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Evernote Web - revert to old version


M.J.M.

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I downloaded the new WEB ui for Chromium Browser. I use it to manage my information and data through tagging. The old UI gave an easy overview and quick access to different.  

I have an extensive GTD working zone where I jump from project to project and keep track of my things to do.

With the new WEB UI this becomes hugely impossible.

 

Can I restore the old version please.  I wrestled with it this whole morning and I am kind of fed up with it.  

 

This new UI, based on Tablets and Android.... , is very very bad .  

 

The key is "manage" your notes.  Not "Enterring data". 

Managing notes is managing knowledge.

 

I really really want the old thing back.

M.

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I'm with you MJM, the new google fanboy "boredom" styled interface make Evernote into a second rate word-processor.

 

Where are my notes?, lists and tags.

 

This "clean" interface is sterile with no information.

 

Reminds me of Google Store, or Microsoft changing from Windows to a Closed Door, I know designers simply play follow the leader, but they really need to follow a leader who has practicality and effectiveness in their repertoire

 

Not that I expect Evernote to listen to users on this issue as they don't on any other!

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+1 for previous version.  The loss of functionality in the new web version FAR outweighs any aesthetic improvement.  Agree with those who say that jumping on the Google super-clean-UI bandwagon doesn't make sense for a product like Evernote.

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Go to the settings (gear wheel in the lower left corner). This brings you to your account settings. Under "Beta" you can go back to the old web interface.

 I do not see any "bèta" 

I am using Evernote App in Chromium 

 

No bèta there

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I complety agree.......The Web Beta version is a disaster......Please keep the old version!

​I loved to be able to search through my stack of notebooks, and filter my search with my tags......It was perfect!!! What have you done "Evernote" designers?

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I also have to agree the new web version is a nightmare. Thanks for instructions on reverting back.  It takes twice a long to get to any notes since everything is hidden.  I agree that posting here probably won't help any so we'll be stuck with it sooner or later.  Just hope the desktop version doesn't go to this too.

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I completely agree with everyone. The new Web UI is shocking, very "clean" indeed, hiding everything.

First gmail, now Evernote... I really hate this "modern" look with barely any distinctions on different sections - makes it very hard to tell where things are.

Forcing people to memorise icons by removing labels and hiding everything is counter-productive.

 

The old look is MUCH better with ready access to everything we need - that's how it should look on non-mobile devices.

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Hate to repeat what everybody just said, but I too found the new Web Client very unusable. The approach that the designers have taken is completely wrong and I seriously hope it will be reconsidered.

 

I'm quite pleased with the Mac desktop app as well as the iPhone/iPad apps, but I'm forced to use the web client at work because I do development work on Linux.

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The main issue is : designers focussed on the wrong User Experience, ie. "entering" notes.  

Data is entered into Evernote through WebClipping (10/10 for that). Also mainly typing data is done on a desktop computer (WITH keyboard).

Cleaning up the UI is "naast de kwestie" (focussing on the wrong goal).

 

Secondly : the (in the eyes of the designers) "cluttered UI" is the way Evernote is mostly used : RETRIEVE stored data.

Evernote developpers should focus on ways to RETRIEVE stored information by enabling different ways to access data. If one has 500 Tags and 10 notebooks... it is 5000 combinations.  THàt is the way people remember where to lookfor things.  And if they have time and budget left COMBINE (be creative) with that data.

 

Thirdly : Where they (Evernote management) get their data from.  Something really really wrong here.  If in a forum, an unknow writer, like me, gets thàt much attention.  That means that most User Experiences and Use Cases were wrong.  Time to correct that, I think, or it will be the last we hear about Evernote : There are lots a competitors ready to take that empty space!

 

Mark

 

 

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Give this new beta a try. I like the new interface. It's not perfect at the moment, but that's why it's a beta. I.e. Deleting notes give problems. The deleted note is appearing again after refresh. 

 

I like the way, you can easily add notes. That was a problem in the old version. Notebooks and tags are there.

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Give this new beta a try. I like the new interface. It's not perfect at the moment, but that's why it's a beta. I.e. Deleting notes give problems. The deleted note is appearing again after refresh. 

 

I like the way, you can easily add notes. That was a problem in the old version. Notebooks and tags are there.

 
I give a try at every beta, but if this is a beta is horrible, too many missing features. 
If it is a Alpha stage we can tell many things but is too premature and so why showing it.
 
I think that we are too far from good product, the Android's version is advanced respect to the web and this is a nightmare because normaly I advice to use the web for do the things that is not possible with Android, now what tell?
 
