# Reply text box as alternative to current button approach

**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/reply-text-box-as-alternative-to-current-button-approach/197407
**Category:** UX
**Created:** [July 16, 2021, 8:32pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/reply-text-box-as-alternative-to-current-button-approach/197407 "2021-07-16T20:32:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 4

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### Author: ![oshyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/oshyan/32/212644_2.png) [@oshyan](https://meta.discourse.org/u/oshyan)
#### Post date: [July 19, 2021, 10:40pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/reply-text-box-as-alternative-to-current-button-approach/197407/4 "2021-07-19T22:40:07Z")

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Responding to some comments from @codinghorror over in the originating thread: [How difficult would it be to make the Discourse UI more like Flarum?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-difficult-would-it-be-to-make-the-discourse-ui-more-like-flarum/83430/22)

> [@How difficult would it be to make the Discourse UI more like Flarum?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-difficult-would-it-be-to-make-the-discourse-ui-more-like-flarum/83430/22):
>
> We want to encourage reading, _not_ immediate replying

The “text input box” (not really a text input box) is only at the _bottom_ of the topic. It does not replace _all_ reply buttons, only the last one that in Discourse is highlighted in blue. I think what it does is encourage response, but not _premature_ response.

As a “very online guy” myself, I seldom have trouble feeling confident to respond, but surely you know that many people do. Initial participation in forums can have a high barrier to entry, and this is one of the things discussed (and not yet resolved IMO) in threads like this one: [Circle.so vs Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/t/circle-so-vs-discourse/166935)

Obviously you want to avoid the problem you raised: people responding too quickly, knee-jerk, etc. But hopefully we can trust that by the time they reach the bottom of the topic, they’re ready to respond. Or at least, Discourse _already_ seems to trust that, so… 😉

> [@How difficult would it be to make the Discourse UI more like Flarum?](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-difficult-would-it-be-to-make-the-discourse-ui-more-like-flarum/83430/22):
>
> The introduction of the chat feature should also take pressure off the “I must immediately respond with the first emotion that comes to mind” impulse as well, and direct it more appropriately.

Depending on how this will work, the text box at the bottom of the topic might make even more sense then…

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