Evernote Mac 6.0 . . . HATE the new interface!

[Bonwit 14]

Long time Premium user. Just upgraded to 6.0 and was greeted with one of the most horrible interfaces I've seen in a long time. Shades of gray? Really? I hope you listen to your paying customers and offer some options to tone down this abomination. 

[chirmer 567]

I actually think the app looks "nice".  That isn't the point.  The point is that tired and old eyes cannot deal with the low contrast.  It is just TOO BLOODY DIFFICULT TO READ, A BIT LIKE LOOKING AT CAPS ALL DAY.

 

It's very difficult to read the different sections / columns in the app.

Under different light conditions the entire background fades into one.

 

Have a look at Slack to work out how to present different classes/levels of information in one window.  EN windows now look like a single messy document.

I don't find Slack to be a good example of good contrast. I use it daily, and it suffers the same flaws as EN 5 - sure, the sidebar is dark with light text on it... but it's dark purple with light purple text. That is the textbook definition of low-contrast. Yeah, the sidebar stands out from the content, but it suffers poor legibility due to the low contrast text. Also, the rest of the interface is flat white. There's zero background contrast between the chat content and the little sidebar you can pull out. To me, this is worse than Evernote 6's supposed issues.

 

I get that Evernote is bright now. But so is Google. So is this forum. So is a LOT of the internet. I guess I just don't see the difference. At least the sidebar text is crisply legible now, as opposed to light grey text on a dark grey background. Due to the reduction of textures and color in EN 6, your eyes can focus more on the content of the notes - especially the titles. Card view is so much better I could cry. EN 6 is very, very much an improvement on text legibility. I find it incredibly easier to use and navigate.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

@chrimer:  So what app would you set as an example of great UI design with great readability and contrast running on Yosemite?

[bluedaze 0]

 

@greenprell

 

Are all the people complaining using Windows? In OS X Evernote 6 looks great. The new version feels more integrated into the OS; it's much less the "big green elephant" in the room.

 

The layout of the app has changed very little. If you don't like the color gray then I guess that's a personal choice, but it's hard for me to believe someone who says they're going to ditch the app completely over a palette change.

 

The complaints are about the Mac Interface. I use both Mac and Windows and have no problems with the EN Windows, nor have I heard of any dissatisfaction from anyone else.

There was a HUGE uproar when Windows EN 5 came out about its lack of contrast, too. And Mac EN 5's design was hated when it came out too. If you search the forums you should be able to pull it all up easily. 

 

I had this multi-paragraph post written in response, but deleted it. Essentially it boiled down to this:

• Give the app a shot. Instead of opening it once, hating the design, and downgrading - use the app for a week or two. Give it a fair trial like anything else in life. Take notes on what you like/dislike. If at the end of your trial period you still dislike it, at least you'll be clearer on why, as opposed to a knee-jerk reaction (which we all have and is perfectly human and okay - just not very enlightening).
• If you still dislike it, post constructive feedback on why. What specific aspects don't you like? Is there a reason besides asthetics? "This app is so ugly!" is not helpful feedback. "The developers are idiots!" is not helpful feedback. "I find the note list hard to read because the alternating grey background behind notes is a bit pale on monitors calibrated for photography" is helpful feedback.

 

 

I actually think the app looks "nice".  That isn't the point.  The point is that tired and old eyes cannot deal with the low contrast.  It is just TOO BLOODY DIFFICULT TO READ, A BIT LIKE LOOKING AT CAPS ALL DAY.

 

It's very difficult to read the different sections / columns in the app.

Under different light conditions the entire background fades into one.

 

Have a look at Slack to work out how to present different classes/levels of information in one window.  EN windows now look like a single messy document.

[bluedaze 0]

Long time Premium user. Just upgraded to 6.0 and was greeted with one of the most horrible interfaces I've seen in a long time. Shades of gray? Really? I hope you listen to your paying customers and offer some options to tone down this abomination. 

 

Am also a long time Premium user.

 

Having unwittingly updated to version 6, all I can assume is that Evernote doesn't do proper user testing (or alternatively they don't test any users over 30!).

 

Clean interfaces are great, but the lack of contrast makes EN almost unusable.

 

Please guys - this is a product, not an art work.  Get rid of the artists and hire some proper UX/UI people who do adequate testing and listen to users.

 

If this doesn't change I'll have to look at alternatives.

[SMX-CT 13]

I HATE THE NEW INTERFACE but…SUCCESFUL DOWNGRADE!!!!! 

 

Couldn't be happier. (never thought I'd say that about software)

 

Here are the steps.

https://discussion.evernote.com/topic/77444-how-to-completely-remove-and-reinstall-en-mac/?p=325931

 

 

Also make sure to download and use App Cleaner to get rid of all the files before reinstalling the old Evernote. I didn't even need to use my back up - it synced all the information once i logged in.

[chirmer 567]

@greenprell

 

Are all the people complaining using Windows? In OS X Evernote 6 looks great. The new version feels more integrated into the OS; it's much less the "big green elephant" in the room.

 

The layout of the app has changed very little. If you don't like the color gray then I guess that's a personal choice, but it's hard for me to believe someone who says they're going to ditch the app completely over a palette change.

 

The complaints are about the Mac Interface. I use both Mac and Windows and have no problems with the EN Windows, nor have I heard of any dissatisfaction from anyone else.

There was a HUGE uproar when Windows EN 5 came out about its lack of contrast, too. And Mac EN 5's design was hated when it came out too. If you search the forums you should be able to pull it all up easily. 

 

I had this multi-paragraph post written in response, but deleted it. Essentially it boiled down to this:

• Give the app a shot. Instead of opening it once, hating the design, and downgrading - use the app for a week or two. Give it a fair trial like anything else in life. Take notes on what you like/dislike. If at the end of your trial period you still dislike it, at least you'll be clearer on why, as opposed to a knee-jerk reaction (which we all have and is perfectly human and okay - just not very enlightening).
• If you still dislike it, post constructive feedback on why. What specific aspects don't you like? Is there a reason besides asthetics? "This app is so ugly!" is not helpful feedback. "The developers are idiots!" is not helpful feedback. "I find the note list hard to read because the alternating grey background behind notes is a bit pale on monitors calibrated for photography" is helpful feedback.

