Forum Discussion
Question with this forum itself
Why is the "Start a Discussion" button so hard to find. I doesn't show up for me unless I use a really obscure link to get here. What am I doing wrong that that button is nowhere to be found when I come to this site normally?
Also the share links on the left side are very obstructive. It blocks text and I cannot get rid of it.
You’re not doing anything wrong. This is caused by responsive design behavior on the Tech Community site, which changes layout elements based on screen width, zoom level, and device type.
What’s actually happening
“Start a Discussion” is responsive, not fixed
- On desktop with sufficient viewport width, the button appears prominently near the top.
- On narrow viewports (mobile phones, small browser windows, high zoom levels), the site:
- Moves the button to the bottom of the page
- Or hides it behind secondary navigation
This explains why:
- Desktop users see it clearly
- iPhone users only see it at the bottom
- Some users feel it’s “missing” entirely
This is intentional responsive behavior — but arguably poor UX for a discussion-driven forum.
Browser zoom and accessibility settings matter
Even on desktop, the button can disappear from the top if:- Browser zoom is >100%
- OS-level text scaling is enabled
- The window is snapped or not full-width
From the site’s perspective, this looks like a “small screen.”
Share buttons are position: fixed
The left-side share bar:- Uses a fixed overlay
- Does not collapse properly on small screens
- Can overlap content, especially on mobile or narrow layouts
There is currently no user-side control to dismiss it.
This is a design flaw, not user error.
Why the confusion is understandable
- The primary action (“Start a Discussion”) is not consistently placed
- The site does not provide visual cues when it moves
- Mobile and desktop experiences are materially different
- No accessibility fallback exists for overlays
In the End…
Your experience is completely plausible and shared by others:
- Desktop users with wide screens won’t notice the issue
- Mobile and accessibility users absolutely will
- The current design favors layout aesthetics over discoverability
However, I am confident that the Microsoft team is working on improving things here as well, as is so often the case...everything takes time.
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
Was the answer useful? Mark as best response and like it!
This will help all forum participants.
11 Replies
Everything everyone is saying is how I thought things should work too but that's not my experience. I have a huge computer screen and the button isn't showing up and the links are still in the way, they are currently partially blocking me from typing this.
You’re not doing anything wrong. This is caused by responsive design behavior on the Tech Community site, which changes layout elements based on screen width, zoom level, and device type.
What’s actually happening
“Start a Discussion” is responsive, not fixed
- On desktop with sufficient viewport width, the button appears prominently near the top.
- On narrow viewports (mobile phones, small browser windows, high zoom levels), the site:
- Moves the button to the bottom of the page
- Or hides it behind secondary navigation
This explains why:
- Desktop users see it clearly
- iPhone users only see it at the bottom
- Some users feel it’s “missing” entirely
This is intentional responsive behavior — but arguably poor UX for a discussion-driven forum.
Browser zoom and accessibility settings matter
Even on desktop, the button can disappear from the top if:- Browser zoom is >100%
- OS-level text scaling is enabled
- The window is snapped or not full-width
From the site’s perspective, this looks like a “small screen.”
Share buttons are position: fixed
The left-side share bar:- Uses a fixed overlay
- Does not collapse properly on small screens
- Can overlap content, especially on mobile or narrow layouts
There is currently no user-side control to dismiss it.
This is a design flaw, not user error.
Why the confusion is understandable
- The primary action (“Start a Discussion”) is not consistently placed
- The site does not provide visual cues when it moves
- Mobile and desktop experiences are materially different
- No accessibility fallback exists for overlays
In the End…
Your experience is completely plausible and shared by others:
- Desktop users with wide screens won’t notice the issue
- Mobile and accessibility users absolutely will
- The current design favors layout aesthetics over discoverability
However, I am confident that the Microsoft team is working on improving things here as well, as is so often the case...everything takes time.
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
Was the answer useful? Mark as best response and like it!
This will help all forum participants.
I'm on a laptop that's connected to a huge monitor but the button only appears if I use one very specific link I was sent last month, otherwise its nowhere on screen. And even on my huge screen, there is to margin on the left side so all the text is still being covered and the right side of the screen is mostly white space. I'm trying to attach a picture but the button is deactivated.
I could only make the "Start a Discussion" button disappear from its prominent spot toward the top of the screen by shrinking the window of my browser quite significantly. Otherwise, as noted, it is prominently displayed above all the current and recent postings.
And you'll notice that the various "Share" buttons obscure nothing when the browser window is larger......
So does that explanation sufficiently plausible for your circumstances?
When I use the site navigation
When I use the link I was sent.
Why can I not just navigate to the page with the button instead of needing a specific link?
No because I have a huge screen and the button only shows up if I use a specific link and the text on my page doesn't have a margin so everything is squished up against the side and is still being obstructed.
Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂
That aligns perfectly with the responsive design behavior I described. On larger desktop windows, the button stays at the top, and the share buttons don’t obstruct anything — exactly as you’ve observed. The issues mostly appear on smaller viewports or when zoom/text scaling is applied.
i am unsure how to start too, im an idiot
No worries at all — you’re not an idiot! 🙂 Many users find the “Start a Discussion” button tricky to locate at first because of how the site adjusts for different screen sizes. On desktop it’s at the top, on mobile it’s often at the bottom. You’re definitely not alone in feeling unsure at first.
For me, viewing on my iPhone, it appears at the bottom of the page after scrolling down through the 1st page of latest discussions (x10), but I concur it is obscure and should appear at the top.
Thank you for confirming! Yes, on i Phones and other mobile devices, the button often appears at the bottom after scrolling, which can make it feel hidden. Your observation really illustrates why this layout can be confusing, and it highlights the U X challenge the team faces in balancing responsive design with discoverability.