For create a good organization you must to use desktop version and so, what is the utility of web?
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+1 for previous version.  The new web UI is horrible !!! The loss of functionality and overview in the new web version FAR outweighs any aesthetic improvement.  Agree with those who say that jumping on the Google super-clean-UI bandwagon doesn't make sense for a product like Evernote.

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Echoing the masses here...web beta is terrible, terrible, terrible. I have a lot of shared notebooks and the old version kept them separate from mine, but now they are listed with mine. And I feel like I have to click way too many times to get into my notes. I hope the powers that be are listening...

 

Also, followed instructions of Stuher to go back to old version, but I can no longer edit those note. I can see them, but that's it. Suggestions??

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Just add some new tags from my mobile app. When I go to the web app to manage those new tags...... it's impossible now.

Tags aren't nested like I want it to be and I can't drag & drop tags anymore. Even creating a new tag in beta is impossible. Why are they doing this? :(

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I hate the new look.

 

The new interface is far to "chunky" and makes it very difficult to browse notes.

The old web interface was great for browsing the maximum amount of information on the screen at once.

The note titles on the new web interface are far too big .  Great if you have poor eysight otherwise no good at all.

 

 

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I'll go ahead and disagree with most of my friends posting here and say I like the new clean look. One should only have to see what is necessary and simple is good. However, I do agree that it needs to be tweaked and made more customizable and allow faster access to everything a power user needs. And it doesn't make any sense at all to start up with a new empty note. Only a small percentage of the time do I as a user want to open Evernote primarily to enter data. My guess (my hope) is that this will be changed by the time it gets out of beta.

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Its not for me. Sorry Evernote. I think you tried to get a little too clever and in doing so created something which in my opinion is now not working as perfect as the old version does. Nice ideas but just a little less practical than the other genius ideas you came up with. Just expressing my thoughts. I would much prefer an option to opt out if this version if this beta is rolled out universally.

 

Love Evernote - Its my life so just because it changes doesn't mean an end to my using it, however, i would encourage you to please listen to what others have to say about the new layout. Thank you .

 

 

Neil

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I'm with OP and the others who are opting-out of the web beta. I use the web client to easily manage tags since that's hard to do in the Mac desktop app. I use the GTD approach too, and nested tags are absolutely necessary. The web beta makes it really cumbersome to manage tags and doesn't display the necessary hierarchy.

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TL:DR I hate the new beta, and I have hated that interface on Android/iOS for a long time. Remove it or risk losing your place on the top of the note taking app charts.

 

I've been using Evernote for more than a year now. I was using other note taking apps before, but for many reasons Evernote looked much more useful. It was simple, clean and organized. I started using GTD using tags and it was wonderful. Along comes some UI designer with glorious dreams and a Microsoft Windows 8 design manual under their arm, and he/she botches everything up. Little did he know that everyone *hates* the minimalist UI of Windows 8 and people who actually use their computer for more than minesweeper can't wait for Windows 10 or have already switched back to Windows 7. I seriously hate the people who think that Windows 8 minimalism is a step in the right direction.

 

I don't want to gawk at whitespace. I don't want to wear a fedora and sip overpriced coffee while watching the (admittedly beautiful) transitions. I want to GET WORK DONE. And the new interface is standing haughtily in the way of me GETTING WORK DONE EFFICIENTLY. If you do this Evernote, you're going down in the rubbish heap of note taking apps, and some other saner designer who puts practicality over animation smoothness, will win over your customers. 

 

I sincerely hope you do not put this "Beta" into production. That would be a serious dick move to your existing customers. 

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+1. I hate the new interface. It's not functional. I even thought about giving up Evernote, which has been a great tool! But if I was forced to use this new UI I would probably look elesewhere.

But then I went back to the old interface (and "old", in this case, means "great" and "useful"), and everythinl is ok again.

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I've tried the new BETA version twice and reverted. First question I had immediately was where are the tags? Its a very useful organizational feature and I'm not to keen on the new version if it isn't going to make organizing better.

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It's weird to me that they're designing this interface like screens are getting smaller or lower resolution...

 

SCREENS ARE BIGGER and CHEAPER -- I don't mind having my notebooks and notes on the left... because I have more than half of a huge screen to view the note on the right side.

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This interface is terrible and awful. Not efficient. Just done by designers that are pleased to show their agility at providing a new interface. But IT IS NOT EFFICIENT !! The important issue is to be able to see everything at once if you want to. 

If some people do not want to see everything give them a mode "distraction less" but for those that do not need that, give them an efficient UI !!! Beauty is not an issue when you have about 2000 notes...

 

+1 to go back to the old interface...  (which I did)

 

 

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I fully agree.  I REALLY dislike the beta's "uncluttered" look.  It's not clutter - it's functionality.  Hiding the outline tree which I use to organize the various projects I'm working on?  That doesn't help me.  Please - don't cripple a highly functional interface for "style" reasons.

