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Thesixtyone (YC W09) launches version 2.0

thesixtyone.posterous.com

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Re: Thesixtyone (YC W09) launches version 2.0

#51

Post by thiele »

That is friggin' striking.

It's not very intuitive to navigate on the first visit, however. Once you've been to the site a few times, you probably get used to the structure. Also, the huge background makes for some really pixelated and stretched images.

Essentially, they have created the entire experience to be a visualizer. The redesign makes the experience more about listening to music and less about interacting with the community and 'quests'. I don't know if that's necessarily a good thing. I don't know if they can compete with the other music sites just based on content.

It changes what makes the T61 unique, for sure.

Re: Thesixtyone (YC W09) launches version 2.0

#52

Post by mkyc »

Yes, it feels like "vinyl" - like I'm listening to vinyl except I'm in a little storage closet and I just tipped a box of records all over my face and my face is bleeding.

You broke your site. This is a visualization with an interface crowded into it. Revert and offer this - let's calm down and be honest - basic slideshow as a new visualization.

Imagine that instead of a pretty picture of the band, there was just a white background. Now look at the interface. It's a nightmare. The song that I'm listening to is controlled at the top right, except for hearts/comments, which are on the left side (except when I try to give a heart, the button slides away from me). The song-forward and back buttons are on opposite sides of the screen, well away from play/pause/volume. None of this would be a problem if the controls were visually/conceptually linked in some non-spatial way, but they are not.

I'd like to know the user testing process you used, and whether you ran this by whoever did your already-great former UI layout. I just hope your guiding light wasn't a small group of hardcore users and passers-by shouting "awesome, intimate, inspired, daring, and elaborate". It sure as hell wasn't your community.

Re: Thesixtyone (YC W09) launches version 2.0

#53

Post by teej »

yread wrote: post #47
mattyb wrote: post #40

James and Sam, I commend you for experimenting, but I think you might want to revert this and seek more constructive feedback from your (very) passionate community. http://www.facebook.com/thesixtyone?v=wall

Christ! People are such drama queens! It is kinda buggy but its not like their life depends on it. Petitions? Seriously?

You cannot do a complete overhaul of your UI with no warning and expect users to love you.

Re: Thesixtyone (YC W09) launches version 2.0

#54

Post by tessro »

korch wrote: post #18

Kick ass! I really like the minimalist, modal single-page UI. Obviously a lot of thought has gone into it. This is one of the first sites I've seen that actually feels more like an application than a web page. I'd love to see this trend catch on more in web design fads.

I agree with your sentiment. However, in this case the site has a long road ahead of it, to restore lost or buried functionality.

From the top of my head:

- Tipjar honor roll is hidden in a separate screen, which removes "status" related incentives to tip (a loss for artists)

- Social features are buried; the artist doesn't feel like they are "there" on the site

- Can't see what's ahead or behind you on the browsing playlists

- On Chrome, the user account information is occluded by the status bar whenever you hover on a link

- "Sliding" effects make the interface feel sluggish

All of these issues can be addressed without the "reversion" people are calling for... but there are some long nights ahead for the dev team if they want to match the prior version in raw usability.

Re: Thesixtyone (YC W09) launches version 2.0

#56

Post by thiele »

vdm wrote: post #24

I love the innovation in this new site, and how it evokes the vinyl listening experience. However, I think it is less suitable than the old site for use at work (NSFW) because it is so colourful. A more 'bland' page like the old version would work better when one is sitting at a non-private terminal. Perhaps this option or mode should be offered, because the site is still a fresh new way to listen to (fresh new) musi…

Interesting insight regarding it being 'less suitable' for work. That's something that I don't think about now that I'm not working in a corporate office or cubicle anymore.

Re: Thesixtyone (YC W09) launches version 2.0

#57

Post by trafficlight »

mattyb wrote: post #40

James and Sam, I commend you for experimenting, but I think you might want to revert this and seek more constructive feedback from your (very) passionate community. http://www.facebook.com/thesixtyone?v=wall

As a relatively new artist (about a year), thesixtyone has been an amazing place. I met a lot of new people, generated interest in my music and learned a lot from the other artists there.

With the redesign that's all gone. All of the community and social aspects of the site have disappeared and we are left staring a giant background image. I didn't go to the sixtyone to look at cover art. I went to listen to music and to discuss it with my friends and fans.

The other thing I find baffling is that they were making real money with tip and album system. Fans were actually supporting the artists directly. It was working. That feature has been buried in this design. And, by burying the discussion between artists and fans, they have effectively killed the primary reason to tip an artist.

The worst part about it is that James and Sam don't talk with their absolutely fanatical users. There was no mention that a redesign this drastic was going to happen. There was no beta period for testing. All of those people commenting on the T61 Facebook page are their true fans. James and Sam haven't said a single word.

Re: Thesixtyone (YC W09) launches version 2.0

#59

Post by CivEZ »

Clearly these guys don't understand usability. It is SO important for people to feel "grounded" when they use a sight as intricate and functional as T61 was. The play bar needs to come back. I think a lot of people feel this is confusing and you get lost in all the "minimalist" design of the page.

They traded usability and functionality for "cool" and "cutting edge" ... lame.

Re: Thesixtyone (YC W09) launches version 2.0

#60

Post by orz »

mattdennewitz wrote: post #37
orz wrote: post #12

the new ui is a disaster imo - usability is right out (yes lists are useful) this redesign should have been as a new view on an existing model that is switched via toggle by the user not to mentioned they sabotaged groups and they are now an exercise in futility called 'channels' edit: https://old.thesixtyone.com/ is still available for a limited time

"disaster" is a but harsh, but i think perhaps a better implementation would've been to supplement the existing layout with this as another view option. i like that its almost purely visual, but imagine if apple entirely replaced finder's lists with coverflow. and, impact?! IMPACT?!

as i said it is an opinion of a user, to qualify i have been using the site for almost 2 years now with over 5000 plays and a rep of 58588

i was a completely lost as to how to use features that before were very clearly designed and accessible, which i can find ways around eventually...

however the changes to the social experience are drastic and extremely negative (based on my a sample set of 60+ users in my current group)

i can attest to the fact that the accessible social groups have been the only factor in my retention over the past year, (insert reference that shows correlation between social interactions and user retention)

i understand that ui is subjective to a certain extent but if you are to enact an entire user interface overhaul it would be best to do it as a skin to allow a transition and discovery period

i would not mind leaving the current interface running as a 'kiosk' mode at a party

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