The project
Forocoches is the largest Spanish-speaking forum in the world. To continue operating, it requires constant attention at both the existing software maintenance level and the creation of new software. For Forocoches, we have undertaken several projects, but we will focus on the most relevant one: the redesign of the forum.
Opened in 2003 by Electrik, the forum maintained its original design until 2021 when new UI and UX versions of the forum, developed by Onabitz, were released.
Redesign
How do we approach redesigning a much-loved forum that hasn't undergone any visual changes since 2003? It wasn't an easy task. Additionally, it's important to keep in mind that the Forocoches community embraced its retro design as a characteristic feature. To tackle the challenge, we followed these steps:
Analysis of the original design: Taking into account the client's preferences for the redesign, we analyzed the original design to see how far we could go. Initially, the redesign was supposed to be a simplification and facelift, but after careful analysis, it ended up evolving into a complete redesign.
Proposal: Each of the main forum screens was designed one by one, considering both light and dark modes.
Implementation: We translated the graphic design into the forum's programming.
Features
The redesign also included new features such as dark mode, Trending, and the advanced editor. All of these features were not possible to develop on the original design versions, so they remain exclusive to the redesign.