 

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+1 to Old Version.

It is seems like Windows Phone 8 interface.

It is hugley hard to use, not intuitive, hard to find the correct options.

 

Specially in Portuguese, my language, sometimes the old "Cadernos" (folders) are called "Bloco de notas" and sometimes "Cadernos" it is a mess

 

I Understand that is a Beta Version, no problems, but this interface is a bad choice.

 

 

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I rarely post opinions since, as a non-premium user, I don't really think I have a right to complain. However FWIW I agree with the OPs who are not happy with the beta. To me the Android interface seems crippled in comparison to the old full featured interface. 

 

I hope you are not going to do this to the desktop client but in the interests of standardizing the code base I assume you will. 

 

Yahoo! made sweeping changes to its email interface and has had to revert back to its old features one by one - losing a number of paying customers in the process. Might be something to be learned from their experience.

 

Compared to Evernote using OneNote is like chiseling on stone tablets, But it's there, getting better all the time, and has some distinct advantages as an Office 'feature' rather than a standalone product. This might be one of those times to really solicit feedback from your paying customers if you have not already done so. 

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  • Level 5*

new one got almost all functionality BUT it is so complex

If you don't specify exactly what you find to be complex in the web beta, how is Evernote going to know how to improve it?

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Problem is : the people at Evernote are EXCELLENT developpers.  They hugely honour the principle of UNCLUTTERED look.  Which is good.  Only they got it WRONG concerning the way evernote is used.  Evernote is used to RETRIEVE information, especially when you are on the go or on the mobile.  And they wrote us users a UI for STORING information.  They are by this BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE.  Now ... if they would have had it right and program the UI in order to RETRIEVE info through the tag-tree, or by other means (which would be GREAT).  Then current popularity would PALE compared to the future popularity.  

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+1 from me too.  I wanted to take an axe to my PC this morning; all I was trying to do was to move some notes clipped from Clipper, into my various notebooks.  It was just impossible.  The developers have missed the whole point of how users use Evernote - it's for filing , storing and organising.   If you make it difficult to organise items easily, its of no use to me.

 

I've gone back to the original. 

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The beta version is truly horrible. how glad I am to have discovered how to revert to the old version. I sincerely wish the Evernote team reconsider the design pattern they've embarked on. This beta version as it is no does not reflect the Evernote standard as I knew them to be.

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The beta UI sucks... It's making me less productive. It's super UNintuitive to use. A couple scenarios:

1. Creating a new note in the desired notebook. I cannot really tell which notebook I am creating my new note in since the entire note fills up the screen, and you have to hover above top left corner to see notebook information. Why do I have to hit "done" when I create a note? 

2. It's useful to have easy access to other notes in the notebook while I am editing a note. The tendency to fill up the entire screen when editing one note limits my access to other notes. Sometimes I am able to have other notes show up on the left column, but other times I can't seem to get it to show up. The inconsistency makes it difficult to get the hang of the new UI. 

3. Even simple editing tools are hidden, and only appears when you hover over it. The icons look nice and uniform, but it's not as easy to guess what each does. You are forcing your users to relearn the icons again. 

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In simple explanation of what I think is that the beta tries to copy mobile theme layout and usability. Which misses the fact that the web ui is used more by computers with mouse and keyboard with larger screenspace, while there is optimized apps for mobile. Its like an attempt to do what Microsoft did and merge all mobile and desktop windows into a mobile hybrid. UI beta does not increase productivity as I find it.

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Thanks for the information on how to get back to the old interface! I was hoping it was possible as I have been struggling so much with the new UI for weeks.

 

As a web designer myself, I am all for minimalistic and simplistic design for the purpose of making the user experience more initiative. However in this case the over-simplification has served to do the exact opposite. I agree with edwinyzh - pleasing design should not come at the expense of the experience. The iconography is very confusing too.

 

The new interface may suit a mobile app or 7" tablet, but for the many users who log into Evernote via their browser at work or on their home desktop with a 27" monitor or larger, there is way too much wasted space and every function other than creating a new note is now too many clicks away.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am testng the betha version.

 

There is a huge amount of space left and right in my screen were nothing happens

I do not need a "clutterfree" minimal focus design to enter my notes.

 

 

The left drawer with my favorite notebooks disappears when I selected a notebook. I have to click

to get the drawer back and then click on another notebook. That is two clicks were there was only one click.

That is not good!

 

This is terrible I am losing this sense of overview. I really want to be able to see as much relevant data.

This sense of overview were you can find everything in a logical location is paramount.

 

It is really important to have an constant overview. Of course that can be improved.

 

This design as it is now should be optional, something you can switch on or off.