[Garden of Bytes 12]

@greenprell

 

Are all the people complaining using Windows? In OS X Evernote 6 looks great. The new version feels more integrated into the OS; it's much less the "big green elephant" in the room.

 

The layout of the app has changed very little. If you don't like the color gray then I guess that's a personal choice, but it's hard for me to believe someone who says they're going to ditch the app completely over a palette change.

 

The complaints are about the Mac Interface. I use both Mac and Windows and have no problems with the EN Windows, nor have I heard of any dissatisfaction from anyone else.

 

Evernote has simplified the Mac layout very much from the prior versions, presenting a cleaner interface. As I understand, their goal is to create a more distraction-free environment. To that end, I applaud them. However, I feel they went too far. Completely eliminating any color, including their signature green, makes it harder for most people to visually organize and see what they have, in addition to eliminating a powerful branding tool. I believe the reason for this is to make the EN interface more compatible with Yosemite's transparency function. but if you have transparency turned off, don't like the effect, or have an earlier OS, that purpose is moot. We don't need to return to a skeuomorphic or "big green elephant" paradigm; all the EN design team needs to do is align the new Mac design more with the Windows, iOS, and Android interfaces, which would also create continuity among platforms. Continuity is important for me because I work in different platforms, and hence need a cloud based information system like Evernote.

 

I will not be switching to another information capture/sharing program - Evernote's functionality, including the large number of tools such as Web Clipper and the tight integration with 3rd party software make it a winner for me. One Note, etc. doesn't even come close. I've made my points clear here on this forum and to the EN support team (who were encouraging and positive) and will continue to do so. I have faith in Evernote's desire to make a superior product.

[greenprell 2]

Are all the people complaining using Windows? In OS X Evernote 6 looks great. The new version feels more integrated into the OS; it's much less the "big green elephant" in the room.

 

The layout of the app has changed very little. If you don't like the color gray then I guess that's a personal choice, but it's hard for me to believe someone who says they're going to ditch the app completely over a palette change.

[Jackk 1]

I understand progress and application improvements but this is about ten steps backwards for the sake of style and something new. I have been fighting my colleagues  for some time all of whom use OneNote. The release of OneNote for Mac has made it even more difficult but I have held on to EN until now. Unless there is some way to go revert back to V5, I am sadly done with EN. 

[hatamoto1961 9]

If you're looking for a basic alternative, take a look at NoteSuite. It's not as powerful as Evernote, but it's cheap and efficient. With all the problems I've had with Evernote since the upgrade, I'm gradually removing it from my workflow, and moving all my notes over to other, more stable, formats. Sad, really. 

[jonzinator 5]

I wanted to add my dislike vote of the new interface.

I feel that a company that cares about its users would at least give the simple option to change a few interface options.  They offer 3 styles on the iPhone why not on the desktop at least?

 

I'm a professional photographer and having a properly light room and calibrated monitor at the proper brightness is imperative. When I need to access EN the brightness is terrible on the eyes. 

 

A simple beta program and real world testing might have been a good idea here or perhaps in the future.

 

Please listen to your loyal user base EN. Just give us the option to adjust background, text color and styles to our own personal user styles. Nothing would make EN better than being able to actually use the product comfortably.

 

Troy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[NightStalker 407]

Just a thought that occurred to me, as I was doing some work in Photoshop - my monitor is calibrated for colour balance etc, to do photographic work. I wonder if those who are saying that they LIKE the new Evernote interface are working on non-calibrated monitors, or have their brightness/contrast adjusted differently, so what they see may not be the same as others see on calibrated monitors?

 

That may not be a significant difference, but was just a thought I had as I was adjusting the exposure values on a photo in Photoshop, and noticed that the photo itself was being adjusted as I rode the slider, but the background - the main Mac desktop and the Photoshop toolbars etc, obviously were not being changed.

[BarbR77 5]

I understand the design theory behind simpler, cleaner interfaces and the need to update to match Yosemite, but with EN Mac 6, Evernote has taken the minimalist stance too far. My greatest complaint is lack of color. Evernote designers, please consider the following:

 

1. Pay attention to brand recognition! Not a spot of green is to be seen. No little green elephant icon in the top left. No light green background at the left. Green elephants and the color green are Evernote's brand signatures. You don't go changing and/or eliminating basic branding. Marketing 101, folks.

 

2. Respect user needs for visual cues. Humanity evolved for thousands and thousands of years in color rich/color variable environments: blue skies, green vistas, the tan hide of a deer, the bright yellow of a field of daffodils . . . We are wired to respond to color around us to help us organize, process, and filter information. Just because we are hunting information on the Internet instead of big game in the field hasn't changed our visual relationship to color. Creating a bland, gray, colorless interface increases confusion. Evernote has 2 basic colors: green and gray. Alot can be done with color using variations on the theme, as in prior versions: dark green, bright green, light green, light gray, dark gray. You can add one other color such as bright blue, to highlight certain things, without creating confusion by the use of too much color. Right now, it is much harder for me to tell business from personal notebooks and navigate other aspects of the interface. Color is a language. Use it.

 

3. Don't ignore aesthetics and emotion I use Evernote to help me process and manage information - a largely mental experience. However, we all have an emotional component which responds, among other things, to color. Look at the billions of dollars spent each year on products and advertising that employs color. Practically the entire marketing world! And, historically, Mac users are more visually oriented [reference needed here, but I'm confident that's correct] Creating a dull, colorless environment for EN Mac is counterintuitive and counterproductive and for me at least, creates a subtle emotional drain upon my experience of the program.

Well said!!!

[nivaun 16]

Update on reinstalling earlier version: procedure didn't work (for my client.) We found and deleted the data file on his Mac and reinstalled 5.7, but we received the same error message. How could this be? Client has most recent EN on PC and tablet - could the web file been upgraded, rendering 5.7 useless?

