# Feng Shui (Simplifying the UI for new users)

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/feng-shui-simplifying-the-ui-for-new-users/322154
**Category:** Community Building
**Created:** [August 18, 2024, 1:15pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/feng-shui-simplifying-the-ui-for-new-users/322154 "2024-08-18T13:15:06Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 2

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### Author: ![Renato\_Mendes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/renato_mendes/32/308464_2.png) [@Renato\_Mendes](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Renato_Mendes)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2024, 3:06pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/feng-shui-simplifying-the-ui-for-new-users/322154/23 "2024-09-05T15:06:23Z")

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Hi, Killian!

My forum users and I find the UI very confusing too: it’s cluttered and has a lot of duplicity, as I pointed out [here](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-isnt-discourse-more-frequently-recommended-as-a-community-platform/221040/60).

What I did:

- I installed the [closed side bar by default](https://github.com/VaperinaDEV/closed-sidebar-by-default) theme component, since the top menu fulfills does much of the same for the normal user (you can chose the category, the tags, send chat messages etc.):
- I set the initial page to “recent”, instead of “categories”, so, as the user opens the forum, they can already see what’s being discussed etc. (the categories page was too hierarchical for my people, who don’t necessarily know what they’re looking for when they access our site)

 ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/0/6/1/0619713936255c65d051096fa0d14eff2ba605c3.png)

I hope this helps ^^

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### Author: ![kOS](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/kos/32/441826_2.png) [@kOS](https://meta.discourse.org/u/kOS)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2024, 7:22am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/feng-shui-simplifying-the-ui-for-new-users/322154/24 "2024-09-09T07:22:52Z")

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Thank you everyone for your valuable advises. I havent had the chance yet to look through all of them.

In the meantime, please allow me to ask a follow up question about best practices in terms of Channel/Category Structure. Is there a guidance for a simple and helpful ““Table of Content”” from you?

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### Author: ![nathank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/nathank/32/290039_2.png) [@nathank](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nathank)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2024, 7:48am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/feng-shui-simplifying-the-ui-for-new-users/322154/25 "2024-09-09T07:48:08Z")

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You might need to clarify what you mean - do you mean an Agenda of Events? Or something else?

This might also be better in a new topic.

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### Author: ![kOS](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/kos/32/441826_2.png) [@kOS](https://meta.discourse.org/u/kOS)
#### Post date: [September 9, 2024, 9:27am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/feng-shui-simplifying-the-ui-for-new-users/322154/26 "2024-09-09T09:27:21Z")

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Thanks @nathank, of course i meant a “Table of Content” sort of thing.

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