but some of that big type needs to tell newcomers that the big type can be instantly changed.
In terms of bugs/technical problems, I think people have problems with many of the layouts being too wide, such that elements end up overlapping one another on the page. It isn't all the styles, but it does happen. No idea why, but I can't recall ever having that issue on LJ. Is that something I should report if I see it?
In order to explain what I mean by "clunky and garish," I will probably have to screencap some layouts and add notes about what drives my eyes crazy. Currently, I see this comm's layout as a black background with white text boxes, which in itself isn't so bad. It's the white/black stripe outline around the text boxes that's hurting my eyes. The black "Link Reply Thread Parent" bar isn't helping either. In this case, design + ultra-high-contrast color scheme = DNW.
Another example I can think of offhand: I like the Nouveau Oleanders in general, but the hard black/white oleanders at the top are bothersome to me, as are the rather proportionally over-sized (to my eye) harsh white/black flowers beside the subheaders. If I could keep the design but choose to, say, eliminate one of the two matched flower designs at the top, and/or change their color (and that of their smaller offspring) to something less glaring? That would rock. But as far as I could tell, those elements come in any color you want as long as it's black/white.
Oh, and I do miss having tags displayed in more compact fashion, so I didn't have to scroll waaaaayyyy down the page to get through the whole list.
It's late tonight, but I really will take some screencaps within the next week and explain what is/isn't working for me. Also, I take a lot of photos and may be able to offer a few for the development team to use as header images, if they're interested.