 

Can someone refer me to current information about how Evernote updates its data files to work with different numbered versions? Specifically, if a user has EN on several platforms, and opts out of automatic updating on all of them, will they not be able to access their data when new versions come out?

 

techyjon posted this earlier in this topic and worked great for me. https://discussion.evernote.com/topic/77444-how-to-completely-remove-and-reinstall-en-mac/?p=325931

[Mr. Rod 2]

I also have to add how buggy the new UI is. It really looks like an unfinished product.

 

https://agentsupport.evernote.com/attachments/token/MuQQ0Mr2gAcy0JIDApxIkqjpb/?name=evernote-bug.png

[Garden of Bytes 12]

Update on reinstalling earlier version: procedure didn't work (for my client.) We found and deleted the data file on his Mac and reinstalled 5.7, but we received the same error message. How could this be? Client has most recent EN on PC and tablet - could the web file been upgraded, rendering 5.7 useless?

 

Can someone refer me to current information about how Evernote updates its data files to work with different numbered versions? Specifically, if a user has EN on several platforms, and opts out of automatic updating on all of them, will they not be able to access their data when new versions come out?

[Garden of Bytes 12]

Thanks for the correction, nivaun. 

[nivaun 16]

An earlier poster mentioned going back to a previous version after having installed 6.0.x. This is not possible. You will receive an error message that the current data file does not work with the newest version.

 

I was able to go back to 5.7.2 from 6.0. Just have to delete all Evernote files from the Library so it will think its a new install.

[Garden of Bytes 12]

Correction - the message you will receive (if you try to go back to a prior version) is that your local Evernote data is being managed by a newer version of Evernote and to please use the latest version. 

[Garden of Bytes 12]

An earlier poster mentioned going back to a previous version after having installed 6.0.x. This is not possible. You will receive an error message that the current data file does not work with the newest version.

[Bonwit 14]

I just downloaded 6.0.3 that is supposed to fix these interface issues we're all complaining about. I'm sorry, I can't see any improvement. It's still awful! It seems to me that Evernote users on the Mac are almost universally upset over this change. Why won't Evernote admit they screwed up and fix this!

[Garden of Bytes 12]

I understand the design theory behind simpler, cleaner interfaces and the need to update to match Yosemite, but with EN Mac 6, Evernote has taken the minimalist stance too far. My greatest complaint is lack of color. Evernote designers, please consider the following:

 

1. Pay attention to brand recognition! Not a spot of green is to be seen. No little green elephant icon in the top left. No light green background at the left. Green elephants and the color green are Evernote's brand signatures. You don't go changing and/or eliminating basic branding. Marketing 101, folks.

 

2. Respect user needs for visual cues. Humanity evolved for thousands and thousands of years in color rich/color variable environments: blue skies, green vistas, the tan hide of a deer, the bright yellow of a field of daffodils . . . We are wired to respond to color around us to help us organize, process, and filter information. Just because we are hunting information on the Internet instead of big game in the field hasn't changed our visual relationship to color. Creating a bland, gray, colorless interface increases confusion. Evernote has 2 basic colors: green and gray. Alot can be done with color using variations on the theme, as in prior versions: dark green, bright green, light green, light gray, dark gray. You can add one other color such as bright blue, to highlight certain things, without creating confusion by the use of too much color. Right now, it is much harder for me to tell business from personal notebooks and navigate other aspects of the interface. Color is a language. Use it.

 

3. Don't ignore aesthetics and emotion I use Evernote to help me process and manage information - a largely mental experience. However, we all have an emotional component which responds, among other things, to color. Look at the billions of dollars spent each year on products and advertising that employs color. Practically the entire marketing world! And, historically, Mac users are more visually oriented [reference needed here, but I'm confident that's correct] Creating a dull, colorless environment for EN Mac is counterintuitive and counterproductive and for me at least, creates a subtle emotional drain upon my experience of the program.

[JLeeH 4]

The new interface is utterly awful!  It is hard to read both in layout and color scheme.  

 

In the tool bar, the icons are so tiny and thin, and gray on gray, making them annoying and difficult to see.  The notebooks, which used to be an easy to see color, are now hard-on-the-eyes gray on gray...horribly ugly on top of being hard on the eyes.  Everything on the left column is gray on gray...hard to see.  There is not enough contrast in the notes area either.

 

What is the deal with making everything harder and harder to see?  What is the deal with increasing eye strain?  What is the deal with removing all color?  Remember how Mac people used to hate how dull and gray Windows was?  I'm one of those Mac people.  The weird thing is that now all the Mac programs are going to this hideous, dull, and hard to read design.

 

Please stop the madness.  Bring back colors, contrast, and stop with the squiggly pencil line icons.  It's awful.

[BobG 0]

The Evernote 6.0.2 interface is TERRIBLE! The design appearance is weak and difficult to read. I've been a paying user of Evernote for a number of years, and this is the worst design I've ever seen. Evernote has been a wonderful piece of software, but no more. Please bring back something more readable with more contrast instead of grayed out, washed out symbols and text. This is just terrible!

 

 

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

Can anyone tell me how to revert back to a previous version? I believe I was on 6.0.9 before upgrading a few days ago to 6.0.11. I hate the new design, plus there bugs that are seriously disrupting my workflow. I was happy with the previous version. If anyone can tell me how to do this, I would appreciate it. I'm on a Macbook Pro.

 

Mountain Girl,

 

The big change in UI came with Ver 6.0 (maybe 6.0.1), so if you really hate the UI design so much that you want to revert to the previous design, you will probably need to go back to Ver 5.5.2.

 

I too don't really like the V6 UI design, but after having used it for a couple of months now it doesn't seem so bad.  I still don't like it, I just don't notice it as much.

I guess it's like walking into a room with a bad smell -- at first it overwhelms you, but then you sort of get used to it.

 

There are many new features and bug fixes made since Ver 5.5.2.  Of course, there are a few new bugs as well.

But, on the whole, I have to say that I prefer Ver 6.0.12/6.0.13.

 

I'm sorry to hear about your problems with copy/paste from EN Mac to Mac Mail.  I can see how that would be most disrupting.

I suggest that you report that as a bug.  (see below).

