The new Talk London
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Have your say on the new Talk London
The Talk London team are working on a new and improved Talk London platform. Our goal is to make it easier to get involved on Talk London, better demonstrate the impact of the community, make City Hall more accessible and our policy design processes more transparent, and reward Talk London members for getting involved.
Some of the changes we’re making are:
- pulling all the relevant engagement activities on one topic into one page called an “issues” page
- new ways to participate in a discuss, including upvoting and liking other members comments
- a new idea generation functionality, where Talk London members can add ideas to challenges City Hall is trying to solve
You can see a few screenshots of the new design for Talk London below: a new "issues page" on both dekstop and on mobile. Please note these are screenshots with temporary copy only, as we're still working towards the final version. The new Talk London will be fully acessible and automatically adapt to your screen size.
We’d love to hear what you think about the new layout and designs. Let us know in the discussion below.
The discussion ran from 10 August 2020 - 10 March 2021
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Log into your accountElimarr
Community Member 4 years agoOh and one more thing (while I'm at it)! Why not put the website prototype up on a live environment and let people use it on both mobile and desktop? You can use tools like Axure Wireframes, which is what UX designers use to test how users...
Show full commentOh and one more thing (while I'm at it)! Why not put the website prototype up on a live environment and let people use it on both mobile and desktop? You can use tools like Axure Wireframes, which is what UX designers use to test how users flow through the exploration of the website. This will allow you to see how well it's being received before you go live. Putting images up on a website doesn't render well at all, and you risk getting a lot of people complaining about the quality - considering that what they're viewing is just an image. And it will let people feel more engaged with the entire experience.
Sorry this is what I do for a living!
All the best,
Elimarr
Show less of commentkeela319
Community Member 4 years agoThis is a really good idea.
Show full commentThis is a really good idea.
Show less of commentElimarr
Community Member 4 years agoHey Lovely People,
So I just completed the survey, which is great to have a say. I just wanted to reiterate, that with the 'Follow' button and 'Share' button. Why not have a link to the issue/topics Facebook group? More people are using...
Show full commentHey Lovely People,
So I just completed the survey, which is great to have a say. I just wanted to reiterate, that with the 'Follow' button and 'Share' button. Why not have a link to the issue/topics Facebook group? More people are using Facebook groups at local community level. It's slightly more engaging and it allows people to truly speak up, share ides, etc... Follow buttons are truly not engaging and people are less likely to use this out of fear of being bombarded with emails, which is actually very bad for the environment. In addition, people don't actually share content unless it's about them, so I would seriously consider changing this so that users can connect to a Facebook group. The data gained from using Facebook groups would be immense too.
Hope this is helpful!
All the best,
EliMarr
Show less of commenttheid
Community Member 4 years agoIt would be a mistake to assume that everybody uses social media - it could result in excluding people from the process.
Show full commentIt would be a mistake to assume that everybody uses social media - it could result in excluding people from the process.
Show less of commentElimarr
Community Member 4 years ago@Theid
I suppose the question is, where does this follow feed button leads users to? Does it mean that users will get email notifications, or will the news updates be captured in the users' profile?
What's the point of it? Why would...
Show full comment@Theid
I suppose the question is, where does this follow feed button leads users to? Does it mean that users will get email notifications, or will the news updates be captured in the users' profile?
What's the point of it? Why would you want a follow button? Would you actually use it?
I personally think that joining a group relating to specific issues would be more engaging than simply following a feed. Unless the point of this new website refresh is to lead people down the rabbit hole - path of refraining from following up with any further engagement or action? But I don't think that's the point, do you?
Having a Facebook group would not only enable more engagement, but it's a really great way to auto-populate the timeline, requiring the same form of moderation from the content team.
To conclude, I receive over 1k feeds a day (downsized from getting daily 10k). Every morning I sift through my inbox just deleting and unsubscribing to things I consciously joined. My new habit is to simply log-in to my FB account and go directly to the FB groups I've subscribed to. It gives me more control over what I sign up for, and it's a great way to get involved with my local community and do volunteer work.
Social media isn't excluding people, it's simply more actionable than simply following something. If you want to get involved then drop an email, which I haven't actually seen on any of the designs proposed above.
An email address on the website for how to get involved would be a good start.
