What you've told us,
and what we're doing about it ...
Posted Jun 11th 2007 10:12PM by Lisa Edwards
You've provided us with a lot of feedback on the new AOL.com homepage design since we launched the first beta test back in April. We want you to know that we've reviewed it all: the good, the bad and the ugly. Now that our blog is up and running, we wanted to highlight the major feedback themes and issues you told us about in the Feedback Survey and let you know what we're doing about them.
So without further delay, here are the major feedback themes:
- I can't customize the page. The majority of comments in this bucket focused on the ability to add/remove modules, the ability to move modules around on the page and a few comments on wanting the ability to increase/decrease the amount of content within modules.
We couldn't agree more! AOL.com is your homepage and you should have the ability to make it your own. We will provide several customization options in the next round of beta updates to be rolled out the week of June 18th. Features include the ability to add and remove modules in the Preview Panel area that currently features Mail, Weather, Radio and Horoscopes. You'll be able to change the color of your homepage and will even be able to choose a narrow version of AOL.com to be your home page.
- I can't change the color of my home page. This could have grouped this with "I can't customize the page" but due to the sheer volume of feedback on this topic, we chose to break it out separately.
Again, we couldn't agree more! As mentioned above, we will provide you with the ability to change the color of your home page in our next round of updates (week of June 18th). Our design team has cooked up five color options, in addition to the standard color, that we think you'll really like. And we hope to introduce even more over time.
- I don't like the color of the new home page.
It's hard to please everyone when it comes to color. But we are providing the ability to change the color of your home page in our next home page update, including the option of a more "traditional AOL Blue" if you prefer that. So we think we'll be in a good place in addressing this one, but if you're not satisfied with any of the new color options, let us know.
- The new page is too wide / too crowded.
We are introducing a narrow (two column) version of the homepage in our next update. The standard view of the new page is definitely wider than the current version of AOL.com. But the majority of you, AOL.com users, have higher screen resolutions, and we decided to go wide to take advantage of the extra screen real estate. The wider page lets us get more content above the fold line (less scrolling for you). A lot of Web sites have migrated to wide body page layouts. But bigger clearly is not better for everyone. So, you will be able to choose the the narrow version to be displayed on subsequent visits to AOL.com.
- What happened to the AIM button?
We're sorry! Please forgive us. We are bringing back the AIM button in our next update. So you will once again have direct access to AIM Express from AOL.com.
- The New Page Looks Exactly Like Yahoo!
We received more feedback on this topic than any other since we launched the Beta test. So we're glad to have an opportunity to address the issue, and to share the history and thought process that led us to the first Beta design. When we're done, you may still not agree with the approach, and that's OK. But most importantly, you will understand how we got here.
So how did we arrive at the new Beta design? We started designing the new AOL.com over a year ago. We spent months in the concept phase, conducting focus group and lab tests to create the next generation AOL.com homepage design. We looked at data, studied our competition and talked to users. We produced numerous home page concepts, at least three or four of which were radically different, both from a design and feature perspective, from other home pages (ours, Yahoo!, MSN etc.).
What we realized going through this exercise, however, was that there are a number of standards and "best practices" that have emerged in how good home pages are designed. Looking back at what we had done in previous home page designs and what Yahoo!, MSN and other leading sites had done over the last several years, it became clear that we had been borrowing good ideas from each other for many years. In fact, many of the elements of our new home page that might remind you of Yahoo!, like the "channel strip" with its colorful icons, are in fact elements that we have used successfully on our homepages for years.
That said, Yahoo! is a Web site that a vast number of people use on a regular basis, and they built a great site. Of course we've looked at what they've done and tried to learn from it to make our product better. In some ways you can look at the AOL.com Beta design that you see today as a competitive benchmarking exercise against Yahoo! (all good companies do this). We've been testing it out with a small group of our users (you), and we've learned which elements work and which don't. The important takeaway, however, is that this design was and is a starting point for us. We are making changes to the experience and introducing new features based on your feedback. And you will see these changes roll out in the coming weeks.