 

I don't use Mac Mail, I use Outlook 2011, and copy/paste works very well.  Copy/Paste into Word also works well for me.

So, as a work-around, maybe you could copy from Evernote into another app first, like Word or Pages, then copy from there to paste into Mac Mail.

I know that is a PITA, but maybe it will make do until Evernote can make a fix.  

You could also automate this process with AppleScript or Keyboard Maestro if you do it a lot.

 

If you decide to go back to Ver 5.5.2, see:

See How to Completely Remove and Reinstall EN Mac

 

Submit a BUG report via an EN Support Ticket. In the Support Form, select "Report a bug", and start the Ticket Title with "BUG:  " to make it clear.  Reporting a bug should be available to all users, including Free Account owners.  Other Ticket types available to Free users are "Data Loss", "Crash", & "Sync Issue".

 

I wish you the best of luck in whatever decision you make.

Please let us know how it works out.

[MountainGirl22 2]

Can anyone tell me how to revert back to a previous version? I believe I was on 6.0.9 before upgrading a few days ago to 6.0.11. I hate the new design, plus there bugs that are seriously disrupting my workflow. I was happy with the previous version. If anyone can tell me how to do this, I would appreciate it. I'm on a Macbook Pro.

[MountainGirl22 2]

Discovering more problems with version 6.0.11. I use Evernote to take client notes. I used to be able to copy and paste my notes directly from Evernote into an email (Mac Mail) and it would work perfectly. Now the formatting is all messed up, bulleted lists in particular. I'm really disappointed... I've recommended Evernote to so many people. I really hope these design and functionality issues get fixed soon.

[MountainGirl22 2]

I thought something had gone horribly wrong when I just updated to version 6.0.11 on the Mac. It's so god awful ugly I thought the interface must surely still be loading... but no. Apparently someone thought this was ready for prime time. IMO it looks like a sketch, not a finished product. Please fix asap, Evernote. My favorite app just became unbearable to look at. This is taking simple design too far.

[ScottLougheed 1,316]

 

Cons:

• Could use more contrast between note body background and note info background for sure (even a 1px stroke of darker grey around note content would help)
• Lack of line/signifier between note title and note content in preview pane is still (after all this time) disconcerting and feels just plain weird.
• Some font sizes could be larger throughout (but this is a very dangerous game as space is at a premium)
• No customizable toolbars
• Transparent sidebar a problem for some (OSX problem as a whole; milder wallpaper choice or turning off transparency are effective workarounds, but workarounds all the same)
• No green.

Just a quick note: The toolbar is now editable (though you can't add anything beyond what's in the default set, you can remove as much as you'd like). 

[chirmer 567]

Too many people - myself included - find it totally washed out, with so little contrast between text and background that it's often hard to read.

 

Yet Evernote has done a good job on the Windows and Web interface and a spectacular job on the Android interface [...]

 

Let's do a direct comparison and talk a bit about UI 101, because this is a myth that needs to stop. I use both interfaces regularly, and the Mac UI is infinitely more pleasant on the eye, as well as more direct in information hierarchy.

 

Windows UI

 

 

Pros:

• Clean, for the most part
• Utilizes space well
• Customizable toolbars
• Decent contrast between note body background (white) and note info background (grey) in preview pane.

Cons:

• White white white WHITE WHITE WHITE
• Zero text hierarchy outside of Notes/Notebooks/Tags/Etc. text in sidebar. In note list, all text it the same size/weight, body text only slightly lighter than note title. In note, note title barely larger than note text size (I had to increase my note text size because the default is too small). Weak text hierarchy in note info.
• (Not shown) Notes with PDF and no note text are illegible in the note list in Card View (black text directly on top of PDF preview with very, very pale overlay. Can't read anything.)
• Sidebar doesn't signify nested items unless you hover over them.
• No green.

 

 

Mac UI (photo from Michael Hyatt's website)

 

 

Pros:

• Clean
• Uses space well
• Contrast between sidebar and note list
• Bold, contrasting note titles in note list
• Clear hierarchy in note list in general - eyes clearly see titles as separate from note content, dates are bright and stand out, and body text contrasts nicely with all other info. Clear, well-organized hierarchy.
• (Not shown) Clear hierarchy in sidebar. Text stands out with icons faded, which is good prioritizing. Can easily tell sidebar titles from sidebar text.
• (Not shown) Hierarchical items in sidebar always signified with marker beside top-level item. 
• Clear contrast between buttons/background in toolbar at top of application.
• Links clear in note body (bright blue)
• Note title much larger than note body (good hierarchy)
• Note info treated as secondary to note content (good hierarchy and contrast) by use of paler grey, blue.

Cons:

• Could use more contrast between note body background and note info background for sure (even a 1px stroke of darker grey around note content would help)
• Lack of line/signifier between note title and note content in preview pane is still (after all this time) disconcerting and feels just plain weird.
• Some font sizes could be larger throughout (but this is a very dangerous game as space is at a premium)
• No customizable toolbars
• Transparent sidebar a problem for some (OSX problem as a whole; milder wallpaper choice or turning off transparency are effective workarounds, but workarounds all the same)
• No green.

 

In summary:

 

They both have pros and cons. They both have things that could be better. But there's no way anyone can claim the Windows version deals with contrast/hierarchy better than the OSX version. It's just not true. Aesthetics aside, it's pretty much factually true that it's much easier to skim note titles in the note list, tell apart note title/date/info in note list, and use the sidebar effectively in the OSX version versus Windows. I get that y'all don't like stuff on the OSX client, but to claim the Windows version is fine makes me struggle to believe what you say about anything. It's clear as day in the screenshots!

 

Also, I don't think we need to address every person who likes the new design like they need to see the light or meet in a compromise. Some people just flat-out like the new design - myself included. You will never convince me the old design was better - I struggled with it because it was too many colors, too much going on - and that's not even including note previews! The new UI is clean and brings your content to the forefront. That's good design - even if there might be some tweaks to make it better and room for improvement. We all just need to accept that the design isn't going anywhere, a lot of people seem to like it just fine (or are tolerant enough of it that of 100m+ users, only a score or so pages on the forums have complaints and many prominent users praise it), and focus on the little things that can make it even better, so that it's the best tool for everyone.

