[AxelCloris]

05/08/17 Update

As you’ve likely already noticed, we pushed an update to the site today. This update is a collection of the the Head-Fi community's most commonly requested features and changes. We’ve been listening to everyone’s feedback since we switched to the new platform, and we’ve been working to implement as many community requested changes as we reasonably could. This is not a comprehensive list, but here are some of the biggest changes in this update:


(Updated header and navigation bar)

Search:
We received overwhelming feedback that Head-Fi’ers wanted the ability to search within a thread without leaving the page. We made this one of our highest priorities for this update. A new search bar with additional functionality, including “search this thread only,” has replaced the previous one. The advanced search page is still available for those who want to fine tune their searches.

Private messaging:
We’ve added a PM link next to the avatars (visible in the mobile screenshot below) to make it easier for Head-Fi’ers to quickly PM one another. You can also access PMs by clicking someone’s avatar and choosing “Start a Private Message.” These options are in addition to the methods already in place, so no matter how you prefer to start a PM, you can use whatever method feels most comfortable. You can also view your most recent private messages directly in the navigation bar.


(Account settings)

Navigation:
The navigation bar is now a permanent fixture at the top of the browsing window. Many of you remembered this from the Huddler platform and requested it. Now, navigation will always be available at the top of the page on both desktop and mobile view.

We’ve added easy access to account settings via a new dropdown in the navigation bar. Simply click on your username (as seen in the screenshot above) to access. This is replacing the Quick Navigation page.

Those who use the site primarily on mobile devices should have an easier time browsing the forums with the navigation changes that were made. Head-Fi’ers can now directly access their subscriptions from mobile view using the new persistent navigation bar.


(Updated mobile view and navigation)

Layout:
There is no longer a need to choose between mobile and desktop view by clicking “go to mobile site” or “switch to desktop view.” The site now scales automatically to the device you’re using. Those who were frequently switching between desktop and mobile devices should appreciate this change (I know I certainly do).

Another area where we received a lot of feedback was that the site didn’t take advantage of a display’s real estate when viewing full screen. We’ve configured the site to display full-width, resulting in less negative space when viewing fullscreen on widescreen monitors.

Reputation:
We’ve pulled the numerical reputation data from the Huddler platform and ported it into XenForo’s Like system. You’ll now see the collective number of “+1”s received on both Huddler and XenForo. Note: We do not currently have the ability to add comments to likes, but we’ll look into the possibility of adding this functionality later.



We’re far from done making improvements to the new platform, but we wanted to make sure that our community had access to all of the new features and improvements as quickly as possible. Over the coming days you’ll continue to see adjustments as we hear your feedback and work your suggestions into the platform. We won’t be able to accommodate every single request, but we’ll try our best to implement as many as reasonably possible. We’re currently working on adjustments to the site’s look (including the addition of a highly requested dark theme) in order to improve the overall feel on the new platform. We want Head-Fi to feel inviting to all who visit.

Head-Fi wouldn’t be what it is today without the community, and we’re working hard to make sure that everyone finds the new platform not just as welcoming as it was when we were on Huddler, but even more so.

From everyone here at Head-Fi, thank you so much for the patience you’ve shown us so far. We know this hasn’t been as smooth a transition as we’d like, but we’re getting there. Thank you for all of the feedback you’ve provided to help us get where we are today, and we’re going to continue listening to that feedback as we push forward.

We’ll see you on the forums.

 

[Intensecure]

OK, *that's* nice now!
Looks good, working good on mobile. Solid progress.

 

[x RELIC x]

Head-Fi wouldn’t be what it is today without the community, and we’re working hard to make sure that everyone finds the new platform not just as welcoming as it was when we were on Huddler, but even more so.

I love how you can highlight a section of text and select reply and the reply will only quote that selection. Nice. Thanks for the updates, they are greatly appreciated.

Any news on being able to link/access one's reviews to/from their profile? Also looking forward to seeing user photo galleries from their profile page.

 

[Deftone]

Looks decent thats for sure, much nicer but im going to have to try get used to another change again lol.

I think i speak for many when i say thanks for taking our feedback in to consideration when doing the updates!

 

[Mediahound]

And now it looks like the site was redesigned again?

Edit. It was, I missed the post above.

 

[AxelCloris]

I love how you can highlight a section of text and select reply and the reply will only quote that selection. Nice. Thanks for the updates, they are greatly appreciated.

Any news on being able to link/access one's reviews to/from their profile? Also looking forward to seeing user photo galleries from their profile page.