 

Please evernote do not step into this ratrace that change is imperative.

 

Improvement is imperative. This design can't be based on user requests.

 

I am not sure what is happening, maybe you are in danger of some financial crisis? And you think you need to change drastically?

 

If not then make this beta version not so fluid, that you lose everything out of sight. Make everything accessible with 

less mouse clicks.

 

And makes this clutter free modus an option, one can choose.

 

Make more options!

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What "GEAR"??  I have nothing like that.  In fact I find this whole new beta ***** rather empty.  The icons are not decriptive enough in appearance and never bloom into words no matter how long I hover over them. .. What few there are. I can not find anything that really helps me in it ..its just... blank in a way.  I HATE it.  If someone can not help me find a way to revert to the older version I will simply have to just never open it again.  Maybe drop box or something like that would work better..sigh.

I am not talking about any app, I am asking how to revert to the previous version for evernote in my browser please.... HELP!!!

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I can't find anything and can't get back to my old notes. Please tell me how to restore the old version. I use this to write blog posts ahead of time and need to be able to get back and forth--sometimes to older data. I don't see any settings button in the lower left corner.

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  • Level 5

I can't find anything and can't get back to my old notes. Please tell me how to restore the old version. I use this to write blog posts ahead of time and need to be able to get back and forth--sometimes to older data. I don't see any settings button in the lower left corner.

 

Your browser window might be too small. Make it as high as possible and you should see an icon like a gear-wheel.

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Agree with everyone!  The new beta version was virtually unuseable for me.  I could never figure out how to put notes into the notebooks I had created, for example.  Far too cumbersome, far too little information on the page.  PLEASE PLEASE do not change Evernote to this new interface!!!

 

 

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I really, really want the old version back - managed to get it on my PC and into iTunes but for some reason my iPad won't see it - can anyone help. If note will be using Note Moke, which is a good alternative and includes the ability to have separate notebooks.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thank you so much for the tip to revert back to the old version. I was only on the Beta for 5 minutes before I was screaming for my old Evernote. Why do they do this? No way the changes implemented were requested by Evernote users! It really scares me that there could come a day that that horrible interface will be forced upon us. 

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I've just discovered through this forum how to restore the old UI.  I was so upset by the new UI that I was starting to move content to OneNote Online, but found it frustratingly slow.  Thank goodness I can go back to the Evernote I liked, and now will move my migrated content back.  But PLEASE Evernote, don't force this new UI on all of us in the future!

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You're out of luck.

 

At the Evernote Conference, when concluding his presentation on the New Evernote Client (i.e. the Web Beta), Phil Libin stated that the old web client will go away at some point. Web Beta discussed from 21mins onward:

 

 

Evernote are unlikely to maintain two separate code bases. They've decided that the Web Client's future is as a clean-looking, simplified gateway into the Evernote world, aimed squarely at new users.

 

Therefore, existing users of the current web client who rely upon its high productivity features will therefore need to:

EITHER:

(i) switch to a desktop installed version instead;

OR

(ii) take a hike.

 

Many users of the web client will, for various reasons, be unable to install a desktop version, so based upon that presentation it appears Evernote will eventually be abandoning those users.

 

Plan accordingly.

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  • Level 5*

They said something similar on the recent podcast too. If you listen to the podcast it seems that they have a completely different understanding of why people use the web client than is often espoused on here. Maybe they have better data.... (or maybe not and they are just making assumptions)

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If they make a decision that is based on flawed data, then evernote will not live too long. No business survives without satisfying it's customers. It appears that Evernote is more interested in satisfying Wall Street than it's actual users.

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The devices I use are Android and Chromebook. With most web apps, the Android equivalent is a cut-down feature-light version. I do basic stuff in the Android app, and then turn to the Web App to do the more complex things.

 

Using Gmail as an example: on the Gmail Android app I can do simpler stuff like read and write basic emails. To do more complex stuff, like manage my filters or write lengthy emails requiring complex formatting, I use the Gmail web app.

 

It's like this for every app where there are Android / web app equivalents. Android is feature-light; web apps, where more screen space is available, are feature rich and enable greater productivity.

 

Unfortunately, Evernote are taking their web app in the opposite direction: the Evernote web app will become feature-light and unsuited to complex productivity tasks, less powerful than the Android app.

 

If Evernote wanted to launch a new, feature-light, gateway to Evernote, they should have taken a leaf from Google's book and launched a new web app, with suitably snappy name, "beautiful design" etc, in addition to the current, high-productivity web app.

 

That's exactly what Google's just done with their launch of 'Inbox'. Just because Google were launching a new lightweight way of using Gmail didn't lead them to start the clock ticking on the existing high-productivity Gmail web app interface, throwing their existing user base to the wolves. Instead, there'll be two web apps, Inbox & Gmail, each with a different focus, and users can choose the tool best suited to them.