[Gizmo99 12]

....... Too many people - myself included - find it totally washed out, with so little contrast between text and background that it's often hard to read. Legibility shouldn't be optional.......

 

Hit the nail on the head.  I find the lack of contrast makes using a Mac for any length of time tiring with the strain of trying to read text which has too little contrast. It's not just EN but some of the other apps that I use daily are adopting the washed out look.  In fact it's had such an effect that it's made me keep an eye on what MS are up to with Win 10.  Unless the next iteration of OSX makes some attempt at improving usability and legibility then I can see me making the switch.  Can't say I really want to since I've been a Unix person from way back, but Apple have really dropped the ball this time.

 

Sad, especially since usability has been their USP from the very early days.

 

[Garden of Bytes 12]

Kwatah, I think there's room for a middle ground here. I understand your prior difficulties with an interface that felt too extreme. There were previously strong contrasts of green, white, brown, in the OSX EN interface etc that did seem harsh or dark to some people. I loved it, but no style is everyone's cup o' joe. However, the current design has gone too far the other way. Too many people - myself included - find it totally washed out, with so little contrast between text and background that it's often hard to read. Legibility shouldn't be optional. Also, there is no green whatesoever, not even a single little green elephant. Tossing out your main identifying colors is a marketing mistake. 

 

Yet Evernote has done a good job on the Windows and Web interface and a spectacular job on the Android interface - haven't seen the iPhone interface lately. So Evernote does know how to design an interface that is gentle on the eyes yet legible and visually captivating. Does Evernote employ the same design team for Windows, Android, OSx and iOX? If not, do the teams compare notes? They should.

[Kwatah 0]

I quit Evernote a couple of years ago, because of the colors. It was too harsh, and there was no way to change it, or get rid of the green. I heard there was a change, so I installed Evernote 6 for OSX and am very pleased. 

[magdalen 3]

+1  New interface is F-ing ugly

[Mr. Rod 2]

Why not just simply use the UI from the Android/iOS versions in the desktop client? It's infinitely better and still has a simpler UI but with actual contrast, distinguible separation of each section, and of course the signature green. The current UI introduced in version 6 is terribly dull, counter-productive and a step backwards in functionality and design.

[wonderwombat 1]

I really , Really, REALLY,  don't like the new design of 6.0.5. Seriously, it may look cool, slick or other jargon that a creator love, but it misses all the essential : Clarity that allow quick vision of the notebooks.   It is not user friendly at all.

The new colour scheme, light grey text on a dark grey background, is so bad that each time the eyes need to adjust few seconds !!!  I am sorry, Evernote, this time you went backward by a mile !  I don't understand how you succeed to make such an obvious mistake. 

[Mr. Rod 2]

I just got the 6.0.5 update which claims to have upped the contrast and fixed the sidebar icons. It looks almost the same as previous updates to me. What the hell?

[ipl31 0]

So I just opened evernote for the first time since upgrading (on OSX). Very frustrated. I click on the body of the active note and can't type anything?? Is this for real? I have to tab through the note to actually start taking notes. Am I missing something? 

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

If you want to downgrade, See How to Completely Remove and Reinstall EN Mac 

 

 

Couldn't agree more- can anyone who has figured out how to downgrade share with us so we can go back to a usable and not hideous interface? Thanks!

[jojobopp 0]

Couldn't agree more- can anyone who has figured out how to downgrade share with us so we can go back to a usable and not hideous interface? Thanks!

[iliaspn 0]

Premium user - since Oct'2010

first time ever downgrading any kind of software

took me a whole weekend to sync my notes

still syncing after 48+ hours - not even close to a successful downgrade.

Congrats guys for the Evernote 6 update !

[STRO 0]

I'm a Windows and Mac Evernote Premium user. Up to Mac 5, I prefered the EN Mac UI, and always waiting for an improvement of the EN Windows UI. You have done the opposite. EN Mac 6 UI is now even worst than the Windows one. Like many other users, for the first time, I'm disappointed with EN. If you want to offer a "Yosemite " UI, at least, let us the option to still use the version 5 UI, available. It would be nice to have the EN Mac 5 UI style in Windows too. The UI is the first thing that a new user sees. A bad UI will not encourage him to go further and take advantage of all functionality. There is others Note applications around there, even if they are not so "powerful" as EN, their UI are now much more user friendly. it took me some time to integrate EN in my daily tasks and If I were a new user today, looking for a note application, I'm not sure I'll go for EN. Just because the Mac 6 UI will not encourage me to use it.

[Garden of Bytes 12]

Talking about other interfaces that do it right - we need look no further than Evernote itself.  The iOS and Android newest versions of Evernote are great - I have a Samsung and just upgraded to version 6 for Android. The functionality is awesome and the interface is beautiful, simple, clear, and easy to read:

 

http://blog.evernote.com/blog/2014/09/04/new-evernote-6-android/

 

Contrast the visual qualities of the Android and Mac interface:

 

Top Menu Bar:

Android: Bright green, with signature elephant icon - when you click on a new level (note, notebook, etc,) the icon changes to give you clear, bright visual cues

Mac: Gray, no elephant in sight

Side Bar

Android: clear black on white icons that turn green when you click then

Mac: gray icons that turn blue when you click on them (blue??)

Functionality Icons (note formating, attach, audio, camera, etc.)

Android: Beautiful, elegant green icons that pop out upon clicking the green + icon (the "floating" new note button)

Mac: Dull, very faint, hard to see icons at top of new note - very light gray upon gray

 

Yes, the new Mac design is simpler and not so distracting. Yes, it's lighter. Fine. But the EN Mac team needs to take a trip down the hallway and look at what the Android and iOS teams are doing. Mac users are traditionally more visually oriented - I'd like EN to remember that and judiciously add color to the current interface - Yosemite transparency doesn't count. 

[carey 0]

I just downloaded 6.0.3 that is supposed to fix these interface issues we're all complaining about. I'm sorry, I can't see any improvement. It's still awful! It seems to me that Evernote users on the Mac are almost universally upset over this change. Why won't Evernote admit they screwed up and fix this!

