I really want to keep coming back to GB but have to say, for me, this site is really confusing and not very user friendly. It just seems to be all over the place with no flow, rhyme or reason with how it's laid out. I've been a member over at GS for the last 10 years and that site has just been going down hill since everyone bailed out a few years back and looks to finally hit bottom, so when this site was created a couple of years ago I was very excited but GB just never seemed to win me over. I keep coming back from time to time but still find myself leaving not wanting to return anytime soon.....Just throwing my opinion out there.
The thing that helped me understand it when I first joined, was when I realized that 99% of the buttons are pointless. Just scroll down the front page and focus on the news and topics at the bottom and that's all you really need. If you want a specific game the search is pretty self explanatory. Everything else on the site is pretty useless. At least for what I have tried to use it for any time I decided to go exploring around the site.
I really want to keep coming back to GB but have to say, for me, this site is really confusing and not very user friendly. It just seems to be all over the place with no flow, rhyme or reason with how it's laid out. I've been a member over at GS for the last 10 years and that site has just been going down hill since everyone bailed out a few years back and looks to finally hit bottom, so when this site was created a couple of years ago I was very excited but GB just never seemed to win me over. I keep coming back from time to time but still find myself leaving not wanting to return anytime soon.....Just throwing my opinion out there.
I first did not enjoy the layout or how the site worked. But when you get into Wiki editing and the content that the videos provide you'll never leave!
The thing with GB is that the layout changes every other month. I'm in love with some layouts, and others not so much. Currently, I'm not loving the current layout, but I take solace in knowing that, in a few months, the site probably won't look like this.
And GB's always been about content to me, anyway. Can't really beat the stuff they put out.
My only complaints about the redesigns have been that it just seems pointless. The prior layout of the video page was perfect. Everything was just laid out in the simplest and most obvious spot. When changes are made for some specific purpose, great. But half the changes on this website just are born out of "hey this has been the same for too long, let's change it for no reason!" It's my biggest internet pet peeve.
You're right. I hate it when that one thing does that one thing. I remember the first time it happened and was hoping it would go away with the next redesign, but nope, it's still there.
I think it works great. But I think all sites that has a big database of things will eventually become confusing for some people. I could never really get into IGN because I couldn't find what I was looking for. And after being pretty regularly visiting the bomb, I've come to quite enjoy how it's put together. It's actually pretty logical if you see the flow. But, that was also true for IGN once I figured that one out.
My only complaints about the redesigns have been that it just seems pointless. The prior layout of the video page was perfect. Everything was just laid out in the simplest and most obvious spot. When changes are made for some specific purpose, great. But half the changes on this website just are born out of "hey this has been the same for too long, let's change it for no reason!" It's my biggest internet pet peeve.
Nah, I love the new video page, more information is shown about the video game shown, more videos are loaded and it automatically plays and can be enbiggered.
@rjayb89 said:
You're right. I hate it when that one thing does that one thing. I remember the first time it happened and was hoping it would go away with the next redesign, but nope, it's still there.
The thing with GB is that the layout changes every other month. I'm in love with some layouts, and others not so much. Currently, I'm not loving the current layout, but I take solace in knowing that, in a few months, the site probably won't look like this. And GB's always been about content to me, anyway. Can't really beat the stuff they put out.
This is generally how I feel about the site, except that I like the current design. A couple of iterations ago I wasn't a fan, but I knew that the Top Men are good on updating layouts as time goes on, so it didn't really bother me.
The content, though, duder! I have to agree with ImperiousRix again, Whiskey Media is pretty amazing with the quality of content they produce. For that content, I would still come to GiantBomb, even if the engineers were lazy and the design was horrible (which they aren't, and it isn't, oh gosh that's not what I meant!)
For the most part I find everything on the site really easy to find. I remember way back in its infancy I had some problems navigating the site but they've progressively got better and I think the current layout does an awesome job of putting the content right in front of your face.
People don't seem to use navigation bars on websites anymore so its good the site puts everything you want up on the front page and the featured section at the top does a great job of showcasing content compared to the scrollable windows they had for the last few iterations of the site.
Still if you're having trouble navigating the site try using the navigation bar... Believe it or not it actually does serve a purpose.
My one lingering criticism of the site is that the forums remain completely unintelligible. Outside of what is highlighted on the front page I don't really use them at all.
Honestly, I agree with the original poster. Websites need to be organized, and the new redesign of GB is not quite there. I mean, I still like it and the good thing is that they're constantly updating it and it does get better each time.
