Timeline for New Staff and Mod Labels on site metas and Meta Stack Exchange
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
21 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 2021 at 20:16 | history | edited | Yaakov EllisStaffMod | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
completed
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| Aug 9, 2021 at 19:45 | comment | added | Makoto | @YaakovEllis: I'll leave it at this: I don't have a problem with the answer being "no". I have a problem with changes like this that are radically intrusive to the way that power users have become accustomed to using the site without a whole lot of discussion amongst the power users or consensus for the sake of new users. That trend has happened so often on UX changes like this just for the sake of new users that the veterans in the room can't help but feel like they're being left in the cold. You may have considered the options, but I can only live with what is implemented. | |
| Aug 9, 2021 at 19:42 | comment | added | Yaakov Ellis StaffMod | @Makoto the feedback was heard, considered, and the decision was made. We went through every single piece of feedback here, and talked about every single request. Sometimes the answer is no. But that doesn't mean that the feedback isn't doing anything. And FWIW, we are planning on some other changes that should significantly reduce the amount that these stand out, while still including the (what we see as) benefit of the labels. | |
| Aug 9, 2021 at 19:39 | comment | added | Makoto | @YaakovEllis: This is kind of my point. For the sake of new users, the power users' polite and patient requests don't feel like they're taken into account. This rollout you're doing? It's only on the Meta sites. It's only in the places where the power users roam. And you're pushing the change on the power users because the new users don't read the FAQ. Instead of pushing them to read more FAQ you're making it stand out. See, that's the feedback I want to give, but the decision feels like it's been made, so I'm just wasting my energy here. | |
| Aug 9, 2021 at 19:30 | comment | added | Yaakov Ellis StaffMod | @Makoto (2/2) That said, and taking into account the feedback, we made the decision to decline this, and are deliberately moving away from using only a symbol. We found that a standalone sumbol is not something that new users understand right away, and we think that including the text label in this case is necessary. I appreciate your feedback, and sorry if this decline demotivates you from providing feedback in the future, as this is not our intention. | |
| Aug 9, 2021 at 19:29 | comment | added | Yaakov Ellis StaffMod | @Makoto (1/2) This is not the first time that the idea of symbols only was raised. It was in fact the top answer on the previous meta post talking about this. So we already considered that before moving in this direction. And we reconsidered again after reading your feedback, which we do appreciate. | |
| Aug 9, 2021 at 19:16 | comment | added | Makoto | @YaakovEllis: I'm surprised that this wasn't seen as jarring to begin with when this was being validated internally. But okay then. In this, the sentiment that "this is what you're going to get and this is as far as we're going to work with you on this" is in full effect, and it actively demotivates me from providing more constructive feedback on features like this. We don't get to talk about the goals of this feature, nor do we get to discuss why something like SVGs could or couldn't work while also serving the same purpose. Thanks a lot. | |
| Aug 9, 2021 at 18:49 | comment | added | Yaakov Ellis StaffMod | We agree, it is jarring. We are planning on doing something to address this, potentially inverting the colors. But as I commented above, we are not going to be going the way of symbols-only here. | |
| Aug 9, 2021 at 18:47 | history | edited | Yaakov EllisStaffMod | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
planned/declined
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| Jul 29, 2021 at 7:12 | comment | added | V2Blast | @Catija: Agreed - I like these changes specifically because they're clear in meaning to those not already familiar with the site. (In fact, I'd support a similar change to the display of mod diamonds on mainsite for the same reason - though there's typically no need to display a Staff badge on mainsite.) | |
| Jul 29, 2021 at 6:12 | comment | added | the default. | These labels are the most visible objects I've ever seen on any SE website. Why do I need to see them on every other page just to save a few seconds of first-time viewers' time? (the last sentence wasn't even an exaggeration, it takes only a few seconds of research to find out what ♦ means, and then the "Mod" text is effectively useless for the rest of your life) | |
| Jul 29, 2021 at 0:20 | comment | added | Catija StaffMod | @RyanM mouseovers aren't accessible on mobile and they assume people actually use them. Many people don't realize they exist. | |
| Jul 29, 2021 at 0:05 | comment | added | Ryan M | Perhaps it could explain on mouseover, to clarify. But at the very least they are really loud right now. It looks, visually, like whatever information those elements are conveying should be my top priority when reading that section of the page, and in almost every case, that's not accurate. | |
| Jul 28, 2021 at 21:28 | comment | added | Makoto | @Catija: I suppose no one reads the help center about those kinds of things. Fair enough. (I think I'll just take my L and go home now.) | |
| Jul 28, 2021 at 20:56 | comment | added | Catija StaffMod | One of the primary reasons for the text is that symbols are only transparent to people who are already "in the know" of what those symbols mean. A diamond isn't a universal symbol for a moderator. Using the words "Staff" and "Mod" are ubiquitous around the web, though and clear even to first-time viewers. | |
| Jul 28, 2021 at 20:28 | comment | added | Makoto | @41686d6564: I'd only call out the accessibility concern of having bright colors like this indicate or represent someone of high criticality or importance when the historical convention was always symbols instead. | |
| Jul 28, 2021 at 20:27 | comment | added | 41686d6564 | @Adám That indeed looks much better (if they won't go with just symbols). | |
| Jul 28, 2021 at 20:17 | comment | added | Makoto | @Adám: Or symbols. Symbols take up less space. | |
| Jul 28, 2021 at 20:16 | comment | added | Adám | Maybe just making them coloured outlines with coloured text, but otherwise no fill, would do? Something like this? | |
| Jul 28, 2021 at 20:15 | comment | added | 41686d6564 | I agree. A simple Unicode symbol is my personal preference (at the very least in the comments section as I said in my answer). | |
| Jul 28, 2021 at 20:08 | history | answered | Makoto | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