 

I'm also still seeing issues in the 'fixed' version. Upgraded to 6.0.3 on Yosemite and some notes are now completely uneditable (typing in the note has no action). In other notes, I can see content in the preview card but the note opens completely blank. 

[bluedaze 0]

 

I actually think the app looks "nice".  That isn't the point.  The point is that tired and old eyes cannot deal with the low contrast.  It is just TOO BLOODY DIFFICULT TO READ, A BIT LIKE LOOKING AT CAPS ALL DAY.

 

It's very difficult to read the different sections / columns in the app.

Under different light conditions the entire background fades into one.

 

Have a look at Slack to work out how to present different classes/levels of information in one window.  EN windows now look like a single messy document.

I don't find Slack to be a good example of good contrast. I use it daily, and it suffers the same flaws as EN 5 - sure, the sidebar is dark with light text on it... but it's dark purple with light purple text. That is the textbook definition of low-contrast. Yeah, the sidebar stands out from the content, but it suffers poor legibility due to the low contrast text. Also, the rest of the interface is flat white. There's zero background contrast between the chat content and the little sidebar you can pull out. To me, this is worse than Evernote 6's supposed issues.

 

I get that Evernote is bright now. But so is Google. So is this forum. So is a LOT of the internet. I guess I just don't see the difference. At least the sidebar text is crisply legible now, as opposed to light grey text on a dark grey background. Due to the reduction of textures and color in EN 6, your eyes can focus more on the content of the notes - especially the titles. Card view is so much better I could cry. EN 6 is very, very much an improvement on text legibility. I find it incredibly easier to use and navigate.

 

 

I would guess from your comments that you probably have ( a ) good vision and ( b ) young eyes...having neither of those the lack of contrast is painful.

 

In any event, rather than spend all this time on making Evernote look like an extension of Yosemite, perhaps the team could have more usefully developed options that allowed users to tweak the colour schemes.

[xkanuk 3]

Also, when you move a note to another notebook, it still shows up in a Saved Search List (which it now shouldn't). Rerunning the Saved Search does not update the results, I have to run a different search and then run my intended search. Then and only then does the result list show the updated results.  Bug submitted, but it looks like it will be in a long queue of others. *sigh*

[techyjon 4]

update.. had my first EN data loss and also first EN crashes yesterday. also had the same problem as others where the note content window is blank for all notes.

 

it really felt like I was using a very buggy piece of software. not the experience I am used to or expect.

 

this together with the applescript problem I have mentioned in another thread means I am looking into downgrading. 

 

 

just did the downgrade. https://discussion.evernote.com/topic/77444-how-to-completely-remove-and-reinstall-en-mac/?p=325931

 

much happier now. 

 

To anyone working at EN reading this.. I have to say that in 20 years of being a techie this is the first time I have ever had to downgrade after upgrading a piece of software (not beta). The design changes aside. I have never seen so many major (stability, data loss etc) problems in a new release of any software. I hope you have a good look at your testing and release processes.

[BarbR77 5]

I HATE, HATE the new Evernote for Mac.  I have been a Premium user for years and just this weekend I was thanking goodness that I had at least one app that was perfect and made my life easier. In fact, Evernote is indispensable and I have years of data.  I depend on it.  It is now virtually unusable.  It is absolutely ghastly for all the reasons others are mentioning above.  Horrid interface with no contrast, light type, no more discrete columns.  Also, any webpage or article that I have clipped in now not viewable in its entirety.  You have to scroll back and forth to read the note. How can I downgrade to 5? 

[nivaun 16]

I just received this from support. It's about the deleted title issue.

 

"Thanks for reporting this bug. This one was found late last week and has been reported as fixed in version 6.0.2. This version isn't out just yet, but it's the next release for Mac. Please let me know if you still see this issue in 6.0.2."

[Cos 0]

What happen with the upgrades .... looks like they are not thinking. I just upgrade and EVERYTHING is a mess.

Loose a couple of notes. Cannot get them back. There is no undo to recover.

WHAT'S GOING ON.

I need my notes back.

It use to be a great app. Now is a shred machine.

[Gizmo99 12]

.....this together with the applescript problem I have mentioned in another thread means I am looking into downgrading. 

 

I've tried downgrading but I think there must be some underlying database changes which make it impossible.  I tried and got a message to the effect that the database was now controlled by a different version (=v6) so either I missed something, or V6 sets a flag on EN's server that makes it impossible to downgrade.

 

EDIT:  Well after a lot of faffing about I've manage to downgrade to Mac version 5.7.2 which I think was the last one prior to V6.  So far all seems good.  I'll wait and see whether the Evernote team come up with any customisations to improve the UI in V6.  Getting into EN is easy, getting your stuff out is something else.

[techyjon 4]

update.. had my first EN data loss and also first EN crashes yesterday. also had the same problem as others where the note content window is blank for all notes.

 

it really felt like I was using a very buggy piece of software. not the experience I am used to or expect.

 

this together with the applescript problem I have mentioned in another thread means I am looking into downgrading. 

[Gizmo99 12]

 I can work easily with Evernote AND Yosemite TOGETHER! If you do not like the new OS X Design, downgrade to Mavericks. It is a logical consequence that app developer will fit their apps to the new look and feel of Yosemite ...

 

Personally I dislike Yosemite with a passion.  Lack of contrast and poor font choice, make it unusable for me except for short periods.  I downgraded back to Mavericks.

 

The app developer will fit their apps to the new look and feel, but that doesn't preclude them providing customisable options; different font/size, background, etc even if the range of options is limited.  The developer does need to consider those who have less than 20/20 vision.

 

In the case of Evernote 6 it would be good if you could downgrade to V5, but there seem to be some underlying database changes that make it impossible, unless someone knows a way of doing it on a Mac.

 

[snodgrass 6]

For all the reasons that have already been mentioned, I hate the new interface — too light... too open... no contrast... bad typography... idiotic design. Just awful.

