LDS.org to get major style update, updated header

[barkeraj]

If you haven't already seen it, there is a Deseret News article here
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8656 ... -time.html

There are two main components to this update. 1 - The new header. 2 - The rest of the site will be updated with a new look.

New Header
The core navigation will stay the same, just move down below the logo. The "My Tools" will be expanded and reorganized. The style will change from blue to white. There are some really tricky language handling that has been updated, that I may write something up on in the future.

Updating the content area
The entire site will be moving to a new style with the background becoming white (from the current tan), new fonts, increased font sizes and new accent colors being used. There are lots of sections of the site, so some sections will not be updated this round, but will in coming weeks and months.

In reality this is a fairly "basic" style update (months of work beg to differ), not a full redesign. For those web geeks out there, this is all being done via CSS updates, not any code updates (except for the header which is a complete rewrite). Full redesigns of sections and templates will come in the future.

We fully realize that there will be issues here and there that we will be working to resolve as they are reported. Feel free to report issues you see after the release and we will add them to our list to prioritize and take care of as soon as we can.

Just wanted to give people a little heads up if you haven't seen the Deseret News article that this is coming soon so you aren't surprised by the update. Hopefully you will like it.

[sbradshaw]

Hi – first of all, thank you for all of the months of work that went into the redesign. Change is always exciting. Apologies that this post will be mainly critique of little details.

First, there is no indication whether or not I am currently signed in. Clicking on "My Account and Ward," I still see the "Sign In" button. The old design was confusing (with the text changing), so I don't want to mimic that, but it would be nice if the text "My Account and Ward" changed to a different color (green for "On"?) when I log in, or something similarly simple but visible. Then, opening the menu, in place of the "Sign In" button it could have a simple "Sign Out" link, and to the left it could have my LDS Account username (or my full name, or both).

Second, "Worldwide - English" should have an en-dash instead of a hyphen.

Third, I think you should consider switching the country so it comes after the language: "English – Worldwide" or "Español – México". Then, you can move the globe and person icons to the right side of the text and right-align them to the right edge of the screen.

Fourth, "Worldwide - English" and "My Account and Ward" should have dropdown arrows to make it clear they're menus, not links.

Fifth, I don't want my web browser to feel like a tablet. I understand it simplifies things for the developers to not have to create two separate designs. Also, more and more internet traffic is coming from mobile devices. Most of my concerns with this have to do with either 1) margins that are too big around elements (like navigation links and menu items), or 2) not enough margins at the edge of the page. Proper margins frame the content, allowing a user to see everything in context. They decrease the amount of scrolling needed and improve readability and ease of navigation. On a small touch screen you have to cut margins in some places and increase them in others, but on a big screen controlled by a mouse or trackpad it's cumbersome.

Finally, while I like the neo-typewriter title font, using it all over the place (rather than just a logo or main title) feels unprofessional (whether on a web site or in a mobile app). I understand that this may already be decided in style guides and may not change, but I figure it's worth throwing in my thoughts about it.

[aebrown]

First, there is no indication whether or not I am currently signed in. Clicking on "My Account and Ward," I still see the "Sign In" button. The old design was confusing (with the text changing), so I don't want to mimic that, but it would be nice if the text "My Account and Ward" changed to a different color (green for "On"?) when I log in, or something similarly simple but visible. Then, opening the menu, in place of the "Sign In" button it could have a simple "Sign Out" link, and to the left it could have my LDS Account username (or my full name, or both).

I'm apparently not seeing what you're seeing. Because what I'm seeing is almost exactly what you're suggesting (except for the text color change you proposed). I definitely see my name when I'm signed in (even before I drop down the menu). So there's no doubt in my mind whether I am signed in or not. I wonder if you have caching issues or something else causing this odd behavior.

Here's what I see when signed out:

ldsorg-out.png

(9.04 KiB) Not downloaded yet

And what I see when signed in:

ldsorg-in.png

(9.02 KiB) Not downloaded yet

[russellhltn]

I was wondering what update you guys were talking about. I had to hit Ctrl-F5 to see the update. (I didn't try just F5.)

[lajackson]

I definitely see my name when I'm signed in (even before I drop down the menu). So there's no doubt in my mind whether I am signed in or not. I wonder if you have caching issues or something else causing this odd behavior.

I get no indication that I am signed in because the site acts as if I have never signed in. When I click on the Sign In button, I get the same page refreshed, and do not get sent to a login page.

If I sign in to the Forum and then go to LDS.org, my position and unit display, but my name does not and I still see the Sign In button when I hit the drop down menu.

So it knows who I am, but it still behaves as if I am not signed in, and does not allow me access to any of the extra leader and clerk resource items I need. Fortunately, I have kept my direct links.

[russellhltn]

I'm not fond of having to click a button just to get to the sign-in button or tools. I understand that keeps the interface uncluttered, but it makes for additional click for what is likely to be a common destination for members.

I'd like to see a cookie that the site can use to sense if this is probably a member or not. Computers with the cookie would get the current site. Computers with the cookie (that's shows there was a prior member login) would get an additional top-level tool/quick link section even if currently logged out.

[russellhltn]

I get no indication that I am signed in because the site acts as if I have never signed in. When I click on the Sign In button, I get the same page refreshed, and do not get sent to a login page.

I'm seeing something similar. If I use IE11, go to the lds.org page and log in, I'm back at the lds.org main page and my name doesn't display. But I can navigate to Directory. The directory shows my name, but Calendar does not.

[aebrown]

I'm not fond of having to click a button just to get to the sign-in button or tools. I understand that keeps the interface uncluttered, but it makes for additional click for what is likely to be a common destination for members.

I don't see how any of the common destinations have any additional clicks. You just click on the dropdown for "My Account and Ward" then click on your desired destination. If you're signed in, you go to that destination directly; if you're not signed in, then you'll be prompted to sign in along the way. That's the same number of clicks as would be required for your proposed change.

The only scenario where there is an extra click is where you need to sign in first before you can see the link for the tool you want to use. That certainly wouldn't affect any common destinations, but for some leaders it would affect some portion of the tools they want to use.

[aebrown]

I get no indication that I am signed in because the site acts as if I have never signed in. When I click on the Sign In button, I get the same page refreshed, and do not get sent to a login page.

I'm seeing something similar. If I use IE11, go to the lds.org page and log in, I'm back at the lds.org main page and my name doesn't display. But I can navigate to Directory. The directory shows my name, but Calendar does not.

Hmm. I see my name in every case, using Chrome, Firefox, and IE11. I didn't even have to clear my cache, and it worked the first time and every time on every part of LDS.org I've tried, with all 3 browsers.

But some of the odd behavior people are reporting sounds like browser cache issues. Have you tried clearing your cache?

[lajackson]

But some of the odd behavior people are reporting sounds like browser cache issues. Have you tried clearing your cache?

Yes. I have also noticed that the page is considerably slower to load. I have better success (but not complete success) if I wait longer before I try to do anything.

The header has never behaved properly when I have gone to LDS.org after being signed in here. Those same problems still exist.

If I completely sign out, clear the cache, and then go to LDS.org, it behaves more normally, but my name still does not appear. Maybe if I wait a little longer . . .

But I am an impatient kind of fellow. I'll have more time to play with it this evening, and on a different computer.