New Forum Page Design

Good evening, everyone.

I just noticed that the CP site has a new look. I’ll have to get used to it again.
I thought the “old” design was nicer and easier to navigate.
Why does everything always have to change? What do you think of the new site?

Best regards, Andrea

Hmm, nothing has changed for me (yet)… but I’m only browsing on my smartphone; maybe it looks different on a computer?

guMo Nadel Eule,

you’re right. Everything stayed the same on my phone, but not on my computer.

Have a great weekend!

Thank you, Andrea! I wish you—and of course everyone else—a wonderful weekend, too ☺️

Yeah, I’m a creature of habit too, and I’m still spending quite a bit of time searching around here.

We designers at CP have been testing the new version for a while now. We discussed and refined a lot of details beforehand to launch the best version possible for everyone. I like it, anyway—and I got used to it pretty quickly.

Yes, it’s a bit of an adjustment; we all felt that way at first. I had to search around a bit at the beginning, too, but you get the hang of it again very quickly. I especially like that the photos are bigger now. You can see everything much better that way. And the font is bigger and clearer, too, and the design is more modern.

Just give it a little time, and you’ll get used to it and discover some new features you’ll like.

Best regards, Ina
 

I got used to this faster than it takes for the goods to be rearranged at our local Rewe.
 

Haha, you’re right—it’s a disaster! 

Honestly, I don’t like it at all. In my opinion, it used to be clearer—you could see where everything was at a glance. Now you have to take detours to get where you want to go. I think the whole thing was unnecessary. Go ahead and tar and feather me, but that’s just my personal opinion.

Best regards, Inge

Dear community,

thank you very much for your feedback!

@Inge, could you perhaps explain in more detail which specific points are particularly concerning or bothering you? Your perspective would be very helpful to us.

Best regards
Alexander

Hi Alexander, there used to be a list on the left where you could see all the different sections on CP—from the community to the specialized sections like sewing, embroidery, knitting, etc. Now all of that is hidden behind the “Browse” tab, and I don’t think it really attracts people if they can’t see what’s available.
Also, once you’ve written a post, you can’t just go back to the forum anymore—you have to take a detour. In my opinion, it’s not very user-friendly to have to go all the way from Rome to Hamburg, so to speak—that’s what bothers me.
Before, you could just click “All Posts” to refresh the page and see what’s new, but that’s gone too—at least I haven’t figured out yet where it’s been hidden.
It also took me almost the whole day to figure out that the rest of the platform is hidden behind the “Browse” button. Often, you don’t even scroll all the way to the top of the screen to see what’s going on, and then you wonder, “Where did it all go???” To leave a forum, you first have to click “Browse” to get back to the home page—as I described above, it’s like taking a detour from Rome to Hamburg that really isn’t necessary.
That’s what bothers me and what I really don’t like, but as I’ve written before, it’s just my personal opinion.
Best regards, Inge

I felt the same way as Inge. You have to take a detour through “Browse” to get to the other sections. I had to search around and try a few things at first, too.
The images are bigger now, but the old menu navigation worked better for me—it was clearer and faster.

Best regards

Dear Community,

thank you for your feedback on the new design. I’ve noted your points and am passing them on to our developers with a request for prompt implementation:

- The quick overview (navigation) on the left with all sections is missing.
- After writing a post, the “Back to Forum” button is missing.

The direct link “All new posts” has disappeared

At the top of the forum homepage, there is a comment icon (on PC with the text “Latest”). There, all topics are sorted so that posts with the newest comments appear at the very top. On the right, you will also find the “Latest comments” section; there you can also see the most recently commented-on posts and use the button below to load more.

A quick note on the different designs

We are currently showing two variants—one group of visitors sees Version A (classic design), the other Version B (new design). This helps us find out which layout is statistically most pleasant for you. You may see different views on different devices. This test is only temporary, and your feedback will be included directly in the evaluation.

You can currently switch between the designs here (expected to be until the end of June):
https://www.crazypatterns.net/de/switcher

Thanks again for your help!

Best regards
Alexander

One more note about the font size: You can adjust it as you like, at least on a PC.
Hold down the “Ctrl” key and press the large “+” (plus) key to the right of the numbers (several times if necessary); this will increase the font size by 10% each time. To revert to the original size, use “Ctrl” and the “-” (minus) key.

I agree with Inge and Andrea. I thought the menu on the left where you could make selections was perfect. Now it’s more of a hassle. I’m sure we’ll get used to it, but personally, I don’t like it either.
In my opinion, you’re more likely to stick around if you can see at a glance what’s available instead of having to search around first.