Style=Light: Adding Links to Switch to Style=Mine or Original Style

[jumpuphigh]

Title:
Style=Light: Adding Links to Switch to Style=Mine or Original Style

Area:
Style

Summary:
Have links on the top of a page being displayed in style=light to change the page into the original style or style=mine.

Description:
I frequently end up on a page that is style=light via links in other people's posts. Style=light is not accessibility friendly for me and I need to switch it to something that will work for me before I can read it. On a good day, that just means changing the address in my browser's address bar and hitting enter. On a bad day, that means closing the tab very quickly, going back to the post that had the link (which is problematic if I've opened a ton of tabs and am reading them much later), copying the link, pasting it into my address bar, modifying it, and then hitting enter.

Neither process is user friendly. I expect some people may not even know how to modify the address so that it is no longer style=light.

The amount of white space on style=light obviously works for a number of people but the brightness of the white is often problematic for people with visual disorders, brain disorders or migraines. Having an easy way to switch away from that will help people who need a quick and easy solution for navigating away from that style.

If some people who regularly use style=light could weigh in as to whether one or two additional links at the top of the page would cause them problems, that would be appreciated.

Poll #5019 Style=Light: Adding Links to Switch to Style=Mine or Original Style

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 51

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
40 (78.4%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
5 (9.8%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
0 (0.0%)

(I have no opinion)
6 (11.8%)

(Other: please comment)
0 (0.0%)

Comments

[azurelunatic]

I like this idea.

I also think that it could be advantageous for a logged-in user to be able to tweak the way that light-format pages display for them, like by changing text and background color.

[matgb]

I thought you did that in browser settings though?

I have no objection to that plan, but mine displays plae blue background with verdana font in black, which is my preference in Fx.

REgardless, definitely would be good to have some sort of brief explanation with a link to normal format, I loath following light format links, and if people link to me in that format readers'll unknowingly miss formatting stuff.

[azurelunatic]

A somewhat-unobtrusive box, maybe at top right (or somewhere else that actual UX experts prefer) for logged-out users and any logged-in users who haven't turned it off somewhere, with links to view it in any given format we offer?

[matgb]

Works for me; I'm especially concerned for non LJ/DW codebase users, a fair few people read LJ/DW sources for info without having accounts and similar, and many will never learn the little unfriendly tweaks. All of my posts have an embedded link to light format for people that need it, but if you're in light format, it might as well be an orphan page.