Advanced Options area

[zarhooie]

Title:
Advanced Options area

Area:
Options/web-ui

Summary:
I'd love to see an advanced options area where all the random and very custom options could be set.

Description:
A lot of the suggestions posted here are really awesome, but a major concern is always overcluttering the Options page. It's a bit wall-o-text-y right now and can be overwhelming for new users as it currently stands. Adding more options to that page would be bad, especially going forward. The problem is that Dreamwidth is a relatively new service and will be adding features and options for years to come.

I would like to suggest an Advanced Options page, where all the random little settings could be ticked away. These would be the features that most users wouldn't need to alter but that advanced users would be interested in. I'd leave it in the capable hands of denise and mark to decide which would go where.

The advantages to this are obvious. The major disadvantage would be that it might make it more difficult for users to find exactly what they're looking for. Then again, most users have adapted to random settings pages on other sites and I have faith that DW would be able to manage it better.

Poll #953 Advanced Options area

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 42

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
25 (59.5%)

Should be implemented with changes.
9 (21.4%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
2 (4.8%)

(I have no opinion)
3 (7.1%)

(Other: please comment)
3 (7.1%)

Comments

[azurelunatic]

I'm really undecided on this one. This sounds like material for a usability study rather than a pure Mark-and-Denise decision.

[7rin]

Ditto - though I wouldn't've thought of the usability study part. :)

[zarhooie]

I'd be all for a usability study! Maybe a limited roll out and just make all the new feature settings a paid user feature or something? I do think that this needs more thought and planning than I've explained above. A lot of people do use the FAQ system to find out how to change this or that setting, so maybe it wouldn't be taht complicated?

[turlough]

Yeah, what I thought too.

[susanreads]

I like the idea of a usability study to decide what should go where. I already get confused between the display tab on Manage Account and the style customisation.

[zarhooie]

card sort to the rescue!

[triadruid]

card sort?

Anyway, by "with changes", I mean "with a usability study first".

[archangelbeth]

Depending on what a usability study showed up, I'd suggest a possible change of having each category of Thing have Advanced Options for itself -- and a Misc. Advanced Options tab for everything else that's cool for the control-freak non-CSS-savvy person like myself.

You could even call it Beth's Advanced Options if you felt like being snarky at me. >_>

(*grin*)