interface changes

Dear chess.com staff,

Sadly, you have just caused me an as yet unknown amount of annoyance, lost time and lost fun. Logging on today I see that chess.com has a new interface, with everything not quite at the same spot as before. Instead of just looking how my games we progressing, I have to figure out where my messages have gone, how to get a list instead of a table from my games (apparently not possible with an older browser), if the background color of the announcements can be set to something different from the general background color, etcetera, etcetera etcetera.

Undoubtedly within the next hour a lot of additional changes will pop up that I don't like either.

Now I understand that you strive to improve the site, including the interface. The problem is: a new interface is NOT always better. For example, there are still people complaining about the interface changes of office 2007 and beyond. And they're right: stuff you don't use often but knew how to find now requires a trip to the help function. Nothing can be more annoying.

So, in short, what I'd like to ask is simple: whenever you experiment with a new interface, simply maintain a button in the settings that allows you to keep the old one. The old one worked well; all changes individually are perhaps very small fry, but together it's lost time and lost fun. I don't want to spend time on the interface (getting to know it or changing it back to something I like as much as possible), I want to play chess.

If it ain't broken, don't fix it - at least not for those who don't want the fix.

Thanks for your input, DrPhil. I know that it is odd to have things changed. I know it can be somewhat confusing and disorienting. I've felt that way on other sites and things I have enjoyed before that have changed. So I understand. I just want to let you know that we were thoughtful about the changes and really tried to keep things as similar as we could while updating things to a more modern look and improved usability. But again, yes, I understand that it can be shocking, and for that I am sorry. I hope that you will give it 24 hours or so and see if you find it more comfortable. 

I do appreciate your feedback and we will work hard to make this version as awesome as possible!

Sincerely, 

Erik
Chess.com 

Hi Erik,

Thanks for the fast reply. I doubt I'll have any choice but to give it some time (but really, if a button to get the old interface back was there, I'd click it immediately and get on with playing chess).

I do want to mention though that part of the problems seem to derive from compatibility issues with IE8. Laying out your games as a table: not possible. Background color of the alerts: virtually identical to the general background, hence annoying to the eyes (that try to work out if it's different or not). It's more tolerable in chrome, but that's not my default browser.

Of course, there's a lot of stuff that has changed - and I don't like either - that has nothing to do with browser issues. For example, why change the order of the alerts? (I suppose you could make that customizable with just arrow buttons - some damage mitigation could be fairly easy, I guess).

Another example: the three column menu under 'Home' isn't nearly as easy as just a single list. Simple eye movement stuff: one column is just going from top to bottom, 3 columns is the same movement three times, and two left-right movements. 

Anyway, I've stated my desire for a wholesale reversion to the old - you probably never realised just how good it was! 

thanks again for your thoughts. yep - it takes some time. 

we're working on IE8 issues. meanwhile, i would strongly recommend you download google chrome www.google.com/chrome - it's an unbelievably fast browser that will make your chess.com (and all web experience) much better! :)

Hi Erik,

I have chrome already as a secondary browser, hence I could identify some issues as browser related. But please forward the note to my employers, who swears by IE. :p

Having different browsers during different parts of the day (home, work) is equally annoying, so I think that some backwards compatibility would do a lot for many people.

Erik, what about an old school button for the old interface? 

/support.

Also, it's not just IE8 that has issues, IE9 as well. Table layout of games doesn't work, stuff is misaligned (tabs on vote chess pages). Really starts to feel like you went live too early on this.

I don't mean to be mean to the people that designed the new version of chess.com, but THIS IS CRAZY!  Why would you even change it?!  It was perfect as is!  I don't like this new version becouse

1)The notes are in the middle of the home page.  I mean, think about those people that don't even use the notes!

2)The "online" alert (green for online, red for on live chess, etc.) has changed so that it is only a little green square!

3)It is so much harder to find anything with the with the "Play" "Learn" and "share" etc. tabs.

4)It is so much harder to find the "account changing" button.

5)The profile on the home page has shrunken a ton.

6)The clubs have moved from the right of the page to the left, which brings up another problom...

7)About two thirds of the left side of the page is sitting there simply empty.

