Testing Quote - Thanks @Heisen - Testing mention forum member.
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Well loved XenForo, Head-Fi still run on thatâŚwhat beautiful-looking easy-to-read and easy-to-navigate forum, just like TE before.
Today I realised half of the topic Iâm interested, not visible easily anymore. To use and properly read, I need to use PC/ Laptop - Phone/tablet reading is impossible.
Issue is visibility and navigation; everything is hard to find. Good luck with small screen.
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Curious to know, how did you use to finds the topics that you are interested in on XenForo.
compared to earlier what has changed in that flow?
PS:
Head-Fi will also move to Discourse one day, its inevitable. Another forum rpnation, which is 10 times the size of TE is also moving to Discourse very soon. Probably the first large gaming forum.
Post by mistake, I was using the default theme.
Firefox browser on Android phone, when hit the three burger icon under Forum > âNew Postsâ - Almost everything is visible from my last visit, I Donnât need go anywhere else, from the same menu âWatched Threadsâ and âWatched Forumsâ etc one place. Here I noticed the same thing is under âNewâ âLatestâ âUpdatedâ - These are situated in 3 different pages - where and when I will hit that in what sequence I donât know. If Iâm unable to visit these three places in one session, Iâm not up to date about all thatâs going on. In XenForo, after some scrolling, the Next Page come. Now I know Iâm viewing old threads, Again some scrolling âNext Pageâ is much older threads, Easy to read time and date last posted/modifiedâŚClear idea of the time frame of the thread.
Now If I go inside a Thread and by chance itâs a popular one, scrolling never ends - when user post this ? how many page back no idea huge scrolling like 26d ago. Where is the Post Number?
How someone say go to the post number this and read thatâŚno idea.
Earlier, there is Quote button or once hit reply, everything comes under âQuoteâ user can edit the portion and reply, Today I learned in this thread to Multi Quote or Quote I need to use Mouse and this thing needs a pc/laptop or iPad with pointer device.
Only thing I like here is Live Preview in the left side when editing a post.
Well, Iâm general public not a forum provider if this Easy method (XenForo) is going to become extinct, then maybe Easy interface of Reddit only one going to survive.
So far I can understand that this thing needs for PC/Laptop like browsing environment not optimised for small device like phone or tab like reading on the go.
Itâs the New and Unread tabs. Each will display a count next to it. When you log in, you wonât miss anything, just a quick glance at the numbers will tell you how many new threads have been created that you havenât opened yet, and how many new replies you havenât read in threads youâve participated in. Itâs as simple as that.
Even if youâre unable to open them for any reason, no worries you wonât miss a thing. Just check them the next time you visit. The numbers only go down when youâve viewed the new content.
Give the new system a fair chance, try to learn how everything is glued. Iâve read your concerns about the new forum, and believe it or not, many of these same points were raised by many other members in various threads early on.
But as people got used to the new system and learned how the same features they used in XenForo work here, the complaints have largely disappeared.
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Just out of nostalgia for the old UI, I visited Digit forum today. Itâs unbelievable how clean and well organized Xenforo UI is. It somehow conveyed more information on the whatâs new page while feeling like it had fewer elements on it.
This new UI is a pain to look at. I am trying but I just canât use it. Itâs so confusing and overwhelming. I have no idea how someone looked at Xenforo and Discourse side by side and felt like Discourse is an upgrade.
My apologies to the admins and mods who must have spent a lot of time on this migration. I understand your reasons for this. But the site is now barely usable. If there are any themes which can make it look somewhat more like Xenforo, then please enable it.
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I use TechEnclave mostly on the desktop site. Discourse has been a huge upgrade for me, especially the categories page. It shows so much information at once, and gives me an instant pulse for what is going on in the site.
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Give it some time. It might gourow on you! 
Meanwhile lets have a look at this.
Audit both the images to identify which layout has better readability, better layout, better overall user experience. Detail the reasons for your recommendation and link them to established usability best practices.
GEMINI 2.5 PRO RESPONSE
Winner: Tech Enclave (Topic List Analysis)
The core strength of the Tech Enclave design lies in how it presents information within the topic list itself. Itâs built for quick scanning and immediate context.
Strengths & Usability Principles
- Superior Visual Hierarchy: This is the most critical advantage. Topic titles are large and bold, creating an immediate focal point. Sub-information like categories, user avatars, and stats are smaller and styled differently. This clear hierarchy allows users to effortlessly scan the list for interesting titles, a key tenet of Aesthetic and Minimalist Design where design supports the primary user goal.