I love that feature as well. Should make pulling multiple quotes from a single post a lot easier.

We're still working on linking reviews to individual profile, but we've made progress in that area. I'm not sure when that will be completed, but it's something we're working on. In a nutshell, there's a LOT of data to sort from the Huddler pool.

Looks decent thats for sure, much nicer but im going to have to try get used to another change again lol.

I think i speak for many when i say thanks for taking our feedback in to consideration when doing the updates!

Yeah, it is another change, but now is the best time to make that change. Keep the feedback coming, we listen to all of it.

And now it looks like the site was redesigned again?

Did you skip my post above?

 

[mbwilson111]

Looking good!

 

[x RELIC x]

Keep the feedback coming, we listen to all of it.

Would be good to also organize the reviews by popularity/likes as well. I found that feature very helpful and it seems to be broken at this time.

Thanks again for the hard work guys.

 

[AxelCloris]

Would be good to also organize the reviews by popularity/likes as well. I found that feature very helpful and it seems to be broken at this time.

Thanks again for the hard work guys.

I like that idea. I didn't use that myself on Huddler, but I definitely see the benefit. I'll pass it along to the development team and see if it's something we can add to the production schedule.

 

[Argyris]

Whoa, okay, talk about huge changes. First of all, forget everything from my previous post (obviously). Second of all, I still need to parse all the changes, but initial impressions are positive. It does seem easier to navigate, and it's easier on the eyes in general. I could do without the blue and purple header, as it clashes with the (lovely) teal color selected for the (much improved) navigation section--it's like the forum suddenly morphed into a Samsung phone. But that's just down to personal taste.

That all said, I did notice this immediately:

Descenders on the user's name are cut off by the special tag graphic. It's merely a cosmetic issue, and definitely preferable to the way the ends of long names were cut off with the previous layout, but it's nonetheless a thing.

 

[jude]

Some of you may or may not remember this, but there was a setting in Huddler to either limit your Head-Fi screen width or to go full-width. (I know even just a couple of weeks later it can be hard to remember how it used to be on the previous system.)

We queried the Huddler data to see how many people had restricted-width versus those who had full-width, and overwhelmingly most people had full-width set. This could have been because it was the default setting, but the fact that most had it is probably why many of you were (especially at the transition's outset) complaining about the much narrower feel of the launch template. This is why we went to full-width. We may add an optional restricted-width setting later.

A dark theme is coming soon, too.

 

[StanD]

Some of you may or may not remember this, but there was a setting in Huddler to either limit your Head-Fi screen width or to go full-width. (I know even just a couple of weeks later it can be hard to remember how it used to be on the previous system.)

We queried the Huddler data to see how many people had restricted-width versus those who had full-width, and overwhelmingly most people had full-width set. This could have been because it was the default setting, but the fact that most had it is probably why many of you were (especially at the transition's outset) complaining about the much narrower feel of the launch template. This is why we went to full-width. We may add an optional restricted-width setting later.

A dark theme is coming soon, too.

Nice progress, you guys must have really sweated.

 

[crabdog]

Things are looking so much better now. I'm really pleased with the latest changes.

 

[AxelCloris]

Whoa, okay, talk about huge changes. First of all, forget everything from my previous post (obviously). Second of all, I still need to parse all the changes, but initial impressions are positive. It does seem easier to navigate, and it's easier on the eyes in general. I could do without the blue and purple header, as it clashes with the (lovely) teal color selected for the (much improved) navigation section--it's like the forum suddenly morphed into a Samsung phone. But that's just down to personal taste.

That all said, I did notice this immediately:



Descenders on the user's name are cut off by the special tag graphic. It's merely a cosmetic issue, and definitely preferable to the way the ends of long names were cut off with the previous layout, but it's nonetheless a thing.

Thanks for the feedback. We're still tweaking the small design elements. Colors will probably change, fonts may change, and we'll be adjusting the leading, kerning and tracking to match. We'll also be adding a dark theme for the site.

Our main goals in launching this update now were to a) get the improved functionality into everyone's hands and b) make this UI change now while the new site is still relatively fresh for everyone. It's much easier on the community to make the changes that we did now than it would be if we waited. We know the change is uncomfortable and we're trying to minimize that discomfort as much as we reasonably can.

 

[x RELIC x]

I like that idea. I didn't use that myself on Huddler, but I definitely see the benefit. I'll pass it along to the development team and see if it's something we can add to the production schedule.

It was actually the default review display on Huddler. Made it very convenient when viewing reviews.