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This question applies to StackExchange sites like cooking.stackexchange.com and other area51 sites. SOFU has a different UI.

Currently, underneath a question which has been [closed] you see:

Currently, underneath a question which has a Bounty you see:

I'm all for that thing which helps distinguish meaning in text--you know, reading--but graphic cues send a potent signal, especially when they are prominent and used rarely. These two graphic changes only occur when something is either very bad, or very good, and yet they look almost identical.

I'm proposing a redesign of the bounty message. It's just important that it looks different from the closed message. The primary change could be color. Bounty is good, so maybe it shouldn't be red, which in many places says 'stop'. The squiggly gray line suggests messiness/do-not-cross/general mayhem, which is good for closed questions but not for bounties. Bright orange text looks like a haz-mat warning/road-cone, so maybe that could be toned on the bounty questions.

I think these small changes will enhance the SE UI, keeping user effort and confusion at a minimum and site effectiveness and intuitiveness as a maximum.

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Was all fine until you equated bounties with money. –  random Aug 11 '10 at 13:24
@random It's not all that crazy of a comparison; it's essentially bribing people to look at and answer your question when they otherwise wouldn't –  Michael Mrozek Aug 11 '10 at 13:26
@random I changed it, but bounty is money in every other context outside SOFU. And it is analogous to money on this site, since money gives people status and access to abilities, just like points give reputation and access to moderating tools. Not sure what your comment has to do with the user-interface. –  Ocaasi Aug 11 '10 at 13:28
Over in the next town a bounty is not what you want since Dog is then on your tail and you're on the lam. –  random Aug 11 '10 at 13:39
So Dog is not chasing them for money? I know he doesn't do it just for the poignant car chats. –  Ocaasi Aug 11 '10 at 13:42
As said once before, in some places red is a good color. Taiwanese stock market uses red arrows to indicate gains, and green arrows to indicate losses. –  Grace Note Aug 11 '10 at 14:00
@Grace Note That's a fair and good point. My bigger issue is with the similarity of the colors and designs, not with any one color in particular. –  Ocaasi Aug 11 '10 at 14:06
@Michael: To us brits, bounty = chocolate covered coconut stuff. mmm... –  Andy E Aug 11 '10 at 15:28
Example 2 has been 404-ed. –  KennyTM Aug 16 '10 at 8:14
@KennyTM Thanks. I'll find a new one. The perils of intentionally linking to a closed question. –  Ocaasi Aug 16 '10 at 8:30
@Ocaasi: You could just post 2 screen shots. –  KennyTM Aug 16 '10 at 8:57
@KennyTM Details, url? Screenshots have always eluded me, –  Ocaasi Aug 16 '10 at 10:03
@Ocaasi: Print Screen those "Squiggly gray line. Striking orange text. Bold blue links". Save the image as PNG. Upload them here. –  KennyTM Aug 16 '10 at 11:05
@KennyTM Thanks. Print Screen, check. PNG, check. Imgur, check. Sizing the image so it wasn't 70% white space, maybe next time. –  Ocaasi Aug 16 '10 at 12:10
@Andy: That reminds me of the help system where I was an undergraduate which, if you asked it about help topics, you'd get a description of a chocolate bar (brand name “Topic” of course): the help system was obviously written by graduate students. –  Donal Fellows Aug 16 '10 at 12:19

1 Answer 1

I think the highlighted bounty amount is enough visual distinction.

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