Extratime.ie new layout

[galwayhoop]

I know it was updated a while back (and I purposely left it till now to see if it grew on me) but does anyone else think the new layout of Extratime is shockingly bad.


I get a mild headache looking at it and actually visit it far less than I did before the overhaul.

It used to be one of my favourite sites but falling in the pecking order quickly.

Mods - I assume this is the correct section to post this as ET is the de facto LOI website.

[bennocelt]

I think its not too bad TBh

[eL Bettor]

I'm a big fan of the site in general and its content is fantastic, updates etc but I agree that the new layout isn't great. Too many categories, sub-categories, etc, the "fixture focus" art end of home page all over the place, with games going down the side of the page as well as in the main column. The opinion articles are given huge headings, even if 2 weeks old, while the news headings get one line.
I downloaded their android app but its impossible to get into the live updates section throuh it unless there's a direct link from the front page headlines.

The match centre layout is excellent however, its mainly just the front page I have problems with, and to anyone from ET who is reading I say keep up the good work, it's much appreciated.

[Jofspring]

Finding it a little harder to get used to. Unless you scroll right down to the bottom you wouldn't see the match reports. Took me a while to spot last weeks suspensions too cause was waiting for it to pop up in the news bit it was actually there on the right hand side.

Content wise though it is superb. A lot of people still don't know about it though and I have introduced lots of people to it recently who previously had no knowledge of the website.

[gufcfan]

Great content, still work to do on the layout.

Remember guys, they are voluntary.

[osarusan]

By far the worst thing about the site (and basically the only problem I have) is the lack of a results section. Once the headlines/reports disappear off the main page, it takes far too many click to find them.

But, as I understand that it's only a few lads in their own time, I'm not too critical.

[sullanefc]

By far the worst thing about the site (and basically the only problem I have) is the lack of a results section. Once the headlines/reports disappear off the main page, it takes far too many click to find them.


Same for me. If I log on to the site on a Saturday morning, looking for the results from last night, then it takes ages to find them on extratime. Believe it or not, I find it easier just to go to aertel to find the results and goal scorers. The site still crashes at about 9.25 every Friday night too.

[A face]

Can anyone suggest a website layout that would be good for ExtraTime.ie? What kind of template would suit its content best?

[athloneman]

to me something like rte's website main page layout where you can divide up the latest loi stories, international, featured articles at the top of the page and then be able to scoll down further for older stories! and def one thing that has already been said make it easier to see results as it can be very fustrating at times trying to find results!!
PS i do love the website keeps me up to date with everything out here in oz but the main page looks a bit cluttered to me since the upgrade.

[redobit]

The 4 pics in the Recent News section are anything but recent. Good website tho.

[A N Mouse]

Don't see an awful lot wrong with the new layout.

Really appreciate the fixed width, and its quite clean - not too cluttered.

Not a huge fan of the giant carousel image thing, but they seem to be everywhere now.

As other have said results need to be more easily accessible - differentiate between fixtures and results at the top (or replace live updates with results on non match days).

The fixture focus bit on the bottom of the front page could be more prominent - imagine that's what people want on a saturday morning. Could it and headlines be put on a tab?

The columns down the right had side could be collapsible. And the table should be higher up. Maybe put results/fixture in here too.

I'd like to see dates, and maybe bylines, on everything.

And please look at adding submit buttons for the drop down list navigation. Currently requires javascript to move between these sub pages.

[SkStu]

i much prefer it to the old layout. Definitely progress!

Excellent job ET lads! Keep up the good work.

[gufcfan]

I've a feeling the stats thing they tweeted about a few days ago that they said they are working on will see a change in how and where the results and tables are presented.

And if I'm wrong, let this be a HINT. :D

[A face]

I kinda like the layout of RTE website, but also www.mlssoccer.com is easy to use as well.

[cheifo]

Yeh excellent site and well done to all involved. Results and scorers from latest games would def be a further plus.

[CraftyToePoke]

I tend to mostly use the site on match nights for Limerick games, but it does have good content also. Format wise could be tweaked a little here and there but overall a fine effort and Andrew Cunneen who covers the Limerick games can be very witty.

[LFC-Zulu]

I tend to mostly use the site on match nights for Limerick games, but it does have good content also. Format wise could be tweaked a little here and there but overall a fine effort and Andrew Cunneen who covers the Limerick games can be very witty.
Always nice to see my witty side is appreciated. I'll be honest though, it's mainly due to me trying to keep myself entertained. Usually the first few minutes at Jackman are diabolical.

[Gareth]

Hi folks, I don't want to turn this into an Extratime Support page, as it would be disrespectful to the good folk at Foot to start troubleshooting here. I would like to briefly reply to a few of the comments though - but if any mods have any issue - delete away!

Firstly thanks for all the feedback positive and negative.


@GalwayHoop - Sorry you hate it. If you wish to expand on why you get a headache you can contact us at extratimeLive@gmail.com

@el Bettor - The App doesn't have Live Updates on it yet. It's our first release and just contains news, this is the reason you can't find the updates.