- Rich Context within the List: Each row in the Tech Enclave list provides more immediate context.
- Category Tags: Brightly colored tags like
Introductions, Rules & FeedbackandSmartphone Buying Adviceallow for instant topic classification. - Visual Icons: Small icons (e.g., the price tag
âšicon) provide extra, instantly recognizable metadata. This adheres to the Recognition Rather Than Recall heuristic, as users can recognize a topicâs nature without having to read fine print or click to remember which forum section they are in.
- Category Tags: Brightly colored tags like
- Effective Information Grouping (Gestalt Principles): The layout groups related elements together. The user avatars who participated are clustered, and the key stats (Replies, Views, Activity) are neatly aligned in their own columns. This use of Proximity makes the information easier to parse compared to a layout where data is spread out widely.
- Clear System Status: The main navigation bar prominently features âNew (47)â and âUnread (16)â. This provides excellent Visibility of System Status, allowing returning users to efficiently find new content without searching.
Runner-Up: Digit Forum (Topic List Analysis)
The Digit Forumâs list is functional but follows a dated, less efficient design pattern that requires more cognitive effort from the user.
Weaknesses & Usability Principles
- Flat Visual Hierarchy: The topic titles lack sufficient emphasis compared to the other text on the page. This âwall of textâ effect forces the user to read more linearly rather than scan, slowing down the process of finding relevant content.
- Inefficient Horizontal Layout: The design uses a wide, table-like structure that creates large, empty gaps between the topic title on the left and the stats on the right. This makes it difficult for the userâs eye to track a single row across the screen, increasing cognitive load.
- Hidden Context: Critical context, like the forum category (
Power supply / Cabinets / Mods), is presented in smaller, lower-contrast text below the authorâs name. Itâs less prominent and harder to spot during a quick scan compared to Tech Enclaveâs colorful tags. - Dated Aesthetics: The overall design, with its heavy reliance on standard blue underlines and a rigid columnar format, feels utilitarian and less engaging. While aesthetics arenât purely cosmetic, a modern and clean interface is proven to improve perceived usability and user satisfaction.
Conclusion & Recommendation
When comparing the core topic lists like-for-like, Tech Enclave is the clear winner.
Its design is fundamentally more user-centric. By using strong visual hierarchy, providing rich context through tags and icons, and grouping information logically, it allows users to find what theyâre looking for faster and with less effort.
The Digit Forumâs layout, while functional, is a relic of an older web design era that prioritizes data presentation in tables over scannable, context-rich user experience.
CHAT GPT RESPONSE
Audit and UX Comparison: Digit Forum vs Tech Enclave
We evaluated both forum layouts based on readability, layout design, and overall user experience (UX) â aligned with usability heuristics and best practices.
1. Readability
Digit Forum
- Font style & size: Clean sans-serif, but relatively small. Subtext (e.g., categories) lacks contrast.
- Whitespace: Adequate but feels blocky.
- Visual hierarchy: Post titles are prominent, but metadata (timestamps, authorship) lacks separation.
- Clarity: Long post titles are fully visible, aiding skimming.
Tech Enclave
- Font style & size: Slightly larger, clearer sans-serif font with excellent contrast.
- Whitespace: Optimized for readability and scannability.
- Visual hierarchy: Bolded titles, colored tags, and consistent metadata styling.
- Clarity: Icons and avatars provide visual context without clutter.
Winner: Tech Enclave
Uses modern typography, better spacing, and a clear visual hierarchy.
2. Layout Design
Digit Forum
- Classic linear list layout.
- Lacks tag/category colors, making post types harder to distinguish.
- Non-responsive and table-like.
- Navigation: Dropdown menus feel dated and unintuitive.
Tech Enclave
- Modern card + table hybrid layout.
- Color-coded tags and avatars enhance visual separation.
- Clear delineation between topic, replies, views, and activity.
- Top filters like
Latest,Hot,Unreadare user-focused and streamlined.
Winner: Tech Enclave
Implements responsive layout, intuitive filters, and effective content zoning.
3. Overall User Experience (UX)
Digit Forum
- Dated XenForo-style structure.
- Minimal interaction cues or personalization.
- Lacks intuitive activity indicators (e.g., â5m agoâ timestamps).
- Navigation has redundant options like
New media comments,New resources, etc.
Tech Enclave
- Clean layout focused on content and participation.
- Displays live activity indicators (e.g.,
1m,10m), improving post relevance. - Compact yet informative design highlights key interaction metrics.