So, will there still be similarities with Yahoo! after the beta test is over? Absolutely! There will also be similarities with MSN. All home pages must deliver a basic set of features and functionality (e-mail, search, news, Weather, navigation) to meet users' needs and expectations, and we all learn from each other in how we best deliver these. As the home page space continues to mature, design standards have and will continue to emerge that we will all adopt: left hand navigation, ad banner sizes, search treatment and placement etc. So standardization of fundamental page elements is not a bad thing (much like you have certain basic expectations of how a Web e-mail or instant messaging application will be laid out).
But having said this, we do spend our days in the office working on ways to truly differentiate the new AOL.com in areas that matter the most to you:
- Making the home page faster: We know you don't like to wait (neither do we).
- Ease of use
- Highlighting the great content you care about
- Useful functionality: We want to make AOL.com a place where you can get things done and not just find things.
- Personalization
- Local functionality like Events, Traffic, Gas Prices and more
We will continue to work on ways we can make the AOL.com home page better in all of these areas, and we look to you for feedback and ideas on how we can do that.
Lisa
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About The Team
My Name is Lisa and I'm the Product Lead for AOL.COM. In short, I lead the team that designs, builds the new versions of AOL.com and make sure that current experience run smoothly. My mission (the team's mission) is to build the best home page for you and everyone that visits AOL.com. This is definitely NOT a one person operation. It takes a village! And I'll be introducing you to the team behind the scenes in the coming weeks.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 13)
1. I think you are doing all of the right things. Keep up the good work!
Posted at 10:40AM on Jun 13th 2007 by Jimbo
2. Hi,
I've read your arguments on why Yahoo! looks so similar to your homepage, but I'm still not convinced that it excuses the uncanny resemblance between the two pages. While I agree that there are necessary elements for every homepage and the "right" ways to implement them are few and so they frequently overlap with competitors, this is not a reason to have a homepage that bears such a strong resemblance to theirs.
For example, there's no reason to have a left-hand navigation bar with icons just like Yahoo! has, since this is not, as you say, a design standard. MSN, for example, has a top, horizontal navigation that works just as well, and other competitors have navigations on the top or on the right too. There is nothing to make this particular type of navigation a standard any more than there is to make the colorful, glossy buttons that you copied from Yahoo! a standard. In addition, the sliding content box on the upper right could have been done in a more unique and memorable way, such as through individual, collapsible boxes (I know that isn't the best idea but then again I'm not working as a designer for one of the biggest websites in the world).
The point I'm trying to make is that playing the "standards" card is no excuse for such an obvious copy (I'd say it was inspiration, but this is beyond that). You guys are capable of making such a better homepage that is unique and memorable and superior to Yahoo!s or MSNs, and by holding yourself tightly to Yahoo!s examples and all of these supposed standards, you are limiting yourselves and holding yourselves back.
Please take this from a consumer's perspective who has active accounts in AOL, Yahoo!, and MSN and uses all three frequently. I want the best homepage on the net, and I'm trying to help you get there, but so far you aren't on the right track.
Posted at 12:12AM on Jun 16th 2007 by Greg Peterson
3. I realize AOL is pro homosexual, USA hating, Bush bashing IPS, but please don't push it in our face. This morning's welcome screen of two women kissing is disgusting. I have changed my home page and will cancel AOL as soon as possible.
Posted at 10:48AM on Jun 18th 2007 by Stan Janiak
4. my e-mail is still freezing, what is going on?
Posted at 4:32PM on Jun 18th 2007 by tim
5. I have beta tested the new AOL.com and the thing that bugs me the most is that there is NO News tab/topic in the Directory on the right in the wide view or in the list under Directory in the narrow view. Why not??? It's in the old Aol.com! And, it's in the full client AOL.
