We try and keep our loyal readers abreast of what’s happening at the Co-op in our ongoing efforts to speed up the sites and make things easier to use and maintain. Today’s announcement concerns a test drive of a new navigation bar (navbar) we are working on. The new navbar is faster loading, less tall, and we think, a bit easier on the eyes. In terms of functionality, it is all the same, this is mostly about how it looks and the performance when you request a page. Because the navbar is such a focal part of the page, this test is one you will almost certainly notice.
In our ongoing efforts to lose a few pounds . . .
We also wanted to tell you a bit more about the experiment, as it could prove a bit confusing as well. We’ll be introducing the new navbar through what is known as an A/B test. Half of the 43Things users will see the new navbar and the other half will see the same navbar we’ve been using for the last 9 months. This lets us measure the performance of each treatment and analyze the resorts accordingly. It also means you and a friend might not be seeing the same navbar at all. Or if you use one computer at work and another at home, the navbars you see may vary.
Thanks, in general, for being a part of the grand experiment that is 43 Things, and thanks specifically for bearing with us while we take the new navbar out for a spin.
22 responses so far ↓
Colleen_C_C // October 12, 2009 at 6:30 pm |
Nice new shiny sleek & clean: I like it! I like it very very much. *grin*
Axx // October 12, 2009 at 10:39 pm |
Loquaciouslass // October 12, 2009 at 11:54 pm |
Sorry guys, not so keen on the new navbar. At first I thought the page hadn’t loaded correctly, but now it simply looks as though something is missing. The blue/yellow combo added a sense of warmth… whereas I find the lack of colour very stark and sterile. The search field looks a bit clunky and out-of-place.
Sorry, not sure if you’re after this sort of feedback. It seems to work well enough, though! Cheers for all your ongoing great work!
smartstuff // October 13, 2009 at 4:42 am |
Random Questions discussion on new format
Repeating what was said in the forum: Search bar seems too large and misplaced to me. Other than that… I like sparse, I agree with “easier on the eyes” (the yellow when the book went up was… an ADJUSTMENT) overall, I think a good change. Just the placement and size of the search bar that feels like a strange choice, as a regular user.
Dangleebitz // October 13, 2009 at 6:36 am |
Not too keen on the bright white page, pages seem to stick on updates ie: cheers……..if it aint broke why fix it ? Worked well enough before !!!! Other than that it’s ok
PS: I agree it is a tad sterile too.
Todd Schoonover // October 13, 2009 at 7:29 pm |
I hadn’t seen this entry when I first noticed the new look. I was thinking something broke for me again, but don’t really mind the change. I know a number of people have been commenting that it’s too white or stark. How about chaning the background color of the pages from white to pale yellow or pale green.
nicolasc // October 13, 2009 at 10:07 pm |
Obviously I’m in B group, ’cause I still see the old format on my page…unlike Todd, who is obviously an A-lister. ;-D
Todd Schoonover // October 14, 2009 at 5:15 pm |
Hey Nic, I see the new format at work but the old style at home, so I’m in both groups.
bookishdesi // October 14, 2009 at 9:49 pm |
i liked the old better… will have to figure out why and tell you y’all…
Custom t-shirts // October 19, 2009 at 1:46 am |
New Change looks Good but need some refinements.
Absnasm // October 19, 2009 at 3:06 pm |
Eek! I can no longer see how long ago I was cheered on my front page without clicking through – I don’t like! Apart from that it’s OK – a bit glary on the eyes but I could get used to it.
Deskdude // October 21, 2009 at 9:10 pm |
I’m on the new navbar. I think the change is fine, but I seem to have trouble with pictures not loading now. Could it be related?
vex // October 24, 2009 at 1:12 am |
I wish you’d fix the bugs on Allconsuming before devoting yourself to layout experiments on any of the sites… Eg. the links to items and entries showing up in my subscriptions linking to the wrong pages, etc.
And I see there are ads on 43T when I’m not logged in. Is this new? I haven’t noticed it before.
Joshp // October 25, 2009 at 8:01 pm |
Hey Vex – thanks for letting us know about the bug. If we don’t hear about ‘em we don’t fix ‘em – so thanks for letting us know. The reality is, some of our sites, like Allconsuming, are labors of love, and others, like 43Things, are really the core of our business. We want all the sites to function, but a site like 43 Things, with about 100 times the usage, does get priority.
Thanks again for the bug report. You can also send them to bugs@robotcoop.com.
amy0x // November 12, 2009 at 6:13 am |
I have the problem that on my list, the bar to type in my own goals drags across the ‘about me section’, i think its some sort of bug? It looks like i have two bars over lapping each other.
I am also currently having the problem that when i write comments on peoples entrys it wont connect and i lose what i write. I am unsure weather this is about the website itself or my internet. Although my internet works fine on everything else….
Confusing!
amy0x // November 12, 2009 at 11:00 am |
After my last comment i thought i would post that my tool bar is fixed now
nicolasc // November 14, 2009 at 4:29 pm |
Now that I can actually see it, I am fine with the new look. Six of one, half dozen of the other to me.
On a _side note_, however, I do NOT like the fact that the tab for goals we’ve given up on has been removed.
a) The posts are still archives of our efforts and interactions with others who either supported us or shared our goals.
b) We may wish to reinstate those goals and keep the related posts, but now that option is gone.
As this is a goal-setting website, it seems rather misleading to list ONLY the goals at which we’ve succeeded, and not maintain a record of those goals which caused us to struggle and fail. It seems just as worthy to document efforts that were unsuccessful as it is to document those which were successful.
Todd Schoonover // November 14, 2009 at 4:33 pm |
Actually you can still reactivate the goal that you gave up on. You just have to go to that goal, and all your entries are there. There’s even a button that you can click to readd the goal to your list.
revengeofnudefreedom // November 14, 2009 at 4:55 pm
Yes, but….
The old way was easier.
Of course, according to your earlier post, we can all just leave the site if we don’t like the changes.
And we shouldn’t say anything if we don’t, because after all it’s the Robots site, So we should just quietly put up with whatever, or leave the site.
Of course, I guess the old neighborhood watch is an exception to that rule.
revengeofnudefreedom // November 14, 2009 at 5:01 pm |
Also, for many people the goals marked “given up”, were simply goals that were being set aside until we had a better time to work on them.
And yeah, I’d say I don’t really have any other objections to the changes, but I wish you ‘bots would bring back the “give up” list and tab on 43T.
And even the goals that weren’t successful, we can still learn from.
Joshp100 // November 15, 2009 at 10:53 am |
This sounds like a bug, defiinitely not intentional, and not related to the nav. I think it got introduced Wed. or Thurs. It will be back up as soon as are back at work on Mon.
freefloatingsoul // November 15, 2009 at 11:34 am |
Hey, I miss the Given Up tab too. I kept stuff there that was not important or making progress, but that I still intended to work on in the future…
I was pleased to find the shortcut back to the list, because when I was first notified that it wasn’t there I felt… funny.
And, just generally, I liked the old layout better.
It’s still a great site, and I will continue to love it and love using it. But all things being equal, I don’t know that the changes improve it as much as they are meant to. Thanks!