Roni Rolle LaukkarinenApr 4, 2023

#Mastodon is far better than any microblogging service out there. It has all the features that many don't, for example content warnings, editing posts, high character count, post visibility settings per post etc... It's a dream as platform. However #UI-wise I think it still has long way to go. The current default UI feels old-ish and a bit clunky. Thankfully it can be improved with apps and UIs.

Because Mastodon is #OpenSource, I've been able to make changes to my own instance. I've seen lots of different social media UI's since the times of Jaiku and there are good choices that have been forgotten. The hellsite got most of it right and it's been my inspiration in regards to user interface. As a designer and developer I create the UI improvements for myself that I think Mastodon is missing.

Hence, the #MastodonBirdUI was born.

There have been lots of subtle changes over the weeks in my instance. Let me present some of these. I'm quite proud of what I have achieved as a designer and developer. My instance is now top notch for me. There is always room for improvement, but it's already like 99.9% there.

I just hope Mastodon itself will get even a pinch of these in the core, some day. Most notably the real numbers for OCD and neurodivergent people, free resizing of the compose box (#a11y), one level threads and if one can hope, a bit of white space and minimalism in the design.

Preview: https://mementomori.social

Get Mastodon Bird UI here: https://github.com/ronilaukkarinen/mastodon-bird-ui

Edit: Fixed some typos

#UI #CSS #MastoAdmin #Accesibility #OCD #Perfectionism #Design #UIDesign

Memento mori

Mementomori.social is a social media for mortals. We connect with the Fediverse, used by millions. This instance is backed by a Finnish company, digital web agency Digitoimisto Dude Oy.

Mastodon hosted on mementomori.social
Show threadKim Sudenlehto
@rolle
Have you tried #Misskey?
Apr 4, 2023 at 7:12amWeb
Show threadRoni Rolle LaukkarinenApr 4, 2023
@kepic Haven't tried it but with a quick look it was too noisy for me.
Show threadKim SudenlehtoApr 4, 2023
@rolle
The UI is very customizable, and there are features that I think are far superior to #Mastodon, like reactions.

But it's a smaller crowd using it. I'm just glad they're both on the #fediverse.
Show threadRoni Rolle LaukkarinenApr 4, 2023
@kepic I personally prefer reactions in the instant messaging world like Slack, Discord etc. I find little worth in them in the microblogging platform. Noise like that is the reason I didn't choose Misskey. Mastodon's default things and UI were much more pleasing and it still offered way more than traditional social media services.