Thesixtyone (YC W09) launches version 2.0
thesixtyone.posterous.com
thesixtyone.posterous.com
Definitely still some UI bugs, but I really like the direction.
The biggest UI bugs I noticed:
1) When the next song came on by auto play, the background/info didn't update. I went into "info" then exited and it updated.
2) Once I clicked for more info on a song, I couldn't immediately figure out how to get back to the bare, initial layout.
3) Next/Prev buttons disappeared when the info about the artist was up, which I couldn't close. Annoying not to be able to go to the next song when I didn't like the current one.
Anyway, congrats, I really like this.
3) When I hover over a button/icon for a second or two, a tooltip would help tremendously to figure out what the button does.
This is a really great, unique design. Well done.
Update: I have run into some usability issues that I can't really describe because I have no idea how I got into whatever the feature is suppose to be. I don't think this UI is very forgiving for newcomers like myself. You're onto something with this "vinyl" look, and I know the improvements you're thinking about will probably fix most of these issues.
"yeah, it looks cool. dont' quite get how it works but i like it"
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.
I can see why some dislike the UI, but personally I think it works very well; it's making me rethink my own web app design to see whether I couldn't learn something from this.
I bet the conversion rate from views to sign-ups is fantastic. Hear something you like? Want to favourite it? Sign up and it's done. Very slick, very smart.
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
and, impact?! IMPACT?!
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
One way of reducing the confusion might be introduce UI elements gradually over time as a user keeps coming back. If at first it was just the big artist wallpaper with a small player controls widget (like the one on top of the old page), that would be so much more enjoyable. The next time the user logged back in, there could be a new UI element. This would probably also pique the user's interest and she might actually click on it. And so on...
But after few weeks, I had my ways in the website and used to play always the same songs/artists/radios, I discovered new artists less and less and finally opened the website less often using more and more Spotify.
Today, this new design is very focus on discovering new songs what I really like, the UI is incredible, the songs are awesome.
I think I have a 2nd crush for you,
Thanks,
I assume this is because the majority of facebook comments are from "friends" who are more likely to have been regular users already.
I think this sums it up pretty well:
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.
- lists that play even while I browse
- easy way to discover music, with criterias
- meet like-minded listeners via their radio, and keep building relationships
are all the good T61 stood for. I like to choose what I want to hear, select it by different means, etc.. - all you had achieved with the previous version.
Sorry, hope you have success with your new ideas. Wish you well, really.
Small stuff: bugs in the paging UI (nav disappears when I open artist info, etc - on Chrome Dev here). Why not just put fixed <- -> arrows in the top nav so it's consistently placed? Also, would love the artist info popup to be _bigger_.
Great innovation guys.
"it may take a few hours for your playlists to fully migrate over"
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) music.
I think the main thing that bothers me is that I can't "pin" up elements that I would like to remain in place:
1) The next/ previous arrows 2) The artist/ song name 3) Song's controls (Play, pause, volume, etc...)
The randomly positioned text blurb and randomly positioned images seem to stay forever... I can't see how that text is more important than some of the other elements.
When you click on the random text blurb/ picture I get stuck. I can't figure out how to get my green arrows back. Also, there isn't a difference between clicking on an image or clicking on the text. They take you to the same place - Which I understand, but I expected to see a larger image.
left (previous), right (next), space (pause), + (vol up), - (vol down), r (autorepeat toggle).
we're working on some tutorial-type stuff that'll tie things together. thanks.
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.
The design itself has a very "indie" vibe to it and I am loving it!
FWIW, this makes it feel more like a great radio station then a music discovery site. More Pandora than Hype Machine. Not a bad thing at all.
I actually like how the site reminds me of a vinyl cover, however it might be too confusing for (some) people to use. I couldn't figure out how to bring back the info about the artist after it fades away.
They traded usability and functionality for "cool" and "cutting edge" ... lame.
Edit: I think I figured it out. The dropdown plus symbol under the logo on the top right adds the currently playing song to your playlist.
I definitely second the call made in another comment for tooltips so people can learn what the icons mean.
one piece of advice: the polaroid-type photos flashing in front of the main picture are annoying. either keep them relegated to one spot on the page or give me an easy way to turn them off.
Had used the old version quite a bit, discovered some great artists. William Fitzsimmons, Caitlin Hart, etc.
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.