Show less of commentfener
Community Member 4 years agoI think it's critical that the revamped site is as accessible as possible, including in terms of font size, contrast colours used for text / background (should be customisable), compatibility with voice-activated software packages and...
Show full commentI think it's critical that the revamped site is as accessible as possible, including in terms of font size, contrast colours used for text / background (should be customisable), compatibility with voice-activated software packages and screen readers, etc.
Show less of commenttheid
Community Member 4 years agoI have been unable to take the survey because despite my best efforts I am continually informed that there is an error and I must go back.
What is going on?
Show full commentI have been unable to take the survey because despite my best efforts I am continually informed that there is an error and I must go back.
What is going on?
Show less of commentlondongirl17
Community Member 4 years agoCurrent circumstances meant I had to complete the latest survey on my iPhone. A bit of a nightmare!
Show full commentCurrent circumstances meant I had to complete the latest survey on my iPhone. A bit of a nightmare!
Show less of commentFaramir
Community Member 4 years agoUntil recently my laptop identified many of the surveys as coming from a dangerous web address, so I was unable to complete them. Fortunately that now seems to have been rectified. In future this should be tested before surveys are...
Show full commentUntil recently my laptop identified many of the surveys as coming from a dangerous web address, so I was unable to complete them. Fortunately that now seems to have been rectified. In future this should be tested before surveys are distributed.
Show less of commentsnowball
Community Member 4 years agothat happened to me to- but agree seems to be ok now
Show full commentthat happened to me to- but agree seems to be ok now
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 4 years agoPlease make sure that the new format is optimised for those viewing on mobile phones / tablets.
Show full commentPlease make sure that the new format is optimised for those viewing on mobile phones / tablets.
Show less of commentTalk London
Official Representative 4 years agoHi everyone and thank you for your very helpful comments in this discussion.
A few of you have mentioned the font and are concerned about the size and accessibility. We wanted to let you know that accessibility is a big priority. The images in this discussion are screenshots of our first designs on a laptop or desktop computer, which is why the font and design look a bit smaller.
We’re taking your feedback on board and will ensure the font on the new Talk London is accessible and large enough for all different devices.
Looking at the screenshots above again, what do you think of the colours?"
Talk London
j.mcdonald
Community Member 4 years agoIn answer to your question, the extensive use of white background across the whole page makes it difficult to distinguish and identify the various sections within it.
In respect of someone's comment about not wanting Talk London to go down...
Show full commentIn answer to your question, the extensive use of white background across the whole page makes it difficult to distinguish and identify the various sections within it.
In respect of someone's comment about not wanting Talk London to go down the Facebook/Nextdoor route, I totally agree. Other than accessibility issues, this would come a close second. This site needs to be a serious site that gives the opportunity for the public to comment and make suggstions to the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. It absolutely should not be a discussion forum where members of the public argue with eachother, like, dislike, upvote etc - please do not go down that route. There are plenty of other forums to do that and I just would not view Talk London as a serious option to contribute to London priorities if that is the way it turns out.
Show less of commentdocwallis
Community Member 4 years agoThank you.
As a retired teacher who taught numerous dyslectic children and also employed two dyslectic staff in my department, font and colour are vital for clarity or reading and therefore understanding. Likewise, there are many autistic...
Show full commentThank you.
As a retired teacher who taught numerous dyslectic children and also employed two dyslectic staff in my department, font and colour are vital for clarity or reading and therefore understanding. Likewise, there are many autistic people, of varying severity, who require similar clarity. Please see the following suggestions:
One common difficulty for people with dyslexia is distinguishing letterforms that are similar, such as b/d, p/q, and n/u. This is why Comic Sans is a super helpful dyslexia font choice. The irregularity of the font is what makes each letterform unique and easier to distinguish.
Lightly coloured paper, 12-14 point sans serif font, and bolding of text for highlighting are commonly believed to be best for dyslexics.
Glossy and bright white backgrounds, italics, ALL CAPS, and underlining have been found to impair reading for dyslexics.
Many people with autism find information easier to read if it is printed on a light-coloured background (cream, light yellow or green are good choices). It can also be helpful to change the font colour to dark blue or brown.
Regards
Paul Wallis
Show less of commentFlyingDutchman1
Community Member 4 years agoA little too busy and would probably be unreadable on a mobile. It would also help if the COVID information was in English! Otherwise, OK.
Show full commentA little too busy and would probably be unreadable on a mobile. It would also help if the COVID information was in English! Otherwise, OK.
