Updated Profile Page: Give us your feedback!
catherinem
June 21, 2010, 03:34 AM posted in General DiscussionHello, everyone! We're hoping to re-vamp the Profile page (accessible through a tab within the Community section) and we'd like to hear your input regarding the design. Check out the three mock-ups below and let us know if you love 'em, hate 'em, or suggest any changes be made to them. Thanks in advance for your help!
You can also check out larger versions of these images here (1), here (2) and here (3).
catherinem
Hmm I've linked directly to the images themselves. Can you see them now?
chanelle77
now, works like charm! :-)
go_manly
June 21, 2010, 09:49 PMThere are 2 problems with the profile page, each of which I have raised before, which perhaps could be fixed if there is an overhaul.
1. Unchecking the 'Display Public Profile' box has no effect - your profile is still visible to everyone. When I raised this a few months ago, John said he would 'look into it' - with the usual result - none.
2. When browsing through your comments, looking for a particular old comment you've made, you might take a few minutes climbing up to page 80 say. You click on a comment, find it is not the one you are looking for, so you 'go back'. Inexplicably, this takes you all the way back to page 1. So you have to spend time getting back to page 80, 2 pages at a time. 'Go back' is supposed to take you back exactly one page, not multiple pages. Could this be fixed please.
bababardwan
June 21, 2010, 05:06 AMCatherine,
The larger versions are working for me. To be honest I can't see any real benefit of changing the profile page from the way it is. I guess unless there is any clear benefit, knowing how a lot of folk don't like change for change's sake then I would keep things the way they are. Not that I'd mind any of them...I don't think it's any big deal. As far as I can see it's just reshuffling things. My guess is that you want the groups to be more prominent. But these are groups we've already joined. I think the issue with the groups is making the one's we're either not in or not aware of more prominent. My guess is that I'm in about 50 groups zuoyou. Having them more prominent with icons would just make my page more cluttered. So I think if we had no profile page and I was presented with 4 options ,the current page is the one I'd go for. If there is to be a change then my second choice would be no 1,then no 2,then last number 3.
xiaophil
June 21, 2010, 05:26 AMI second what baba says.
to be honest, I really don't see any benefit to any of these, but then again, I don't look at my profile much anyway, so perhaps I'm the wrong guy to comment.
Perhaps if you explain the rationale behind these three designs, and perhaps the overall reason for the change in general, we can all comment easier.
Also, at least on my screen, the images are pretty small. I can't really see the details, so that might be another reason I don't see the benefit.
catherinem
June 21, 2010, 06:45 AMGood questions, everyone. One thing we'd like to change is the way others to see what groups you're in (or for you to better visualize your groups). It would be a bit cluttered in the bottom two if you had 50 or so groups. That's why the view would be expandable (it wouldn't automatically show all groups).
The major benefit of making this update is that the new profile page will consolidate all information about you in one page. You will have a record of your comments and posts in one place (and you will be able to see them in separate tabs as opposed to mixed in together). We want to do this so it's easier to find old posts/comments.
There will be an edit icon visible only to you when you're viewing your own profile. By clicking it you'll be taken to an "edit profile" page.
@xiaophil The links to the images are working now. The images are a bit bigger if you view them that way.
xiaophil
I can see the images, but I cannot read the text even if I use the enlarging tool. I just now decided it's not a big deal for me to see it to be honest. I kind of think this change might help others, but it won't affect me much as I doubt I would use the profile page much even if it is an improvement. Personally, I would hope to see many of the other changes and fixes mentioned in the tech issues group happen long, long before this one. I don't say that to complain, just giving an honest opinion.
catherinem
I appreciate your input. I've changed the jpg's with super huge ones. You should be able to read the text now if you're still interested.
xiao_liang
June 21, 2010, 07:55 AMI like number 3 the best. It puts the most information on the page - there's little to no point having the group images other than prettiness :)
xiaophil
June 21, 2010, 04:01 AMI clicked on the links to the larger versions but got nothing.
catherinem
Please see above.
bodawei
June 21, 2010, 10:37 AMI agree with all the comments above - I would be much happier if several of the concerns raised about the site were fixed. Some people get answers, some don't - it needs to be more systematic. My opinion - leave the profiles as they are. They work as they are.
Just a note: the profile that I get from the tab in the Community section is private, right? No one else sees it? This is a different format to the one I get if I click if I click on a poddies name. I gather what you are playing with is the format that we see when we click on a poddies name. So why do you refer to it as the profile available from the tab in the Community section? If you go ahead and make this change (you seem pretty keen) will it change my private view?
zhenlijiang
June 21, 2010, 12:41 PMI'm not clear on what the "All Activity" and "Comments" tabs are. And can't believe, quite honestly, that you wouldn't think it important enough to explain stuff like that to us up there but would ask which design we prefer for a re-vamp of the profile page. Since you didn't explain your thinking (I am capable of imagining that you must be trying to resolve several issues with this profile page) first, it sounds like you're not concerned about all the feedback we've been giving over the past few weeks. Of course that will get us asking just why we are now yet again trying on new "looks" when there are all these outstanding usability issues and bugs that are detracting from user experience.
I'm sorry but I do think that not touching on that at least in passing, not explaining why you would be designing a new profile page now or the reasons behind each "new feature" is poor communication. That should all be done upfront, not when prompted to by us. Failing to do that detracts from all the genuine effort on your part to make improvements.
So we can go to the "User Posts" tab and edit published posts and saved drafts from there--is that right?
As others have already said, I don't see how making my Groups more prominent with icons on my profile page will help me or anyone else, especially if those 6 or 10 groups showing are all subscribed lesson channel groups.
I too am concerned that a change like this will mean more new bugs to deal with.
xiao_liang
June 21, 2010, 12:50 PMI'm not sure she's asking what we think of the content folks. She's saying, "here's the content that will be on the profile pages, how do you want it presented?"
It's hardly a sea change - most of that info is already on your profile page. It's just presenting it more concisely and clearly. Calm down :)
zhenlijiang
I am calm XiaoLiang.
Many of us over the past weeks have raised issues with the site that we feel to be priority in terms of user experience. When a design choice like this is presented to us then, before those have been adequately taken care of, it is only natural that some of us will respond as we did.
I don't see why CPod wouldn't welcome hearing what we think of the content in any case. It's helpful feedback, even if it wasn't asked for.
I will offer critical feedback whenever I want to, though I'm sure here Xiaophil has said much of what I brought up in a much less critical manner.
I actually think the feedback is helpful to CPod and I am not trying to demean anyone.
zhenlijiang
P.S. I think everyone should feel encouraged to raise issues and ask questions as they come across them, when they first notice them. I don't think it's helpful to hold back in order to be super-polite or whatever and try to save those questions for the occasion when we're actually invited to comment on them.
tvan
June 21, 2010, 01:00 PMI prefer the first layout.
matthiask
June 21, 2010, 05:42 PMIf, I prefer layout 2 for the nice bio. Layout has the benefit of prominent groups, but why not have this information as two columns (left groups, right conversations) below the bio. Or why not show the groups and the conversations therein below the bio.
However, I also strongly recommend on focussing on the issues like http://chinesepod.com/community/conversations/post/9314#comment-182110 than starting the next thing.
Also, the General community feed does not show usernames any more.
RJ
June 21, 2010, 10:07 AMI have to agree with Phil. This change would be a non-event for me. I see no benefit. Changing one thing always carries with it the risk of breaking something else. Why are you even thinking about such things when there is so much undone, that clearly everybody would like to see fixed?
chanelle77
June 21, 2010, 03:57 AMHello Catherine, seems that the links are "missing" on my side. Just fyi :-)