I like this thought process. Thanks for sharing @MrClon ! 
I donât use the Wikipedia nor MB start pages so I would not say it does not do well.
I use online encyclopedias just like I use paper dictionaries, I search them directly*, I donât read their table of content more than once, after buying them.
* Through DDG !bangs for simple ones, through some saved browser advanced search engines or simply browsing from one of my collection entries.
1 Like
My point is that for someone who might be interested in this encylopedic usage, but is not an experienced user, the homepage does not do a good job of introducing the kind of information that is available in MB.
6 Likes
Would be a dream to have the âDid you know?â, i really enjoy reading them on Wikipedia.
(But would require a smart IA or a way to input them, CritiqueBrainz?)
2 Likes
This sounds really cool. Thanks for the thought @ulugabi !
The homepage would be better if it successfully prepared naive users to not expect that adding analog information to a predefined-fields database would be an intuitive experience and that their current IT skills will likely be sufficient.
A strobing red<->green background, a loud emergency siren and an overlayed box that flashes alternatively âYou will fail 50 timesâ & âYour expectations are the problem hereâ might be off-putting to some new users so I feel something slightly more subtle would probably be better.
2 Likes
Site users donât necessarily have to be editors and, due to the issues of the missing hierachy in the area and genre information, even experienced users canât get a full list of artists based on specific inputs, for instance.
Not to mention the complexity of the advanced query syntax for non-techies or the limited functionalities of the user interface, which doesnât even allow to sort the search results alphabetically, by year and so on.
4 Likes
+1 to this, itâs quite frustrating. I think itâs something that needs to be done ASAP.
5 Likes
To consider how other sites are evolving, take a look at the âChart builderâ included in Sonemic, RYMâs new site.
3 Likes
Interesting @PierPiero. Thanks for sharing this!
@aerozol I would love to get in touch with you. The work regarding this will start in early September, which isnât far off now. You have been of constant help and I would love your suggestions at each step as I move forward. Please consider joining the #musicbrainz channel on irc.libera.chat. Thank you!
1 Like
If weâre also spitballing more general wishes for a website redesign, I would again come back to the search form I mentioned earlier.
-
Remove the confusing choice between three different search types.
Choosing between the search types requires technical knowledge that should ideally only be relevant to the people running the Musicbrainz servers. Especially âDirect database searchâ feels like a holdover from the time before we had fast indexing. Having the advanced search options should be the default, IMO.
-
Add a UI for the advanced search filters.
They are potentially very powerful for finding what one is looking for, but the currently used syntax is extremely undiscovered and barely usable for people who are not already programmers.
I created a basic mockup of what I could imagine as a better solution: https://codepen.io/elomatreb/full/JjJjJJv
6 Likes
Great point @elomatreb ! We have a similar UI to the one you proposed in the MB Android App.
Thanks for the suggestion, will take this into account!
1 Like
Yes! I always forget those are there, and when I do remember, theyâre sometimes difficult to get my head around, especially for advanced advanced searches⌠
I also second more prominent links to the forum as well as the other projects (BB, AB, etc.). I feel like I scoured the website for a forum a couple months ago, and I couldnât find it anywhere. Ended up just happening to notice the link tucked away at the bottom of the page in that tiny font.
Iâm sure youâre probably talking about the search bar at the top of the page, not the search bar when youâre adding relationships and whatnot.
I use that all the friccinâ time 
5 Likes
Thanks for the comment! @Llamaman42 will take this into account.
I use Direct as often as Advanced search, I think it should stay. 
2 Likes
Llamaman again, just got a name change.
Iâve actually thought of a couple other improvements.
-
Better Genre/Tag Display and Usability
I think itâd be good to have these visible in more places and be easier to add.
For example, Iâd love a way to see each tracks recording tags from the release page, maybe even a way to add them without having to go to each individual recording page. Itâd be real handy for, for instance, a âMusic Fromâ soundtrack album, where all 20 or so tracks might be a different genre/subgenre.
In fact, it might even be nice to see what an artistâs recordings and releases are tagged as somewhere on the artistâs page while weâre at it. -
Featured Releases/Entities
Yes, this is an idea from Wikipedia, but I really think itâd be a good addition to the homepage. I donât know if it should be a âFeatured for the Monthâ type of thing, or maybe just a random pick from a list of High Quality releases, (maybe after theyâve gone through some sort of nomination and/or voting process).
At the very least, having such a list easily accessible (and approved by several editors) could give newer or inexperienced editors a good example to follow, especially if we include other, possibly less used entities, like Events, Works, Places, and Series. -
Better Collections
I feel thereâs some missed potential here.- For one, default sort. Personally, while Iâve been going through my music folder tagging everything, I occasionally go to my âCDs I Ownâ collection, to add one in Picard. Once I get there though, I always sort by Album Artist. It is occasionally interesting to see them listed by year, but that feels like such a weird default to meâŚ
- Also, more views. Iâd love to see my collections as a grid, with cover art and everything. Maybe you could even select a default view? Canât think of any other good views at the momentâŚ
Just a couple ideas I had while editing the last couple daysâŚ
I also forgot there was discussion about a mobile-compatible site, dark mode, larger fonts, and especially a dashboard, all of which Iâd very much look forward to~
5 Likes
Thanks, @UltimateRiff, sounds great!
The first and the third points are really good and I feel we should definitely look into them soon.
Regarding the second point, I had a discussion with the team regarding this a while back and we came up with the conclusion that we shouldnât come up with such a feature because that would become a certain criterion for displaying releases/entities which we do not want to appreciate since that could be unfair to other releases.
All the other things look great!
2 Likes
Hi all
I would be nice to be able to make a screenshot and upload that to edit notes
3 Likes
This sounds really interesting. Thanks for the comment @Tiske_Tisja!