Improve desktop view for mobile

[darkpixlz]

Hello,

I’m a bit anti-“mobile-first” design so whenever possible I use desktop layouts and smaller fonts.
This usually works great besides on Discourse where it feels a bit lacking. For example, the “post/reply” button is totally inaccessible:

Some category views are miserable (pictured devforum.roblox.com)

Composer is mostly outright broken

… that and some other bugs make it fairly hard to want to use it. Would love to see it become more responsive to work nicer given we actually have the option to use it.

[Heliosurge (Dan DeMontmorency)]

Agreed. I have had an idea on this.

What if we took inspiration from Android/iPhone?

My idea is this. Use Modern Category Boxes+ Groups as a base idea.

Make category Icons on a homescreen with Notification badges.

• Notification Batch with number count on the category pic.
• clicking on category pic takes you to Category.
• Below Category Pic the Category Name. Maybe with an SVG (?). Clicking on category name has a popup of the category desc.

The Groups would allow to put categories organized under group names. Maybe the Category Icons could be displayed in grid of 2 to 3 per row depending on the screen size maybe even up to 4 for tablets?

Add option to use a wall paper pic as background.

[darkpixlz]

@Heliosurge

Add option to use a wall paper pic as background.

Stuff like this could be cool but I wouldn’t see that happening unless it was in a 3rd party app or the DiscourseHub app but they prob dont want that officially. This is jsut asking to fix the issues with desktop view though

[MarcP]

@darkpixlz

This usually works great besides on Discourse where it feels a bit lacking.

I am not sure what one could expect if they use a desktop version of a complex piece of software like Discourse, on a small mobile screen

Is it even fair to assume (or ask) for a Desktop version to be optimized for a mobile? Sorry if I’m wrong here, but it seems completely off to me - just my POV.

[darkpixlz]

@MarcP

Is it even fair to assume (or ask) for a Desktop version to be optimized for a mobile?

Imo yeah because the option exists. It’s nice to have a nicer layout but stuff like the composer breaking and becoming unusable isn’t great.

[MarcP]

@darkpixlz

Imo yeah because the option exists.

I believe the toggle is there in case of automated device detection for some reason fails.

The team is pretty clear on their stance on this, see a similar topic here:

Can't post message using desktop view on mobile

You’re not meant to use desktop view on mobile, this is why we have a mobile view

[darkpixlz]

Ok then… I’ll leave this thread up in hopes they come around to fixing my issues bc the layout is more convenient even on mobile but if not then

[Heliosurge (Dan DeMontmorency)]

@darkpixlz

Stuff like this could be cool but I wouldn’t see that happening unless it was in a 3rd party app or the DiscourseHub app but they prob dont want that officially. This is jsut asking to fix the issues with desktop view though

Well not thinking a seperate ap. More theme component.

I use strictly mobile and don’t find the interface in general too bad. Save the issues lately with the keyboard in things like CSS editor & form templates.

But yes there has been some weird breakages.

So your more targetting the base skeleton used for mobile?

Or using the desktop view in mobile?

[Heliosurge (Dan DeMontmorency)]

I have used desktop view on my g8 and still posted new topics replies and such. Not a good xp. But on my device does work okish.

However what Chris(awesome bot) said makes perfect sense. Desktop is not designed with using on mobile.

[MarcP]

Tbh, from a dev perspective, it sounds like a nightmare to optimize a desktop version for mobile or the other way around.

Maybe the topic should be what makes you prefer to use a Desktop version on Mobile and what should Discourse change to offer you a nice experience using the mobile view on mobile devices.

BTW team, where did proofread (or AI helper in general) go for us on Meta?

[darkpixlz]

@MarcP

Maybe the topic should be what makes you prefer to use a Desktop version on Mobile and what should Discourse change to offer you a nice experience using the mobile view on mobile devices.

Fair point. Personally I like the avatars and non-condensed profiles even though it makes the text way smaller (which people would dislike).

[Jagster (Jakke Lehtonen)]

@MarcP

BTW team, where did proofread (or AI helper in general) go for us on Meta?

I’m not part of the team, but it comes from AI-button on toolbar.

(And that means you have to read my finglish, because it still opens behind the composer on iPad(

[darkpixlz]

I never noticed how cluttered this menu got over time. No idea what the better solution would be but this is a lot of items for one menu.

[MarcP]

@Jagster

I’m not part of the team, but it comes from AI-button on toolbar.

I don’t see this, which is why I mentioned it.

[Jagster (Jakke Lehtonen)]

If you aren’t seeing it here it is a bug. Because with you I don’t think it is matter of TL.

And of course, if can’t see it somewhere else that forum need an update.

[Heliosurge (Dan DeMontmorency)]

I think way too much is just shoved into the gear menu. Where imho we could have a couple of drop down menus.

Ie

• Font style drop down in mobile maybe to put Bold, italics, subscript, superscript, underline & strike through
• paragraph format drop down. Right Justify, center … with also floats

And so. Or something like that group certain things together in a drop down and more common always used things on their for quick use. Would need some thought and collective input. But could even be an idea for a feature request for something like the Md extras & formatting toolbar to have a composer menu editor to alter the layout as desired by the given site.