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As a keyboard analyst and former Foursquare user, I believe it was a mistake to remove the "chekin" from the Foursquare app. The new app (cannot recollect the

As a keyboard analyst and former Foursquare user, I believe it was a mistake to remove the "chekin" from the Foursquare app. The new app (cannot recollect the name) would have been ideal for pushing their new focus of review while Foursquare remained and did what it was meant known for - checking in and providing data. By creating a new feature/ direction for an old brand and moving the old feature to a new brand, it caused a lot of confusion. People simply decided to move on

sideproject 11y ago
what's a keyboard analyst btw? :)
- danpalmer 11y ago
  Often called an "armchair" analyst/psychologist/whatever the relevant term would be... - someone who has no qualification, but enjoys speculating and analysing anyway, typically from their armchair in front of the TV, or their keyboard in front of the computer.
  - eddieroger 11y ago
    See also: Monday Morning Quarterback. It's easy to know what to do after something has happened (like, on Monday morning), but much harder in the moment (like, Sunday afternoon).
    - AznHisoka 11y ago
      What if you're analyzing a Monday night game?
sjwright 11y ago
My problem is that they didn't explain with sufficient clarity and succinctness why the split was performed. It was eventually clear that the intent was to delineate between community recommendations and social sharing. (No doubt this made overwhelming logical sense in their strategy meetings, but reality always ends up being messier.) All the arguable benefits of breaking out Swarm could could have been achieved with some considered use of interface design within a single Foursquare app. Instead they confused new users and triggered irrational yet predictable anger within a portion of their user base.
rockshassa 11y ago
I remember being dumbfounded when they announced they were removing check-in functionality. It was the main thing I associated with the Foursquare "brand" and I was a heavy check-in user at the time (the game mechanics were great). They must have known everyone was there for the check-ins, and it seemed arrogant of them to believe they could force all their users to migrate to some other app. (talk about shooting yourself in the foot) I never downloaded Swarm on principle (i can check in with the Facebook app if i really want to). Foursquare did this to themselves.
- sjwright 11y ago
  > I never downloaded Swarm on principle On what principle?
  - rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
    Presumably the same principle of not letting ones self be jerked around by companies who don't give a rat's ass about the consumer experience, like the bizarre Netflix/Quickster fiasco from a few years back.
    - sjwright 11y ago
      The Netflix/Quickster fiasco changed the value equation for customers. All that happened with Foursquare/Swarm was that the user had to press a button to download another free app. I agree it was a silly decision, but was ultimately just a 40 second inconvenience.
      - rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
        As far as a researched opinion can tell. I recall not knowing what differences would be and if it would be more inconvenient or demand other changes in my interaction in the future. I ultimately decided it wasn't worth it, and an app experience I used occasionally became never.
      - adventured 11y ago

sideproject 11y ago

what's a keyboard analyst btw? :)

danpalmer 11y ago
Often called an "armchair" analyst/psychologist/whatever the relevant term would be... - someone who has no qualification, but enjoys speculating and analysing anyway, typically from their armchair in front of the TV, or their keyboard in front of the computer.
- eddieroger 11y ago
  See also: Monday Morning Quarterback. It's easy to know what to do after something has happened (like, on Monday morning), but much harder in the moment (like, Sunday afternoon).
  - AznHisoka 11y ago
    What if you're analyzing a Monday night game?

sjwright 11y ago

My problem is that they didn't explain with sufficient clarity and succinctness why the split was performed. It was eventually clear that the intent was to delineate between community recommendations and social sharing. (No doubt this made overwhelming logical sense in their strategy meetings, but reality always ends up being messier.) All the arguable benefits of breaking out Swarm could could have been achieved with some considered use of interface design within a single Foursquare app. Instead they confused new users and triggered irrational yet predictable anger within a portion of their user base.

rockshassa 11y ago

I remember being dumbfounded when they announced they were removing check-in functionality. It was the main thing I associated with the Foursquare "brand" and I was a heavy check-in user at the time (the game mechanics were great). They must have known everyone was there for the check-ins, and it seemed arrogant of them to believe they could force all their users to migrate to some other app. (talk about shooting yourself in the foot) I never downloaded Swarm on principle (i can check in with the Facebook app if i really want to). Foursquare did this to themselves.

sjwright 11y ago
> I never downloaded Swarm on principle On what principle?
- rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
  Presumably the same principle of not letting ones self be jerked around by companies who don't give a rat's ass about the consumer experience, like the bizarre Netflix/Quickster fiasco from a few years back.
  - sjwright 11y ago
    The Netflix/Quickster fiasco changed the value equation for customers. All that happened with Foursquare/Swarm was that the user had to press a button to download another free app. I agree it was a silly decision, but was ultimately just a 40 second inconvenience.
    - rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
      As far as a researched opinion can tell. I recall not knowing what differences would be and if it would be more inconvenient or demand other changes in my interaction in the future. I ultimately decided it wasn't worth it, and an app experience I used occasionally became never.
    - adventured 11y ago