Show less of commentmedia
Community Member 4 years agoI saw a word I've never seen before - what does upvoted mean?
Show full commentI saw a word I've never seen before - what does upvoted mean?
Show less of commentLee_Enfield
Community Member 4 years ago(in an online context) register approval of or agreement with (a post or poster) by means of a particular icon.
Show full comment(in an online context) register approval of or agreement with (a post or poster) by means of a particular icon.
Show less of commentElizabethS
Community Member 4 years agoThe font is illegible on a phone screen. I'd like far more ways for Londoners to meet up with the Mayor and elected members to discuss and steer policies, not just answer these very limited sets of questions. The likes/thumbs up idea won't...
Show full commentThe font is illegible on a phone screen. I'd like far more ways for Londoners to meet up with the Mayor and elected members to discuss and steer policies, not just answer these very limited sets of questions. The likes/thumbs up idea won't give much sense of what might resonate with most people. There's no way of knowing how representative anyone is of the wider community.
Show less of commentMinerva
Community Member 4 years agoYes! Font much too small.
Show full commentYes! Font much too small.
Show less of commentkrlondon
Community Member 4 years agoMy fear is that going down the Facebook/Nextdoor route of likes, thumbs up and smiley faces, you will attract the same trolls and issue fanatics as there. It would be nice to be able to participate and give views without being attacked by...
Show full commentMy fear is that going down the Facebook/Nextdoor route of likes, thumbs up and smiley faces, you will attract the same trolls and issue fanatics as there. It would be nice to be able to participate and give views without being attacked by the cause warriors out there who stifle and dominate debate
Show less of commentpatricklt
Community Member 4 years agoCould not agree more! This would need almost full time moderation - would it really be worth this?
Show full commentCould not agree more! This would need almost full time moderation - would it really be worth this?
Show less of commentturaco
Community Member 4 years agoMany of your readers, like me, must be in the, ahem, older age bracket. It would be generally advantageous if the website used a slightly larger typeface.
Show full commentMany of your readers, like me, must be in the, ahem, older age bracket. It would be generally advantageous if the website used a slightly larger typeface.
Show less of commentOofy
Community Member 4 years agoI agree: the font is too small for me even on my laptop.
Show full commentI agree: the font is too small for me even on my laptop.
Show less of commentj.mcdonald
Community Member 4 years agoToo much going on in these pages. The page should be designed to secure public engagement; it needs to be much more clear what Talk London is asking for engagement on, and an obvious button to enable that engagement.
Show full commentToo much going on in these pages. The page should be designed to secure public engagement; it needs to be much more clear what Talk London is asking for engagement on, and an obvious button to enable that engagement.
Show less of commentdocwallis
Community Member 4 years agoAgree totally. Whilst appreciating the laudable principle of trying to cover the myriad problems that London has, there is often a case of 'wood for the trees'.
Show full commentAgree totally. Whilst appreciating the laudable principle of trying to cover the myriad problems that London has, there is often a case of 'wood for the trees'.
Show less of commentAnonymous - account deleted
Community Member 4 years agoYep, agree with this.
Show full commentYep, agree with this.
Show less of commentGreg Hammond
Community Member 4 years agoAgree, and the font and design are too small to be effective when using a smartphone screen. It's fine on a laptop.
Show full commentAgree, and the font and design are too small to be effective when using a smartphone screen. It's fine on a laptop.
Show less of commentRudiM
Community Member 4 years agoI agree.
Show full commentI agree.
Show less of commentOofy
Community Member 4 years agoThe font is too small for me even on my laptop.
Show full commentThe font is too small for me even on my laptop.
Show less of commentBenya
Community Member 4 years agoAgree - a little too much clicking needed when the email is specifically asking you to fill out a survey.
Show full commentAgree - a little too much clicking needed when the email is specifically asking you to fill out a survey.
Show less of commentSR
Community Member 4 years agoStill have to click through several links from the invitation email to get to the survey form - make it a single click
Show full commentStill have to click through several links from the invitation email to get to the survey form - make it a single click
Show less of commentsnowball
Community Member 4 years agoagree
Show full commentagree
Show less of commentkeela319
Community Member 4 years agoYes, looks by far too "niche" and complicated.
Show full commentYes, looks by far too "niche" and complicated.
Show less of comment