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One of the issues affecting clarity is probably that bar the word ‘subject’ [Figure 1], everything is in the same font, same size, non-bolded. Some things are underlined, but there are too many to make them stand out. And the font in question doesn’t really seem to lend itself to such an approach, considering the size being used.
Figure 1
Below [Figure 2] is an example of some posts from ‘Men’s Health’, which just looks clearer and better defined. The combination of text colours, background and font sizes make them all together easier to read (albeit that the buttons spoil them somewhat).
Figure 2
Whereas in the example above [Figure 1], the line that dominates from a distance is the one in darker blue with the buttons on it, in terms of content, this is the least important of all. Perhaps it would be better if the header information were the standout line as in the ‘Men’s Health’ example below, rather than the button line which is by definition identical each time, and therefore doesn’t need looking at.
This issue, of important headers being ‘lost’, also may be exaggerated if users are allowed to change the formatting in their posts [Figure 3].
Figure 3
Allowing users to change colours/font sizes means it is even more important for the post’s header information to stand out, and for there to be a clear line between individual posts. This has more-or-less been achieved in the above example, but could be improved slightly if the header line font and colour were enhanced.
It could also be that the white space on the rest of the page means that white is not the best choice of colour as the background for each alternate post.
Below is an example [Figure 4] of a site which has solved the problem of defining individual posts by boxing them. Another interesting facet is how they make the quoted post stand out by encapsulating it in a pale yellow box (message 13).
Figure 4
On the site below [Figure 5] the quoted post appears exactly the same as normal text. Depending on the way users construct their posts, it may be that it is difficult to tell where the quoted post finishes and the new user text starts. However the community may well find their own way round this, and define their own conventions.
Figure 5
‘Bliss’ have also adopted the boxed approach for their forums, with what appears to be off-the-shelf software.
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