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Beta Usability


foogoo

Idea

Some things I notice right away that make the beta far worse:

 

- The notebooks list hides as soon as you select one, forcing the user to have to remember buttons instead of scanning the screen. I switch notebooks and notes often, and the sidebar was so thin, it didn't hurt having it open all the time.

 

- The list of notes initially shows only FOUR notes in the beta instead of NINE in the old version, adding steps to find recent notes. This is made worse by some effect to fade in content which makes scrolling slow and choppy. Why so much padding when we're trying to scan what should be a list of titles?

 

- The beta is ignoring users' autopilot. The old version was easy to understand when you're used to the desktop app, but this beta forces you to learn where all the hidden tools are located. When you're trying to record notes, the last thing you need to juggle cognitively is what button does what. You should be able to just click a notebook.

 

- The button to pop out notes has been replaced with a fullscreen button. Why aren't we allowed to have multiple notes open side by side now? I always need to reference other notes, and the existence of note links shows that Evernote used to understand this.

 

- The tour forces you to start typing a new note? Shouldn't it be showing you all the hidden interface elements first

 

 

This is a huge step backwards for me, and I'm very disappointed in Evernote right now. It feels like Evernote is trying to keep up with tablet design trends at the expense of usability. Just please don't cripple the desktop apps like this.

 

 

Also, something that doesn't work in either web version: Mac/iOS Emoji is converted into squares. I use Emoji for color coding notebooks and it's being intentionally stripped out for some reason?

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4 replies to this idea

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The biggest annoyance for me is starting the app with a blank note and everything else hidden behind icons. This is backwards for about 90% of the scenarios that lead me to the web client.

 

The new interface is cool ... when you want it. The minimal design should be available via a "distraction free" mode switch. On demand, not by default ;)

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I agree with both of you guys.

 

My main annoyances/issues with web beta:

  1. Like the OP, I am constantly switching between notebooks and scanning for items.  Having the list automatically disappear on me after a selection is driving me insane.  Suggestion:  Have an arrow on the upper/lower portion of the lists that allow you to minimize that sidebar, instead of automatically having the list disappear.
  2. While viewing notes, there is so much padding applied that you can still only see a few notes on a high resolution monitor.  As with the desktop apps and the old web version, there needs to be a way to select view options (snippet, list, etc.).  If we want a list of just note titles, we should have that functionality returned. (maybe I'm just overlooking this in the beta somewhere?)
  3. As with David, I pull up notes for reference on probably a 20:1 ratio of creating new notes.  Suggestion: Either have the option to select a default view on log in (new note or note/notebook list), or have a notes sidebar open on login as well.

With some exceptions, I generally like the overall look of the beta, but it's completely useless to look pretty if half of the quick access functionality is removed.  Design is usually crucial, but for a service like Evernote, functionality needs to take more of the lead.  I try beta for about 5 minutes every week before I flip out and go back to old layout.

 

In my limited time with Evernote, it seems like they are good at listening to users' feedback, so maybe these options could still be coming in future updates.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

Take care,

Mike

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