I feel this a glaring ommission on the design of this new AOL.com page. The new page is almost a carbon copy of Yahoo's page and Yahoo doesn't have a News box in their directory. Now, if I wanted Yahoo, I'd use Yahoo---but I dobn't. I want and use AOL. And, I want that News box in the Directory at AOL.com!!! I'm a news junky and sometime may need to sse that box back IN the directory. Please put it back in!
Franki
Posted at 2:10PM on Jun 19th 2007 by Franki
6. Greg,
Thanks for your comments and the constructive spirit behind them. I want to address a few points you raised in comments.
Let me start with left hand(vertical)navigation. The move back to vertical navigation was a decision driven by usage data and usability testing. The horizontal directory we feature on the current version of AOL.com does not perform well and we've heard from users, and colleagues internally, that it's hard to use and hard to find. So going back to vertical navigation was a no-brainer for us. As for the introduction of icons, this decision was also driven by usability lab tests. We tested several versions the homepage design without icons or a graphical treatment, and learned that the navigation strip on its own simply didn't stand out enough given the other content and features on the homepage. We knew that we needed to leverage some design treatment to help the navigation stand on its own. Big cartoon-like icons have been for years on the AOL client, and that has worked well as a navigation standard. So we decided to apply some of those successful design standards to our homepage.
As for the Yahoo resemblance, we have no intentions of blindly copying our competitors and limiting our creativity with regards to homepage design. The AOL.com Beta experience that we launched in April really was a starting point. It was an exercise in getting to feature parity with our competition and addressing some of the known usability issues with the current AOL.com homepage (i.e. poor navigation, too much scrolling, I could go on...) and getting in front of consumers as quickly as possible to get feedback.
That said, we have learned a lot since late April and we are feeding this learning back into the product. Yesterday, we introduced a handful of new features to the Beta homepage that address the feedback we've received from users, like yourself, since April. I've referred to yesterday's launch as our "customization release" since what we've heard from you is the strong need and desire to make the homepage your own (e.g. color options, page layout, module customization). I encourage you to test drive the new features and let us know what you think.
We are also working on new set of features that we plan on releasing end of July / beginning of August that will further differentiate our homepage, not just in terms of the placement of the modules or "boxes" on the page, but in the quality and depth of the features and content on the page.
Again, I (we the team) value your comments and hope that you keep coming back to see the evolution of the homepage.
Best,
Lisa
AOL.com Product Manager
Posted at 7:12PM on Jun 19th 2007 by Lisa Edwards
7. Just wondering why the connection is extra slow. I have high speed and have used my laptop in two different locations in Northern VA, it has been a painful experience. Please tell me why this is happening. Are there too many people using your services and this is why things are slow? Our company is thinking of switching because of the problems we have been experiencing with AOL. I see the amount I pay every month has increased and now I also experience the amount of time I wait to connect or am unable to connect increase as well. Please advise.
Posted at 6:00AM on Jun 22nd 2007 by Megin Spivey
8. I can't stand the new set up. I like to read the mail one by one in the order that I choose and I haven't been able to close the current mail and see the whole list and choose what I want to read next. Plus the loading of the e mail is extremely slow and responding to an email is even worse. Give me back my old version!! I don't need all the extras. Main thing is the speed needs adjusting!!
Posted at 9:25AM on Jun 22nd 2007 by anorb
9. Ever since the new rollout, when attempting to navigate away from an email (via "Inbox", "Delete", etc) page freezes approximately half the time and alt+ctrl+del is the only way to get out of it. WindowsXP SP2 IE6
Posted at 9:34AM on Jun 23rd 2007 by Mike
10. The new AOL mail sucks... really really bad. Many times I've to reboot my computer. If it continues to perform the way it is, I guarantee you'll lose a lot of customers.