[leboga 0]

Someone mentioned the two finger scrolling thing, I was so desperate to view my notes. This is very disappointing and mostly,time waisting.

[Killusion 5]

It is AWFUL. Words can't describe how UGLY it is when comparing to the previous version. I wish there would be some warnings ahead like the UI would change. I have to suffer this time but I don't want to feel this pain again.

[samdj615 2]

The lack of contrast is irritating.  I have my students share their notebooks with me, so I need an easy notebook view.  Though the little red tags in the corner are an improvement, why make the notebooks such a light grey?  Also the lettering is so light?  This color palette is the weirdest concept I've ever seen.  You make everything that is primary light the notebooks and font shades of grey.  The one secondary marker for "shared notebooks" is a red.  So apparently the color wheel only featured grey and red.  Please at least enable us to customise the view.

[nivaun 16]

Sorry, but why is Evernote unusable?! You overexaggerate!

 

Personally, I couldn't work with the dusty, old UI - but with the new "unusable" interface, I can work easily with Evernote AND Yosemite TOGETHER! If you do not like the new OS X Design, downgrade to Mavericks. It is a logical consequence that app developer will fit their apps to the new look and feel of Yosemite ...

 

- Deletes title and changes to "Untitled" when opening.

- Removes bullet formatting, etc

- Won't sync half my pdf files now for some reason. Keep getting an error.

- Very, very slow in loading a note.

- Too bright of a UI (yes you can turn brightness down on monitor). But for those of us that have a photographically calibrated monitor this isn't an option.

- Many other issues I'm too frustrated to mention

 

Not sure how your Evernote and Yosemite are working so great together. You're one in a million I guess. Nearly all my work on a computer incorporates Evernote. Version 6 has brought my work day to a stressful halt. 

[junkpad92 1]

Sorry, but why is Evernote unusable?! You overexaggerate!

 

Personally, I couldn't work with the dusty, old UI - but with the new "unusable" interface, I can work easily with Evernote AND Yosemite TOGETHER! If you do not like the new OS X Design, downgrade to Mavericks. It is a logical consequence that app developer will fit their apps to the new look and feel of Yosemite ...

[Variousplaces 0]

+1, titles are being replaced with Untitled and the formatting of notes is not displayed properly in EN 6 for mac. How did this pass QA? Evernote on the Mac is now unusable. Don't make the mistake and update. Hopefully someone from their customer support department reads these.

[nivaun 16]

Thanks for the warning!

After the mess of the update to Penultimate I turned off all automatic updates. I used to trust them, especially EN, but not any more.

I will continue with the older versions until they fix these poor design decisions, and if that doesn't happen look for an alternative.

 

Is there an alternative?

 

Has anyone tried Wunderlist, OneNote, Notebook?

[nivaun 16]

What I don't get why they are so proud of the update, when they failed on nearly every aspect. If they "believe that speed and stability are essential for productivity" and "Evernote is significantly faster, more reliable and consumes less energy..." Where is that speed and reliability?

 

I had to uninstall/reinstall Evernote just to see notes it wouldn't show when I upgraded. Takes a while but at least they slowing show up.

[tassiecelt 57]

Thanks for the warning!

After the mess of the update to Penultimate I turned off all automatic updates. I used to trust them, especially EN, but not any more.

I will continue with the older versions until they fix these poor design decisions, and if that doesn't happen look for an alternative.

[T.R. 5]

On my computer, the Evernote client does not retain the formatting of my notes -- check boxes and the like have disappeared.  In fact, when I open the application, I see my notes in the second column and when I click on the note itself, it takes 2 minutes for ANY text to appear, minus the check boxes.  The only time I can see my original notes with somewhat-proper formatting is by logging into Evernote.com.

 

As a designer with 35+ year old eyes, I'm beyond disappointed with this UI redesign.  I like clean, white space, but this does not give enough distinction between areas.  Not enough legibility of text.  Beyond upset that I can't obtain the content I trusted Evernote to maintain.

 

I'm tempted to go back to pen and paper notes.

[Gizmo99 12]

Looks like there's a lot of people who agree with me - the new look of Evernote 6 is awful especially on the Mac version.  I appreciate some of this is due to the unappealing Yosemite interface, but even so I'm sure different choices could have been made.

 

Frankly the lack of contrast, together with the small text size and poor choice of font in the notes list pane, render it virtually unusable for me.  I'll give it a while to see if Evernote come up with some customisations, otherwise I'm going to have to dump Evernote in favour of something else.  Shame as in its last version it was a good product and worth shelling out for the premium version.

[nivaun 16]

Evernote has sure went downhill fast, like an avalanche with this update. Guess if you're going to fail, do it big!

 

Horrid interface, deleting titles, lack of control between business and personal notebooks, and a complete disregard for the opinions of their users.

 

Sad day. 

[AlicetheBrit 6]

I REALLY dislike the new update too - both the look AND how slow it is AND that it keep stripping OFF the title of EVERY note I click on and replacing it with UNTITLED ...

I have CLOSED Evernote on my Macbook and will only use it on my iPad and Android for now, until I figure out how to go BACK to the previous version or a NEWER update is made to FIX all the issues - UGH

This is the first time I have been unhappy with Evernote

[uimike 5]

Wow.  Ugly new skin, imperceptible icons. Did the chefs leave the restaurant?

 

m.

[kg23 4]

This new interface is awful. Why do you keep changing things so rapidly? "New" does not mean "Better" You need to learn about gradual design evolution.

 

Here's just one thing that is wrong... The note title is now invisibly separated from the body. 

I am sure your designers think this is great, but it is confusing at first glance:

 

 

PLEASE revert to the old look.

[nivaun 16]

I would also like to see more contrast. One thing I have noticed with version 6.0.2 is an improvement and at least I can use it now. The contrast and interface color is dependent on what my desktop is when Evernote is opened and is working fine right now.

[CatOne 30]

Maybe I'm part of the silent majority. I much prefer the new interface. I don't know why people are saying the new one has a "horrible grey interface." The new interface is MUCH lighter than the old one; it's a refreshing change that I MUCH prefer.