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I like the look (style) but like others the functionality leaves something to be desired.

 

- too few notes show in snippet view - takes longer to scan the notes to find the one I want

- once there is a list view again, some subtle way to color code them so they are visually grouped or distinct - not efficient to scan words

- finding it a hassle to go to the format column at top right when I'm typing inline at bottom of the screen - i.e. to add bulleted list in subsequent sections.  Need easier way for inline formatting

- I would love a big search bar above the notes list that provides real-time note results as I type, for even faster location of notes

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I like the look (style) but like others the functionality leaves something to be desired.

 

- too few notes show in snippet view - takes longer to scan the notes to find the one I want

- once there is a list view again, some subtle way to color code them so they are visually grouped or distinct - not efficient to scan words

- finding it a hassle to go to the format column at top right when I'm typing inline at bottom of the screen - i.e. to add bulleted list in subsequent sections.  Need easier way for inline formatting

- I would love a big search bar above the notes list that provides real-time note results as I type, for even faster location of notes

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  • Level 5

How do I know if I'm using the web version of Evernote? And, if I'm NOT, does that mean I'll never have to deal with the dreaded new Web UI? :unsure:

The Web version is used when you use a web browser and go to evernote.com and sign into your account.

If you are able to use a special Evernote client application on Windows, Mac, iOS, Android etc. you don't have to deal with the Web version. However, I have to use Evernote under Linux and on this platform I have no choice I have to use the Web version because there is no Linux client. The same might apply when you have to use a Windows PC or a Mac and you are not alllowed or able to install an Evernote client.

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  • Level 5

I want to make sure I understand. I click on an Evernote icon on my desktop to use it- that means I DON'T have the web ver., and won't ever have to use the Beta?

 

Yes that is correct. The Web version is no application that has its own icon. You use the Web access - let's name it that way - when you open https://www.evernote.com in Firefox, Chrome or Safari. But sometimes it is a good idea to use the Web access because it looks directly at your data on the Evernote server. If for example you miss a note in your desktop app or if you are not sure whether a note has correctly been synced to the Evernote server the Web access will help you with such questions.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I've used Evernote for six years. If the 'clean' UI is made mandatory, I'll likely change services. It's just not ideal, and I only started with EN because I thought it was ideal for organising ideas.

 

I hate, *hate*, *HATE* this minimalist *****. I did manage to find that checkbox to go back to the classic UI. 

 

Here's an idea: 

 

For the minimalist hipsters who use it ironically, keep it as a premium option, with hard-to-find enable checkbox so that they can feel smug and exclusiver for being minimalist. In the mean time, the rest of us can actually get work done. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Maybe it's time for Evernote to question if it makes sense to go along with the trend for clean, whitespace-rich web pages.

 

I've been using EN for many years now, and the current web client works very well for me.

 

Here's what an excellent article (http://uxmag.com/articles/the-experience-makes-the-product-not-the-features) says about a user's experience:

 

 

 

Create an experience that engages real users, not just your perceived users based on vague demographics or even rich personas.

 

Given that almost all posts in this thread are negative about the new UI, I wonder who they tested the new one with.

We can only vote with our feet. 

As someone pointed out: if the new UI makes it live, and we cannot revert, we need to flood this forum until EN listens, and use the desktop client in the meantime.

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  • Level 5*

Given that almost all posts in this thread are negative about the new UI, I wonder who they tested the new one with.

There have been posts in the forum from folks who do like the new UI, and apparently from other sources that Evernote monitors. This particular thread is going to be pretty much self-selecting of people with negative experiences anyways, I'd think, given the topic. 

 

We can only vote with our feet. 

As someone pointed out: if the new UI makes it live, and we cannot revert, we need to flood this forum until EN listens, and use the desktop client in the meantime.

I tend to prefer the old UI myself, but seeing as how the beta isn't feature complete yet, I'm withholding final judgment. The web isn't a particularly critical use case for me, anyways -- handy sometimes, but not critical.
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While I love the look of the new UI, it takes too many steps to get back to other notes and notebooks. It's virtually impossible to use. Sometimes minimal can be too minimal! Please Evernote, tweak the new UI...so that we all have the best of all worlds ;).

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  • 3 weeks later...

The new interface is horrid and near completely non-functional compared to the old system.   Since when is a system "improved" by removing features?  It feels like this is a low-budget half-functionality android app, on my desktop PC.   I've got a 27" display an 1440p resolution to work with here, I really don't need this ***** smart phone interface.  

And what happened to STACKS?!  You mean I can only go 1 layer deep on my notebooks?  Well, so much for organization, no, I loooooove scrolling through long lists.  

