Change "0 new messages" display in header

[callumacrae]

Again, mobile design is a bad example. Mobile design is about space conservation.

[Pony99CA]

Again, mobile design is a bad example.

Says you.

Mobile design is about space conservation.

Some of it is, but this example trascends the mobile space (I just used that since so many people have iPhones). I believe some Windows System Tray icons indicate state, as do some WIndows 8 Live Tiles. There's not much space conservation needed on a Windows 8 laptop.

The analogy was about indicating a count in the same place you look for the messaging function. Seems right on point to me (otherwise I wouldn't have posted it and risked getting the Example Police on my case). (In fact, I just re-read the initial post and it's almost exactly what I said above -- even to the phone example.)

The postman comment was bad (albeit funny) because a doorbell distracts you from what you're doing and makes you go somewhere else (often quite a ways away) only to notice nothing is there. My example (and the Private Message suggestion) doesn't make you go anywhere -- you're already looking at the screen, but just seeing a slightly different picture when there's something there or not.

Steve

[KnocksX]

People trying to reinvent the wheel with painfully obvious things like this one is exactly why development slows down. What was the last piece of modern software you've seen that notified you of zero messages? The whole point of a notification is to notify you of messages. The only reason it says 0 messages now is because this wasn't thought out properly the first time around (back in what, 2006?). The interface should get out of the user's face when it's not serving a function. The mailman example was exactly on point. Yes, the notification doesn't make you "go" anywhere, but the user's attention is a finite source, and you shouldn't distract him with useless information.

[imkingdavid]

With the notifications feature now merged, I think we should simply put: "Private Messages" without a number, as the number of messages you don't know about will be apparent in the notification box. We should still keep the link in some form regardless.

What I would eventually like to see, and I think I saw someone bring it up already somewhere, is just a mail icon with a number that appears when you have new messages. Like on a smartphone with the text messages count. It may not go well with this style, but I think it would make things a bit nicer looking.

[DocSommer]

https://area51.phpbb.com/phpBB/viewtopi ... 84&t=42829

Is this the notification feature?

I haven't digged through the entire threat yet but I assume it's about a little notification box that will appear for some seconds. From my own experience I can tell that these kind of notifications are basicly great but might be overlooked in many cases, that's why it's a good addition but no replacement for a static notification-cound display.

Speaking of notifications in general, I (again) assume that this notification feature might get triggered by different events, like "new PM's" or "user x quoted you" or "new reply by X in subscribes topic Y" and whatever stuff I can't imagine right now? In this case we probably don't need separate static counts for misc events anymore but some kind of notification center that summarizes these events.

[John P]

The notifications are displaying also pm's so why should there be a different line in navbar?

[imkingdavid]

https://area51.phpbb.com/phpBB/viewtopi ... 84&t=42829

Is this the notification feature?

I haven't digged through the entire threat yet but I assume it's about a little notification box that will appear for some seconds. From my own experience I can tell that these kind of notifications are basicly great but might be overlooked in many cases, that's why it's a good addition but no replacement for a static notification-cound display.

Speaking of notifications in general, I (again) assume that this notification feature might get triggered by different events, like "new PM's" or "user x quoted you" or "new reply by X in subscribes topic Y" and whatever stuff I can't imagine right now? In this case we probably don't need separate static counts for misc events anymore but some kind of notification center that summarizes these events.

This board should eventually be updated so you can see it in action. Basically there's a new link to the left of the User control panel link that has a drop down to show the most recent notifications. Think Facebook. So it's not a little popup notification.

The notifications are displaying also pm's so why should there be a different line in navbar?

there should always be a link to the PM screen from any page. If there are no pm related notifications and we remove the pm link from its current location, that will not be the case.

[John P]

UCP is always visible when logged in so it's one click away.

[imkingdavid]

UCP is always visible when logged in so it's one click away.

UCP is always one click away, but private messages wouldn't be if we removed that link. IMO the link should remain in one form or another, whether as it is now or as static text, or in some other way.

[Pony99CA]

With the notifications feature now merged, I think we should simply put: "Private Messages" without a number, as the number of messages you don't know about will be apparent in the notification box. We should still keep the link in some form regardless.

What I would eventually like to see, and I think I saw someone bring it up already somewhere, is just a mail icon with a number that appears when you have new messages. Like on a smartphone with the text messages count. It may not go well with this style, but I think it would make things a bit nicer looking.

I think that if you completely remove the PM link from the top of the page, a lot of people will complain, so your proposals sound very reasonable.

Steve