Poll: How to display a comment timeline

#1

Post by sytse » Mon, Aug 25, 2014, 11:41 AM UTC

A timeline of comments can be rendered with minimal chrome or with text-balloons. What is best?

Re: Poll: How to display a comment timeline

#2

Post by sytse » Mon, Aug 25, 2014, 11:43 AM UTC

The text-balloons look better but also less clean, I'm not sure.

Re: Poll: How to display a comment timeline

#3

Post by nekdev » Mon, Aug 25, 2014, 11:45 AM UTC

IMO the text balloons is more user friendly :) .

Re: Poll: How to display a comment timeline

#4

Post by styluss » Mon, Aug 25, 2014, 11:52 AM UTC

Text balloons have a nice separation from the rest of the timeline http://605.wikispaces.com/Closure

Re: Poll: How to display a comment timeline

#5

Post by melle » Mon, Aug 25, 2014, 11:54 AM UTC

In this example text balloons are more clear for me. The background of the balloon seems to 'tie' the comment to the user, and it's easier to spot the end of a comment. In the minimal chrome example you need a line to separate comments which is less distinctive, i guess this makes it harder for me to notice

Re: Poll: How to display a comment timeline

#6

Post by wingerlang » Mon, Aug 25, 2014, 11:55 AM UTC

sytse wrote: post #2

The text-balloons look better but also less clean, I'm not sure.

I think they look cleaner, the other may have less elements but they are more scrambled.

Re: Poll: How to display a comment timeline

#7

Post by tux3 » Mon, Aug 25, 2014, 11:57 AM UTC

I like how with the balloons the different messages are really separated, and you don't risk not seeing the boundary if someone has an avatar that happens to blend in. But I like that the minimal chrome fits a bit more messages on the screen.

Overall I don't feel strongly towards either, but I'd maybe pick the balloons if I had to pick something.

Re: Poll: How to display a comment timeline

#8

Post by davidw » Mon, Aug 25, 2014, 11:59 AM UTC

This is a good group of people for questions like this: http://ux.stackexchange.com/ for future reference.

(BTW, not saying this is off-topic or anything, just that that stack exchange is a really good resource, IMO)

Re: Poll: How to display a comment timeline

#9

Post by icebraining » Mon, Aug 25, 2014, 12:02 PM UTC

I think the text balloons have too much going on, and don't provide much benefit since the avatars already demarcate the posts.

Re: Poll: How to display a comment timeline

#10

Post by narag » Mon, Aug 25, 2014, 12:04 PM UTC

Neither, sorry. I can't see why the avatar icons are left out of the balloons. Also the balloons would be unnecessary if there was a little more space between comments.

I like balloons or some other kind of containers for threaded forums. For flat forums it seems they're useless.