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The new interface is horrid and near completely non-functional compared to the old system.   Since when is a system "improved" by removing features?  It feels like this is a low-budget half-functionality android app, on my desktop PC.   I've got a 27" display an 1440p resolution to work with here, I really don't need this ***** smart phone interface.  

And what happened to STACKS?!  You mean I can only go 1 layer deep on my notebooks?  Well, so much for organization, no, I loooooove scrolling through long lists.  

 

 

The script for this saga has already been written...

 

...Just like when Microsoft foisted the Metro UI upon desktop PC users, and Google forced you to sign up to Google+ just to use their other products, this tale won't end well.

 

I am sure there are folks within Evernote who agree with the near-unanimous negative feedback being posted here, think this strategy is doomed, and are just waiting for the day when they can say to their colleagues (managers), "told you so".

 

Meanwhile, just enjoy all that clean, white, low-productivity space :)

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  • 1 month later...

Can't find how to roll back. Found a gear icon under my initial at lower left, but can't find the roll back option. It would be much appreciated if someone could post a link to a current explanation of how to get out of this thing, so I can do some work. I've already spent nearly an hour trying to figure it out, trying to find roll back solutions on this forum, etc. This web interface is NOT supposed to be some trendy minimalist mobile device app. It's supposed be (and was) a modern, efficient personal information manager (PIM). Except all the work I've put in to organize stuff is now effectively toast.

 

Another question: why oh why did I get thrown into this so-called UI without some clear choice, some clear explanation of how to turn it off? This is anything but customer friendly.

 

Would someone please post a link to current rollback instructions? I really need to get some things done. TIA.

 

UPDATE: OK, I found it. Whew!

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  • 1 month later...

I am relatively new to Evernote.  I have Premium.  Most of the time I work in the desktop application in Windows 8.1.  That is very good.  My use model for the web version is if I cannot access my normal laptop.

 

For the past week I have used Evernote Web in Chrome exclusively.  This is because my normal computer had a hardware issue and is away being repaired.  Here are some thoughts:

 

1) It is a huge plus that everything I synced on the other computer is here in the web app.  Actually a lifesaver; Evernote has already become so integral to my daily work I would grid to a stop without it.

2) For the most part the beta Web app is OK; my main functions are clipping content I'm researching into notes.  Since that is really based on the web clipper, there has been no change in user experience in that regard.

3) I have run into a major snag with the multi-select not working.  My main use model for that is to add tags to multiple items.  I also sometimes move multiple items.  It is crippling to have to do everything note by note.

4) I have many feeds and alerts coming into Evernote.  That is all working fine in the web beta.

5) So far, I cannot find a way to change the layout like I can in the desktop version.  There are several annoying behaviors in the way it works in the beta.

    i) One issue is that when I'm in a notebook, and I select a note in the left list of notes, if I do something like delete the note, the list reverts back to the top of the list but the note selected is the one after the one I just deleted.  So, I then have to scroll down and find my place.

    ii) Another issue is the way that it behaves you select a notebook, but only when you select a note do you get the left list view.  I don't know why that doesn't just come up automatically.

 

Question for the folks here--if I revert to the old version, can I easily come back to beta later?

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I wanted to update in case Evernote product management is possibly reviewing these discussions.

 

As I noted earlier, I'm relatively new to Evernote.  Thus, I started out with the Windows desktop client and the latest beta of Evernote Web.  This is a great example of not knowing what you are missing.  I was limping along with the beta, but as noted I have been forced to operate ONLY in the web version for over a week now, due to computer issues.

 

I reverted back to the previous release of Evernote.  Frankly, I'm stunned.  The previous version is EXACTLY what I want.  Now I'm worried what Evernote will release.  I'm really at a loss as to what to say.  I think there are many similar comments, to the effect that the beta appears to be designed for mobile/small screen.  However, the current iPhone app is better then the beta web release.  I have seen this kind of thing before--the Microsoft rollout of Windows 8.  That created a backlash; they updated to 8.1 so you could start to desktop, and I have painstakingly figured out all the work-arounds to make Windows 8.1 as close to Windows 7 as possible.

 

Anyway, I cannot believe Evernote is considering pushing anything like the beta to release.

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Why change a near perfect design of original Web client. When the UI was working great for the Web interface and so clean and distinguish, why change it for worse? Is Evernote just wants to follow microsoft window 8 UI minimalist horrible design?

 

Lots of old popular companies of the past when become so successful they forget the basics and core original ways and  they change the product so much, or try to make something else that the original product intention was not there, the product become something clunky and transformed to half ass functionality and hybrid with another half ass product, and when these companies blindly trying  to change their product so many customers, users abandon them so fast like contagious disease, and they do not exist anymore. Even big company like Coke change the coke formula, customers of Coke force coke to bring back coke classic. Coke was too big to disappear unlike other companies, if it was smaller company they would be no Coca Cola today.

