Message Boards

Before you could just buy a message board solution over-the-counter, we had to design them from scratch…

The message boards are a very popular feature of MyFamily.com where users discuss a variety of topics. They were, however, difficult to navigate, impossible to search, and used a cumbersome indenting method to designate discussion threads.

After investigating the most usable message boards on the web, I was able to make several key decisions. First, multi-threading would not be used. The same level of utility could be achieved with a cleaner single-thread design. A simple search box was added to each page (advanced search capabilities were also added). A hierarchy of categories, boards and messages was developed. Users could select multiple views of the boards and easily navigate within them. This solution was a compilation of best industry practices and remained within the technical and resource limitations of the company.

Services - UI Design

Technology used – Fireworks

Client – MyFamily.com