 

I was using Yojimbo and/or TextEdit previously and both of them looked a lot more like Evernote has become to look. I just don't understand the comments when the contrast in the new version is MUCH BETTER than the old one that was "grey on gray" ;-)

[jandtheboys 2]

Yep. Hate  it!

I'm deleting this version off my machine and going back to 5.4. I don't care enough about "Work Chat" to use a horrible grey interface. I have other tools for chatting.

Bleh...Evernote, what on earth were you thinking!?

[Steve S. 0]

I want to chime in that I have a hard time using the new interface due to the lack of contrast. I would love to see a preference option that allows me to have the more contrast. The previous version of Evernote was far more functional for me.

[Ruttin 0]

Adding another one to the list of folks that hate the update. First, it isn't functional. The bodies of most of my notes are gone, can't see some titles and can't enter any new text. Downgrading to 5 and won't be upgrading for a long time. I need stability over pretty

[pinkpaper 0]

 

My mac is still on Mavericks so the new colors actually don't bother me, the only problem for me is that my notes aren't showing up anymore. It's two weeks before Finals week and I'm starting to regret putting all my notes in this app.

Are you using version 6.0.2. When I upgraded to that version my notes started showing up and loading faster.

 

Thanks!!!!!!!!! 

[nivaun 16]

Update to the pdf sync problem. Just received this from support.

 

"The error you see is related to syncing some notes. This is a known issue that is being worked by the developer team for a fix. Please check often for an updated evernote version. you can do that via the help menu.

As a workaround, you can add Attachments from the evernote for Web client. It will require extra steps, but if you load via the web client, everything will sync without issue."

 

Hopefully they are working on the poor UI design also.

[BobG 0]

The Evernote 6.0.2 interface is TERRIBLE! The design appearance is weak and difficult to read. I've been a paying user of Evernote for a number of years, and this is the worst design I've ever seen. Evernote has been a wonderful piece of software, but no more. Please bring back something more readable with more contrast instead of grayed out, washed out symbols and text. This is just terrible!

 

 

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

@Carol Dubs:  That's an excellent, well-balanced post you just made.  You make a clear and excellent case for the proper use of contrast and colors.  IMO, the EN UI Designers definitely need to see this.

 

I normally caution against cross-posting, but in this case I think your post should be made to the main EN Mac Ver 6.0.2 thread:

See Evernote Mac v6.0.2 Released

 

I'm concerned that the title of this thread is so negative that many may reject it out-of-hand without reading it.

i feed more confident that your important post will be read and considered in the main EN thread.

[luckman212 165]

+1

 

please make the new interface elements more distinct. This "everything must be flat, light gray and barely visible" trend might work for some but I am tired of squinting at what I'm typing

[nivaun 16]

My mac is still on Mavericks so the new colors actually don't bother me, the only problem for me is that my notes aren't showing up anymore. It's two weeks before Finals week and I'm starting to regret putting all my notes in this app.

Are you using version 6.0.2. When I upgraded to that version my notes started showing up and loading faster.

[pinkpaper 0]

My mac is still on Mavericks so the new colors actually don't bother me, the only problem for me is that my notes aren't showing up anymore.  It's two weeks before Finals week and I'm starting to regret putting all my notes in this app.  

 

 

[nivaun 16]

After I uninstalled version 6 and installed version 5.7.2 an upgrade to version 6.0.2 window popped up. After a long hesitation I decided to take a chance and see if anything was fixed. One thing to note is that I did not do an install from the App Store because it is showing the latest version at 6.0 with no updates available.

 

What I have noticed so far:

 

- Screen still a little bright but I was able to darken the left menu by using a dark or black desktop. This added a touch more contrast. Still needs some work though.

- Title does not change to "Untitled" anymore when opening.

- My notes are loading much faster. About the same speed as they did in version 5.7.2.

- I haven't put the sync error issue through its paces yet so I don't know if this is resolved.

 

At least version 6.0.2 is workable for me now.

[Alun 1]

A really disappointing upgrading for what was a fantastic product. The speed with which saved notes render is atrocious, using MacBook Air. I can see by this thread that its not an isolated problem and assume you're busy resolving. Look forward to getting back to work!

[lpr 35]

I dont mind flat, but this all white with skinny font makes it very tiring for the eyes. I hate it

[Danno321 23]

Long time Premium user. Just upgraded to 6.0 and was greeted with one of the most horrible interfaces I've seen in a long time. Shades of gray? Really? I hope you listen to your paying customers and offer some options to tone down this abomination. 

 

Premium user and hate it too.  This trend to flat and little color is causing windows to blend together.    Very confusing at times.

[NightStalker 407]

For those trying to downgrade, it may be worth checking out this thread - which may or may not be a problem for you:

 

https://discussion.evernote.com/topic/76567-sync-problem/

 

This MAY apply if you are trying to downgrade to a version EARLIER than v5.7.2

 

I got this problem - repeatedly and repeatably - when trying to go from 5.7.2 to 5.5.2

 

Now I'm back on v5.7.2 and all is working well (except I still have that silly "Chat" button I can't get rid of).

[metromale 1]

Another voice for the choir of disapproval...

 

For the first time in 22 years of Mac-computing I downgraded an app. Version 6 is fugly beyond usability.

Managed to get back to 5.7.2 without too much fuss and I'm staying there until they come to their interface senses again.

 

Bad move Evernote. Seriously bad.

[SanchoPanza 1]

Just to add on, I am one more PREMIUM user who just HATES with all my strength the new interface colors! Please, people at Evernote, just give us two or three options for the interface, one of which should be closer in tones to the previous version. That is, a little darker!!! PLEASE! PLEASE!

[pancrazio 5]

Also downgraded. Also had a look to an alternative and downloaded Google Keep, will give it a try, anyone knows if there is a way to use it to save webpages and not just notes?

 

I wish the Evernote engineers did not waste their time messing around with the look and feel but and tried to give us some real improvement. For instance, the Mac OS application does not zoom in and out images in notes with the standard Mac command "cmd +" and "cmd -". I am sure it works well on a touchscreen, although I don't have an apple tablet of phone it works well on my android phone, but not on a Mac with a keyboard...