Gamespot and IGN on the other hand have always been confusing for me, they're just a mess. I really like the look of Game Trailers. Sharp high quality videos and you can access anything you need from the home page. Ads suck, but are tolerable.I think GB would be a close second right now, but always bet on Dave!
I can't forum pages for specific games. I know I'm just missing something stupid, but for the life of me I can't find out how to search for the forum page that I want.
I can't forum pages for specific games. I know I'm just missing something stupid, but for the life of me I can't find out how to search for the forum page that I want.
I think it would be a good idea for GiantBomb to have two modes upon signup:
CONTRIBUTOR MODE: The site as it is now. Kind of confusing but very powerful tools for content editors.
NORMAL MODE (DEFAULT): A more streamlined, simplified user interface without all the unnecessary bells and whistles. The most basic, easy to navigate access.
I have no problem with it, but then I've been using it since day one. However I think it used to be easier to use. The site has gone through so many redesigns it's crazy, I don't understand why since it wasn't broke. My favorite is one of the early designs.
I used to really like the layout but recently it's gone all over the place and become more tedious to navigate. Could just be because i'm not used to it, but did the site really need to be resdesigned 3 or so times in the last couple months? It was fine before but it just seems to keep getting worse as of late. As for the content I have no complaints ;)
That's your opinion, but boy have you used other video game sites. They are simply awful, IGN is an absolute mess of a layout, Gametrailers care more for adverts then actual good content and Gamespot is all over the place.
I'd argue that the Whiskey sites have some of the cleanest layouts on the web. But that's my opinion.
All of the whiskey sites are in a bit of a transitional phase right now as far as design. It seems to be getting better all of the time though, so hopefully you'll stick around.
On a purely superficial level there are tabs at the top of the screen. You want news, video or forums - click the tab. The site is pretty nuanced but I don't see the problem on the basic level.
Much better than say IGN. Other than reviews it is hard to find what you want on that site. There isn't even a segregated "videos" button or any indication of the front page how get to podcasts.
What exactly are the issues you're having? Some of Giant Bomb's design choices are different to more traditional websites (particularly the forums) so it can take a little bit of getting used to, but once you're used to it it is far better than something like IGN or Gamespot. All the differences are in an attempt to make it more user friendly. If you have any more specific questions about the design & layout, myself and other users will be happy to help out, but you're being very vague so it's hard to be of any help to you.
Interesting. I can't say I personally had a problem with the redesign, maybe I'm in the minority here but it was sort of obvious to me how to navigate the site as soon as I saw the new layout.
I've been here since before the beginning and I have to say that while GB is the best looking, it has the most useless fucking forums. I can see how anyone would be easily confused by their layout (or lack thereof). It's hard to continue discussions or have any sort of persistence whatsoever. Not to mention, a 40 page thread. You post a message to it. Someone replies to you. I dare you to find that reply in the thread itself within 120 seconds.
No offence, but have you never used a website before?
His concern is fair. It is a very odd usability decision to break forums up in that way and it isn't at all intuitive. I think the average user would expect that you would go to the forum section and then find the forum for that title. Rather than going to the game's "wiki page" and then reaching the individual pieces from there. I don't personally know what the solution would be, since the underlying problem is that of tying all sorts of different types of data and interaction together in a simple and accessible way. The main benefit at GB, however, is that the data it's trying to tie together in a usable way is real data while other sites are trying to jam crap and ads and other BS in there,too. Makes things pretty muddy.
Also, for the most part, if users are having difficulty doing something on your site, it's a problem with your design and not the user (that goes for pretty much all UX, of course - not just sites).
@Branthog: Ya, that always annoys me about PM's. I never understood why when I clicked the link to take me to the forum in the PM it didn't put me right at the guys post.
We will allow you to have an opinion but dude...You just posted a complaint and never posted again, defend it or be specific.
As for the design, I've never had a problem, maybe because they only change a little at a time so it's not like I'm ever at a loss as to where to go.
Well, that's mighty big of you to allow me to have an opinion...Dude !.... But please let me correct you, I didn't post a complaint, I posted my opinion which was specific in stating that this site is very confusing (as I said to me, not everyone in general) in a lot of it's content and in trying to navigate around certain areas....hence the confusing flow and rhythm I felt while trying to understand how things work while moving around. As for not having posted back till now, I'm not on sites like these 24/7 like some people but do like to touch base from time to time and usually get back to read and reply within a relatively short period of time after have posted a topic.
I do appreciate some of the suggestions made by others here to help me better understand how to get the most out of GB. Yes I do agree that the content here is terrific ( almost too much it can be overwhelming) and sites like this are always a work in progress, but for me it's just having to get a better feel how it works.
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