 

EVERNOTE DO NOT PISS OF YOUR FANS! PLEASE!

WE LOVE  EVERNOTE TOO MUCH!

 

They forget why was the reason they became so successful, because of sticking to original ideas and not changing too much. Analogy of  Porsche, they rarely change much, the Car has same body design as original Porsche, just nauce changes over the years that people rarely feel the car changed that much and the functionality is the same, they will not be shocked to sit in radically different car. Is so subtle that drives do not even notice, unlike Japanese or Korean cars that same model changes so year after year that is unrecognizable. That's why they are not Porsche!

 

The Evernote new Web Beta truly sucks and crappy, it is so horribly designed, who came up with this ***** brain damaged design, and who the hell approve the rolling this crappy Web BTA out,  and this new beta ***** has so little functionality.

 

When you compare the original superior web client  way the new crappy horrible beta web client  and putting them side to site, it's so obvious what crime has been done. I was totally surprise of stepping such giant step backwards by Evernote management in even considering to roll out such horrible design.

 

thank God Evernote gives you option to switch back, in more superior original Web way. And, I hope I never have to be force to use anything like this Beta ***** anywhere, I hope Evernote management does not change the PC client or Mac Client, please do not put these UI people power to mess up the Desktop Clients, please do not. I love evernote so much to change to this *****. Please do not do it.

 

Thank GOD most Evernote users feel the same way as I do, and I hope user community with their unified voice stops EVERNOTE to go this crappy UI direction. 

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Why change a near perfect design of original Web ways. When the UI is great for the Web so clean and nice why change it for worse? Is evernote just want to follow microsoft window 8 UI minimalist horrible design?

 

Lots of old popular companies of the past when become so successful they forget the basics and core ways and  they change the product so much, or try to make something else that the original product intention was not there, the product become something clunky and transformed to half ass functionality and hybrid with another half ass product, and when these companies blindly trying  to change their product so much customers, users abandon them so fast like contagious disease, and they do not exits anymore. Even big company like Coke change the coke formula, customers of Coke force coke to bring back coke classic. Coke was too big to disappear unlike other companies, if it was smaller company they would be no Coca Cola  anymore

 

PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!

 

EVERNOTE DO NOT PISS OFF YOUR FANS! PLEASE!

WE LOVE EVERNOTE TOO MUCH!

 

They forget why was the reason they became so successful, because of sticking to original ideas and not changing too much. Analogy of  Porsche, they rarely change much, the Car has same body design as original Porsche, just nauce changes over the years that people rarely feel the car changed that much and the functionality is the same, they will not be shocked to sit in radically different car. Is so subtle that drives do not even notice, unlike Japanese or Korean cars that same model changes so year after year that is unrecognizable. That's why they are not Porsche!

 

The Evernote new Web Beta truly sucks and crappy, it is so horribly designed, who came up with this ***** brain damaged design, and who the hell approve the rolling this crappy Web BTA out,  and this new beta ***** has so little functionality.

 

When you compare the original superior web client  way the new crappy horrible beta web client  and putting them side to site, it's so obvious what crime has been done. I was totally surprise of stepping such giant step backwards by Evernote management in even considering to roll out such horrible design.

 

thank God Evernote gives you option to switch back, in more superior original Web way. And, I hope I never have to be force to use anything like this Beta ***** anywhere, I hope Evernote management does not change the PC client or Mac Client, please do not put these UI people power to mess up the Desktop Clients, please do not. I love evernote so much to change to this *****. Please do not do it.

 

Thank GOD it looks like most Evernote users feel the same way, and I hope user community with their unified voice stops EVERNOTE to go this crappy UI direction. 

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  What's wrong with this original Web Design, it's elegant and so intuitively designed. All looks so elegant and organic, with one glance, all is elegantly categorized and organized, and we could easily find and retrieve the document in many ways, the Beta is so clunky and horrible, you have to press Notebook in order to show the categories... 

post-232693-0-03865600-1433282798_thumb.

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Thank you for all of the feedback everyone. We've taken all of this feedback into consideration and will continue to try to improve the Beta. In the meantime, we've added a quickly way to switch back and forth between the Beta without having to go to Settings. We've also added a feedback form asking folks to let us know what features they are missing from the Beta. As with the discussion forums, we read this every day and continue to take your feedback. 

 

https://discussion.evernote.com/topic/85475-web-client-beta-release-notes-652015/

 

Nancy 

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  • Level 5*

 we've added a quickly way to switch back and forth between the Beta without having to go to Settings. 

