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UX: Multiple usability issues found during site review #860

@lajczi

Description

@lajczi

Overview

A full UX review of hack4krak.pl was conducted from a first-time user's perspective. Several issues were found that affect clarity, consistency and overall experience. Listed below from highest to lowest priority.


Issues

1. Homepage cards give no indication they are clickable

The three cards on the homepage ("Na czym polegają zadania?", "Kto może wziąć udział?", "Kiedy odbędzie się kolejne wydarzenie?") reveal an answer when clicked — but there is no visual cue that they are interactive. No hover effect, no arrow, no label.

Suggestion: Add a visible hover state (e.g. glowing border), a click icon, or a short label like "click to find out".


2. Inconsistent target audience description

Three different terms for the target group appear across the site:

  • Homepage: "dla uczniów szkół ponadpodstawowych"
  • Rules page (/docs/rules): "edycja dla Szkół Średnich"
  • User panel: "Edycja dla szkół podstawowych"

This is confusing for new visitors who are trying to figure out if they can participate.

Suggestion: Use one consistent term across all pages.


3. 403 error pages expose raw JSON to users

Visiting /tasks or /leaderboard before the competition starts shows a 403 — Nieznany błąd screen. Clicking "Więcej informacji..." reveals raw JSON including "error": "AccessBeforeStage" — a developer-facing message that means nothing to a regular user.

Suggestion: Replace with a friendly message such as: "Tasks will be available from May 23, 2026 at 10:00. Come back then!" and add a back-to-home button.


4. Git commit hash visible in the footer

The footer displays master@cd98c50, which is a build artifact that should not be visible in production.

Suggestion: Remove it from the public view or replace with a clean version number.


5. "Events" section in user profile is unfinished

The /panel/profile page shows a section called "Wydarzenia" with only the text "Strona w trakcie tworzenia!" (Page under construction). Showing incomplete sections reduces trust in the platform.

Suggestion: Hide the section until it is ready.


6. No "Go back home" button on error pages (404 / 403)

The error pages have a great pixel-art dragon, but there is no navigation button to return to the homepage. Users are forced to use the browser's back button or the navbar.

Suggestion: Add a clearly visible "Back to homepage" button on all error pages.


7. Login/panel button displays inconsistently across pages

On some subpages (e.g. /docs/rules) the top-right button showed "Zaloguj się" (Log in) despite an active user session. On other pages it correctly showed "Otwórz panel" (Open panel).

Suggestion: Check that session state is read correctly on all subpages, especially those under the /docs/ prefix.

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