- Fast navigation through tabbed filters and visual hierarchy.
Winner: Tech Enclave
Aligns well with Jakob Nielsenâs Usability Heuristics:
- Visibility of system status
- Recognition over recall
- Aesthetic and minimalist design
- User control and freedom
Final Verdict: Tech Enclave Wins
Comparison Summary:
- Readability:
Digit Forum | Tech Enclave - Layout Design: Digit Forum | Tech Enclave
- UX & Interactivity: Digit Forum | Tech Enclave
Why Tech Enclave Wins:
- Cleaner, more modern layout
- Better visual organization and scannability
- Color-coded tags and activity-based sorting
- Stronger emphasis on recent and relevant discussions
Recommendation: If youâre designing or improving a forum, Tech Enclave offers a superior reference layout grounded in modern UX and usability best practices.
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I think there is a big difference in reaction from mostly desktop users and mostly mobile users. If there are tweaks you can do to the mobile site (for example, the categories view on the mobile site does not show recent threads) â that might help.
Donât think that is it. Recent topics on category view was disabled last night.
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Itâs kind of funny and a little sad that members of the foremost tech forum in India insist on not adopting new technologies.
Today itâs discourse vs xenforo. Yesterday, it was fast charging vs slow charging. Last week, it was AJAX vs HTML. Look back a month ago, and youâll probably find people advocating for rainwater over groundwater.
Itâs a little embarrassing. We shouldnât turn into stubborn old uncles grumbling about change, yearning for the past. We grew up on change. Electricity, internet, connectivity. The generation before us didnât. The generation after us will never know a life without notifications.
Progress is inevitable. If you find yourself at odds, then try to understand it. When you were younger, you learned that expansion cards fit into expansion slots, youâre still capable of learning when youâre older.
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.sidebar-wrapper .sidebar-sections is missing Background color value.
need review for this .sidebar-wrapper .sidebar-container, .sidebar-wrapper, .sidebar-footer-wrapper {
Change is not necessarily progress.
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Those who joined this forum in 2005/06, In 2025 by default they became uncle/dad etc.
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How is any of this not progress?
Better search, faster navigation, faster loading, targeted replies that donât break the conversation or take the thread off-topic, side-by-side editor+preview, more versatile image handler, better link previews, reading time estimator, notifications separated by type, more detailed statistics, clearly defined and accessible user groups (eg, @moderators), customized feed for aforementioned user groups (Market dealers - TechEnclave), detailed post reporting options, detailed thread statistics â the list goes on and on and thatâs without going into the administration/moderation side.
It used to be tedious to craft long, detailed posts interspersed with images, but now itâs a joy.
This change is objectively better in every way that makes sense. People are hung up on the appearance of the forum. The APPEARANCE. How is that different from those people who would get offended when a newspaper would use a bold font, or be shocked to see italics in a headline?
Discourse isnât even new; it was the popular option five years ago, before the lockdown. This migration was long overdue.
We need to think beyond/outside our comfort zone. If this forum is to be embraced beyond our generation, it needs to keep up with whatâs relevant, and xenforo just isnât. Does anyone here still use myspace or orkut? ICQ? I still remember my 8 digit number but I would not want to go back.
Iâm sure this is some kind of fallacy, but itâs fun to read: People protested against the metro, and its development, and some continue to do so, but look at it today, no one would say that the metro is a less efficient mode of transportation. Imagine if the government listened to the naysayers and abandoned the metro. Where/how would these people commute today? Flying cars?
Ponder upon this, what change, in any field, at any time, in any country, hasnât led to progress?
Change is the only way to progress. Sure, thereâs still tons of work that needs to be done; weâve only taken the first few steps. Old TE had over two decades of refinement, tweaks, customizations and yet thatâs what people are expecting with barely a week or a month on discourse.
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Discourse is blazing fast, compared to other forums I visit. One being https://forum.microchip.com/ . Practically with unlimited budget, they choose to stick with that forum software. Itâs slow and ugly. 
Earlier they were using Drupal forum which went EOL, no more security updates, then they switched to this salesforce crap.
People underestimate how good we have it here.
I still donât get notified, how to get notifications? I have given my browser notification permission
I am starting to come around to Discourse personally. Itâs actually better, compared to XenForo in many ways, after spending some time getting accustomed to it.
On top of that, Renegade has implemented a lot of QoL additions, based on feedback. We are ONLY a month in. Let it cook.
Corrected it for you!
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