8)Echoing DrPhil's saying about, "The three column menu under 'Home' isn't nearly as easy as just a single list. Simple eye movement stuff: one column is just going from top to bottom, 3 columns is the same movement three times, and two left-right movements." 

9)The order of the "alerts" have changed.  I mean, come on!  Just leave it the way it was!  I think that I don't have any new messages becouse the top thing on my page is games, then I don't reaspond to a message simply becouse of a change that is worse now then before!

10)Last but not least, you actually have to go through all of those tedious steps to start a corspondance game!  You can't just simply make one fom your home page!

You know the sad part about all of that?  I DIDN'T EVEN LEAVE OF THE HOME PAGE!  Like it or not, all of those ten complaints came from the home page!  With aproxamitly 55 pages on chess.com, I can't even start to go through all of them!  Do you know how many complaints I would have if I counted if I found all of them?!  YOU PROBOBLY CAN'T COUNT THAT HIGH!  Again, I don't mean to put down, insult, or in any other way offend the people that created this new look, but this is simply crazy!  At least put a button in the "edit profile" page that would let me go back to the way that it looked and was!

That last point is key!  Put in an old school button at least. 

Also see my post in http://www.chess.com/forum/view/community/new-site-design-feedback?page=7

I thought that this was terrible at first sight but I am getting used to it and it is not too bad guys, just give the new look a chance.

What about those people that really want the old look.  Yah I'll agree that a few people can stand the look, and some may even like the new look, but at least give a chance to go back to the way it was for those that don't like this new version!

Ok everyone,

I now that this is being refered to as a "look" but this isn't just a new look, this is a completely new page!  I don't care what people say, this is an entirely new system almost!  I can't find the things that I want to find becouse they aren't where they were.  (Three days later, "Oh there's how you make a 'comment' "!

...the old economy is dead... long live the new economy welcome to chess.com v 7 simply the best so far!!!

Well done chess.com,i love the new look,It's new and fresh,the old interface really was tired and dated and now i know what my money is being spent on!!Keep up the good work.

Hey Chess.Com,

I know you are trying to make the site better and I am sure after I get used to the changes I will be good with it, however please take your time to think about my request below and get back to me.

The #1 reason I paid the premium is because I do not want to see any advertisements.

That is what you promised when I purchased a year subscription “no advertisements”.

I pay a premium to help you cover the operational costs and you remove the advertisements from my screen.

This includes Google Chrome, Twitter, Facebook, You Tube or any other stuff like that…

The BIG advertisement box for the browser upgrade in the top right corner of the "Home" screen is extremely irritating. I’m guessing you put it there as a courtesy but it still feels like you are pushing a product on me.

Even the Bar at the bottom of the screen has this stuff on it.

My Question:

Will you please move all of these things off my premium screen and on to the “More” Menu where it belongs and is expected to be.

Thank You for your time.

Update...

Thank you Eric for getting back to me offline.

I found the setting to remove the Chat bar (Thank You) and I look foreword to the Upgrade box going away after I do an upgrade to my system.

Happy again...

Well, I love the new interface! Cleaner and far slicker!

While some of the bugs are getting fixed, I'd like to remind chess.com staff that old IE versions still perform horribly - and my IT department will not allow installation of another browser.

Also:

- the overview of tournaments doesn't seem to include a list of tourney's that you were eliminated from but that are still on-going (used to be very handy to check progress of people that beat you)

- It's hard, if not impossible to see the percentage of win/loose/draws of people; premium members cannot see detailed stats for other players anymore? That would be a pity, one of the things I'd like doing here (presuming I renew) would be to start a group based on studying draws. But an essential piece of info would be to see if prospective members would actually have some games to contribute... Also, IMO a high draw percentage also indicates some skill (to convert lost games into a draw by perpetual or repition, for example), in the 1600 to 1900 range perhaps even more so than the rating itself.

- an easy link to the chess.com email (mail.chess.com) is still absent.

I agree, most of the cincks are being worked out of the system.  I am growing to tolorate this new interface.  Notice I said tolorate, not like.  It is OK now that broken links have been fixed, pages that lead to no where have somthing on "the other side."  Over all, this is and OK interface.  Still like the last one better but am growing used to the wierd things of this new interface...