Redesigning your forum/site

[Cedric]

Do you believe it's important to refresh your website's or forum's appearance from time to time? Is it still necessary if you have multiple skins? I've witnessed changes ranging from color and design modifications to complete name changes.

Personally, I think that change can be beneficial for a community. I've seen forums fade away because the administrator believed that no modifications were necessary or that offering multiple skins was enough. The idea of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" is also a common justification for not making changes.

What's your take on this?

 

[Matt C.]

I think multiple skins actually hurts your forum, depending on what it is.

The most I would say is a dark and light theme. If you’re trying to develop a brand, then having one theme helps develop that image.

It can hurt the forum to give consumers more choices. But of course, over time it is important to refresh your theme to keep your site relevant.

 

[Arantor]

I did at one point - on a Harry Potter site - offer 6 skins: light, dark, then one for each of the 4 school houses. It was interesting to see whether people just picked light/dark for preference or picked the house themes for mood. (I ended up in the latter camp for sure.)

 

[Chance]

I think multiple skins actually hurts your forum, depending on what it is.

The most I would say is a dark and light theme. If you’re trying to develop a brand, then having one theme helps develop that image.

It can hurt the forum to give consumers more choices. But of course, over time it is important to refresh your theme to keep your site relevant.

This is a great answer.

Create a brand, and refresh as the web grows. I personally don't believe a site should redesign often, just keep it up to date with design trends and formalities.