 

Thanks for finally adding this easy option to switch back.

 

Frankly, I don't understand why it was not there from day one.  I made this exact suggestion just a few days after the initial BETA release (lots of users were highly displeased but couldn't figure out how to switch back), but it has been ignored until now.

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When I logged into Evernote Web earlier today, there was a button that said a new version was available. Thinking it was a regular update, I clicked the button. To my surprise, the "upgrade" was to a beta version of Evernote Web with a horrible, unusable UI. I love Evernote and have been using the app for several years now. The existing non-beta Evernote Web has a nicely designed UI that is easy to navigate and tasks can be done very quickly. The new beta version of Evernote Web has a horrible UI; navigation (and I use this term loosely) is difficult to use, and now it's harder and takes longer to do basic tasks. Luckily there is a way to revert back to the original, well designed UI / great UX version of Evernote Web. Google Chrome is doing the same exact thing with Bookmark Manager; rolling out a new version with a horrible UI / UX. Luckily, it is possible to revert back to the old versions for both Evernote and Chrome. I said this in the Google Chrome feedback forum and I'm saying it again: "It's never ok to sacrifice usability for the sake of aesthetics." 

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  • 7 months later...

Agreed on the uselessness of the new, simplified interface.  The advantage of Evernote isn't just the note-taking, it's the navigation between notes.  Now it's a pain to organize them, I can't immediately see notebooks or favorites, and when I write a note, now I have a GIANT portion of the screen in which to do so that I really don't need.  This thread started a while ago, so I don't know if it's still accurate, but I am definitely going back to the old version of the interface.

Perhaps it depends on the device you are using, but I'm mainly sitting at a computer or laptop all day, and I use the web app as a note-taking tool that I open as a tab in Chrome.

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I agree about the navigation and organisation abilities, which were/are key to me. I'm now using Google Keep for simple note taking, Google Drive for more complex (structured) note/document management, and using Evernote primarily for its Web Clipping features. As far as I can tell, the Web Clipper is still the best there is, and I'll continue to use it for as long as that remains the case.

Clearly, Evernote wish to take Evernote Web in a different direction that may suit someone, somewhere (?!) but doesn't suit our needs so well. That's their choice, so c'est la vie!

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 months later...
  • 10 months later...
On 10/30/2014 at 1:20 PM, samama101 said:

The beta version is truly horrible. how glad I am to have discovered how to revert to the old version. I sincerely wish the Evernote team reconsider the design pattern they've embarked on. This beta version as it is no does not reflect the Evernote standard as I knew them to be.

How do you convert back?  

I am trying to decide on whether to have a look-see at the beta but i don't want it to mess up everything i have.  Good to know you can revert - can someone tell me how to do that?

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i believe you do it by clicking your initial in the bottom left (which you can only see after you change to the new version).  there is an option there to go back.

if you created an account recently, i'm not sure you can "revert".  but if you can, will someone please tell me how?  i needed a separate account for something and i dont see that option in that bottom left menu....

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To go back to the old version:

  1. Click on your avatar icon in the bottom left corner
  2. Select Account summary (should be selected by default)
  3. Find the Evernote Web section
  4. Click Go back to old version

Note that I have been an avid defender of the old version as well (see my previous post), but have come to realise that a lot of my notes became corrupted – wrong formatting, extra empty lines, and, worst of them all, all lists at just one single indentation level.

Evernote support informed me that this is a known bug of the old version, and it won't be fixed.

Reluctantly, I have moved to the new version and found myself comfortable using it now.

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On 10/3/2014 at 0:30 PM, Stuhrer said:

Go to the settings (gear wheel in the lower left corner). This brings you to your account settings. Under "Beta" you can go back to the old web interface.

Thanks you thank you thank you. The "new" interface is a HUGE STEP BACK. I hope they won't take it away!

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  • 1 year later...

Hi,

Is it still possible to revert to the old UI? Like an idiot, I accepted to give a try to the new version a few days ago but now I can't go back :x

I can't find "Beta" in my account settings, nor can I find "Account summary" when I click my avatar in the bottom left corner... This new UI is so horrible :/ It wastes space, makes it painful to switch between folders, and is even brighter than the previous UI (are we ever going to see a dark theme?)

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  • Level 5*
32 minutes ago, 127.0.0.1 said:

Is it still possible to revert to the old UI?

Account > Switch to previous version1690053426_ScreenShot2018-06-15at15_15_57.png.c0674ab270f22fc906e9bc59d7479021.png

 

 

 

 

 

Account > Settings > Account Summary > Evernote Web

1283376418_ScreenShot2018-06-15at15_19_34.png.bfdb9597aa13a0d9d6c3c0691d076fcc.png

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