Posted at 4:18PM on Jun 23rd 2007 by akon1688
11. Lisa,
I've just noticed the new additions to the homepage and I do, for the most part, welcome them. The theme colors tucked away neatly, yet unobtrusively, in the upper-right is a good touch, but I personally don't care much for the "MAIL", "MY", and "AIM" buttons. They are, in my opinion, a little too big and I think could easily fit nicely under, say, the AOL logo, to save some valuable space and help reduce scrolling, which, as you say, is a relatively minor yet still important problem. The customizable preview panels is also a good idea and is something that I think Yahoo! should consider working into their own homepage somehow (but in their own creative way of course ;-) ).
I've read your response to my comment and while I can't say I totally agree with your implementation of this homepage, I've realized that it's best to reserve this kind of judgement until this project is finalized. So I'll be keeping an eye on the homepage as it evolves and will do my best to offer constructive criticism along the way, reserving the Yahoo! - AOL match-ups for when all of the changes have been made.
Thanks, and remember: less is more (pardon the cliché).
-Greg
Posted at 4:13AM on Jun 24th 2007 by Greg Peterson
12. HELP! Everytime I attempt to read my email, it allows me to read and act upon 1 only. It then freezes my computor and I have to shut it down completely and go back in all over again to check a second email message. I have never had this problem before and am getting very frustrated with it.
Posted at 1:57PM on Jun 25th 2007 by Cheryl Parkinson
13. I could care less about how it looks--I want to know why since the "upgrade" AOL gets frozen!?!?!? One numerous computers, at various times of the day, AOL stops responding when I am simply reading my mail, or trying to send one. MAKE IT WORK...email is why we use aol...
Posted at 9:45AM on Jun 26th 2007 by Ken
14. Every time you "update" your system, my computer slows down. I do not like all of your updates and often find that they cause many more problems than they are worth.
Posted at 10:03AM on Jun 26th 2007 by GDobish
15. I can't stand your updates. It keeps locking up my computer and often times won't even allow me to read my e-mail. I'm seriously considering going elsewhere. It's almost pointless to me now. If I can't read my e-mail or get it, what's the point?
Posted at 10:06AM on Jun 26th 2007 by garnetdreamer
16. My e-mail hangs very often with the upgraded AOL. When are you going to fix it? seems like a lot of people are having this problem.
Posted at 12:00PM on Jun 26th 2007 by glasarsky
17. I'm very unhappy with all the new AOL pgs I have to scroll through to read my e-mails, I'm probably going to switch to yahoo. I never had to wait so long on aol to read mail, since the change, my page is always taking much longer to load then ever before. CHANGE THINGS OR I'M GONE.
Posted at 12:46PM on Jun 26th 2007 by Bill Paciello
18. I can't stand the new AOL. I can't navigate to other pages like news and other. I can't read the captions they arecut off.My computer is very slow.
Posted at 3:34PM on Jun 26th 2007 by rnmbishop05
19. I haven't liked your updates in a long time. Most of the time they are more confusing and take longer to adjust to.
With this new update, I can't find doodly squat. I was a regular on the boards - especially the immigration board. Now I cannot find a link to any kind of board. I do not like the "blog" version of conversation. Bring back the easy link to the boards - just a simple button that said "Post." Why did you delete it? Many, many people used those boards every day! If I can't get to the AOL message boards, I don't care about AOL. I'm already on another setup with AOL as an add-on. I can easily blow off AOL and not miss anything since the boards are gone.
Posted at 4:05PM on Jun 26th 2007 by syandrew1947
20. Now that you have a new path to my AOL mail, I click on my bookmarked link and am treated to an image of a running man with four squares over his head. I can do nothing until finally (!) a line of information appears below instructing me that if I can't use this new path to click on the hyper-link marked "Mail" whereupon I will get there. There is NO way to hasten this process and it is irritating and frustrating EVERY time. I have tried to bookmark the new page but to no avail. This is truly maddening. I just go do something else instead of sit and stare at my screen.
Posted at 5:25PM on Jun 26th 2007 by jblaneseattle