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I hate #newtwitter more than anyone, but I disagree with the logic that just because people don't like it, it's neccesarily a bad move - lot's of people don't l

by corin_ 15y ago

I hate #newtwitter more than anyone, but I disagree with the logic that just because people don't like it, it's neccesarily a bad move - lot's of people don't like change. I've seen it a couple of times on big community websites when people complained about a new design, and then a week later realised that just because it started off not feeling like the site they grew to love, it didn't mean it wasn't a huge improvement. They key is that, after you force users to switch, it has to be good enough that they realise you were acting in their best interests - if you force them to switch to something that really is much worse, that's when it becomes a problem. I was wondering: if someone used the Twitter API to create basically a clone of the original site, would that be against the Ts & Cs, and if not could this be got around somehow. For example if someone made it and open sourced it, I could host it myself with my own API key, and without marketing it anyone other than myself and my friends Twitter wouldn't know or care?

riledhel 15y ago
Maybe if they allow third-party apps to interact with the service (ala Tweetdeck, etc) you could build a clone that mimics the old UI...
jackowayed 15y ago
The best example being Facebook, which has a major campaign to bring back the old Facebook every time there's a serious redesign. And then there's another redesign and many of those same people beg Facebook to being back that version they had complained so much about.
deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
thaumaturgy 15y ago
> ...just because people don't like it, it's neccesarily a bad move... In business, it almost always is. If your user base is uncomfortable with significant changes to your design or interface, you should take that into account. Why are you changing the design or interface? Is it really improving their experience, or is it just because you like the new one better? Why not roll out a new design in lots of small changes over the course of a year or more, so that people don't tend to feel as disoriented? You should keep in mind that a lot of people out there don't have the learned ability to glance at a screen and immediately pick out the relevant bits. Many of them deal with lots of different interfaces every day. When you radically change your design, for these people it's like having to learn a whole new site all over again.
- corin_ 15y ago
  In my personal experience people very quickly realised the new interface was fine - but when you've been using a site for years you get used to it, and like how it looks. As others replied, Facebook is another great example - people complaining doesn't mean they won't end up prefering the new version.
  - thaumaturgy 15y ago
    Sure, and if that's the case, then I don't see any downsides to rolling out a new design in small pieces over the course of a yearabouts, so that it doesn't annoy your users at all.
mailarchis 15y ago
"I've seen it a couple of times on big community websites when people complained about a new design, and then a week later realised that just because it started off not feeling like the site they grew to love, it didn't mean it wasn't a huge improvement." - Very true. Can some one recall the users reaction when FB launched newsfeed

by corin_ 15y ago

riledhel 15y ago

Maybe if they allow third-party apps to interact with the service (ala Tweetdeck, etc) you could build a clone that mimics the old UI...

jackowayed 15y ago

The best example being Facebook, which has a major campaign to bring back the old Facebook every time there's a serious redesign. And then there's another redesign and many of those same people beg Facebook to being back that version they had complained so much about.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

thaumaturgy 15y ago

> ...just because people don't like it, it's neccesarily a bad move... In business, it almost always is. If your user base is uncomfortable with significant changes to your design or interface, you should take that into account. Why are you changing the design or interface? Is it really improving their experience, or is it just because you like the new one better? Why not roll out a new design in lots of small changes over the course of a year or more, so that people don't tend to feel as disoriented? You should keep in mind that a lot of people out there don't have the learned ability to glance at a screen and immediately pick out the relevant bits. Many of them deal with lots of different interfaces every day. When you radically change your design, for these people it's like having to learn a whole new site all over again.

corin_ 15y ago
In my personal experience people very quickly realised the new interface was fine - but when you've been using a site for years you get used to it, and like how it looks. As others replied, Facebook is another great example - people complaining doesn't mean they won't end up prefering the new version.
- thaumaturgy 15y ago
  Sure, and if that's the case, then I don't see any downsides to rolling out a new design in small pieces over the course of a yearabouts, so that it doesn't annoy your users at all.

mailarchis 15y ago

"I've seen it a couple of times on big community websites when people complained about a new design, and then a week later realised that just because it started off not feeling like the site they grew to love, it didn't mean it wasn't a huge improvement." - Very true. Can some one recall the users reaction when FB launched newsfeed