Basic Review of Omega Gaming Forums
Review by Teg
First Impressions: (7 out of 15)
At first glance, I like the forum but it seems slightly off. It's a gaming forum yet there are aspects about the design that do not represent the genre and the logo is weird to me. Mostly, the overall design--not the layout--needs work. However, that is discussed--in detail--a tad later.
Site Structure: (7 out of 15)
The site structure is decent but could use some work. The navigation menus located in the header and footer of the forum are easy to follow and navigate. I like the navigation tree at the top too. Another aspect of the site structure that I love is the sidebar. Everything that is off to the side is a consistent order, and the content that is displayed shows the users valuable information and statistics.
I like how the forum statistics area, concerning members, is in a larger section at the bottom of the forum. Most forum administrators that use themes with the same type of structure fail to realize that member areas can be unpleasantly large for sidebars. I applaud you for being a minority with the structure of theme you are using.
I also like the general layout of the footer area of the community. The "About" section is a great addition and stands out from many forums. Though, as of late, many forums are following suit and it is becoming a trend. The additional footer navigation is a nice touch as is the logo located on the right-hand side. However, the logo needs some work.
The board layout--or the board list--that contains the list of all the categories and boards, seems off for me. Your forum is a gaming community. That said, anything gaming should be displayed on the forum first--after the welcome or announcements category. With any forum, the genre should be represented from the very beginning. So, my suggestion would be to move the Gaming category beneath the Announcements category. Additionally, since gaming and technology work well with each other, the Techno World group should appear under the Gaming section. Moreover, the General area should appear at the bottom as the last category.
Design Quality: (7 out of 15)
Overall, I like the design combined with the structure of the forum. That said, I have several issues with it as well. Some things that I like about it include the option to switch from small text to a larger variation. People prefer different styles when viewing writing on computer or mobile device screens. Sometimes the smaller text can be hard to read when mixed in with a theme's overall design. So, again, I think this feature is a great to your overall design.
Two issues that I have with the site are the header and footer Logos. First, the primary logo is hard to read when it comes to the printed text: "Omega." The reason it is almost illegible is because the blue font color contrasts with the colors in the forum's background. The same thing is true for the blue color that sits behind the little game controller in the logo.
Second, the footer logo font does not seem to be consistent in color or font choice as the primary logo, and they should be consistent. The same goes for the icon in the logo. That said, in this particular case, I feel like the footer's game controller could have a transparent background instead, and it would work. The text color should just be white or an off-white that is almost gray. It will look much better with the dark theme that you have.
Moving on to the wallpaper in the background of the forum, it has nothing to do with gaming. Additionally, the colors in the background don't match your overall theme. My suggestion is to change this by adding a large gaming related wallpaper that matches the site's colors. Doing so might even make the main logo text stand out rendering it to not need any changes.
The new/old icons are nice, and they fit your forums niche. That said, I think they should be on a transparent background so that they flow more consistently with the overall design of the forum.
Originality: (3 out of 15)
Honestly, aside from the design of your forum, I do not see anything that stands out from other gaming communities. The board names and sub-boards are similar. You have the same "type" of discussions as the rest of the gaming forums out there. The only thing that I see is different about it is the Programming area where you have indicated sub-boards for different languages. I think you need to work on something original to add to your forum, especially regarding content.
You even have the standard "specified" boards that are on just about all general gaming forums. I am referring to actual video games like COD and Battlefront. It is annoying to see those two games specified on "General Gaming" forums especially when the forum is there for the users to talk about all games. It makes the members feel left out when there are individual boards dedicated to particular games but not their favorite games.
You could try adding an area that allows users to post video guides involving gameplay for various types of games. That is something that I do not see on many gaming communities. I know they have sites like "Twitch" that I believe serve the purpose of making game guides or sharing things about the in-game experience. You could also try creating a wiki database, or something like that; that consists of all the games your members discuss on a regular basis. There are thousands of video games out there, and a general gaming forum should represent more than one or two particular games.
Overall Mark: (24 out of 60)
Overall, I think your forum has potential if you stick with and make some changes as I suggested. Original content and boards are going to be a primary key in the success of your forum. Please keep in mind that any comments or suggestions in this review have come from my personal experience. That said, you're the owner of the forum, and it's up to you to do what will benefit yourself and your members. This review was not meant to be harsh in any way. Merely, I am just trying help.