@osarusan - We are changing the navigation on this page but http://extratime.ie/fixtures/played/100/2012/ for example - we have every single result on the site, under the Fixtures tab. Likewise you can search by team too -http://extratime.ie/fixtures/teams/team/10/

@sullanefc - If you are looking for any particular LIVE UPDATES page - http://extratime.ie/liveupdate/2012/07/05/ - the end bit is the year, the month and the day. Change that to any date and you get the page. You will be able to select from a calendar control soon though.

We have a lot of work still to do on the site, feedback is always welcome and you can email to extratimeLive@gmail.com - over the coming weeks we will be fixing and improving a number of things. Appreciate if you bare with us! Thanks again for your comments.

[sullanefc]

Thanks for the response Gareth. The link that you gave osarusan is what I'm looking for. To find that from the homepage you have to click on fixtures and then on the fixtures page you have to click the results link at the top. Its not very intuitive though. I mean if I'm looking for "Results" on the homepage, a newbie mightn't think of clicking "Fixtures" IMO.

Also, that page is separated in a strange enough way. Page 1 of 4 are all the results from June 29 to May 21. Now the latest fixtures, June 29, are on the top of the page. But will the June 6 fixtures appear on the bottom of the next page? It might make them hard to find. I think the last fixtures should be prominently on top of a page. Could these pages be separated on a weekly basis? Also the last fixtures being on page 1 of 4 and the oldest fixtures are on page 4 of 4, this is a bit counter-intuitive IMO, even though I can understand why you are doing it this way.

My last issue with results (I promise) :D, when I click on that results page, I get league fixtures only. Would it possible to have a fixtures/results page that gave the fixtures/results for all competitions? I know you can do this on a club by club basis, but it would be really great if you could do this on a weekly basis (maybe Friday to Thursday) showing all clubs. It would be very handy for weeks when the league cup is being played.

And finally, I often find that your site often crashes at around 9.30 every Friday, often crucially when I'm waiting on a CCFC away result and the results of all the other teams. Are you aware of this problem?

Thanks again for responding, I'm not sure if my suggestions are workable or necessary, but just my 2 cents. Great site.

[CraftyToePoke]

Always nice to see my witty side is appreciated. I'll be honest though, it's mainly due to me trying to keep myself entertained. Usually the first few minutes at Jackman are diabolical.

''I'm Andrew Cunneen at a rain and windswept Jackman Park and this is the highlight of my week'' (or something to that effect) - its good stuff, keep it up, brings a smile. There are a few lads who work with me who now know I will be checking the Limerick game every Friday night and they ask how things are going each game also, these lads would never have known L.O.I. or Limerick F.C. even existed previously, all Peterborough, Forest and Leicester fans in these parts. Some even have a few bob on Limerick for the league this year, but I will have to take the blame for that one.

This is down to the site and your updates, be proud man, stand tall.

[galwayhoop]

@GalwayHoop - Sorry you hate it. If you wish to expand on why you get a headache you can contact us at extratimeLive@gmail.com


Hey Gareth, thanks for the reply. It is actually only the homepage that I dislike - far far far prefer the old format.

I find it very cluttered now and have to really search for each item. The pictures at the top seem a bit pointless to me and at a glance it is not as easy to keep track of scores on match night.

I actually wouldn't have dreamed of posting only that I was a big big fan of the old format, content wise the site is (still) top notch and the match updates are pure quality and a great source of info to us all.

Fully appreciate the fact it is voluntary too and kudos for that to you and all the reporters.

Just (for me) the home page is now less user friendly and cluttered resulting in me only using the site on match night and much less so throughout the week.

[Gareth]

Some layout changes: http://extratime.ie/ (tables, reports)

[redron]

Some layout changes: http://extratime.ie/ (tables, reports)

The new layout looks great on the desktop, especially with this big monitor I'm at now (the width is a little tight on my smaller monitor and lower spec graphics card at home, but it's fine there too).
It's good to freshen things up every once in a while, and I'm delighted that the general theme and structure is more or less unchanged (i.e. it has been updated, as opposed to overhauled), since there were no major problems with it -- as far as the casual user is concerned, the changes are minimal. If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

But one (very) small issue I have is in the match pages, where you have navigation buttons for Build Up, Updates and Report. The "hover" colour of orange is difficult to read against the grey background. In fact, I find this colour combination very irritating. (I can't remember if it was like this in the old layout.)

The only other issue I have is that since the new layout has been implemented, whenever I access the Live Updates page on my phone (a relatively "dumb" phone, using Opera Mini 4.4) I have to scroll down a long way before I get to the table with the list of matches. This is more inconvenient than the old layout.
It may be possible to streamline this, by rearranging some of the code blocks, without affecting the layout for desktop users and those on smarter phones with bigger screens than my tiny phone. But I haven't looked into your page structure, so I don't know if this is an option.