Nikon Rob
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Upload & Sell: On
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 p.1 #15 · Rant: new location of search box | |
I personally disagree with the reasoning Fred states for the change. It is counter-intuitive and illogical to have the BH search box there. The right side is not where there is constant user input when you are looking for something on the B&S forum. That is where the user goes when he wants to 1) leave the active B&S forum (to go to another forum, another year, or logically, the BH site) or 2) start a new topic. The first reason is completely unrelated to searching the current forum, and most people probably don't even navigate forums there anyway - they use the forums links on the left or top. The second could arguably be related: if you can't find what you're looking for browsing, you then search for it, and finally post a WTB thread. That's highly unlikely though, since maybe 5% of threads are WTB, and far less than 1% of page visits result in a new topic.
I guarantee if you trace the average user's mouse it's going to be on the left side of the screen the vast majority of the time, and it's simply much more intuitive and people are much more used to having a search box there (see: craigslist, ebay, google, or if you like irony, BHphoto). People will continue for years to accidentally use the wrong search box because most every other site puts it on the left or completely separates it from the rest of the layout if it's on the right. The fact that the forum search box used to be there just makes it even worse and is the only reason people are complaining. If there was just a link to go to BH on the top left no one would care, because no one would accidentally be taken where they don't want. I love these forums but to be honest I don't believe that the primary reason was based on logic or site layout.
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