It's been almost 3 days since the launch of the new site and as expected, we've had a huge amount of feedback from you all. We appreciate all of your comments - both the positive and negative - and rest assured that we are listening to each and every one of you. We would like to address some of the recurring concerns that have been raised:
How long will the classic site be available?
The classic site is not going anywhere. We will be running it alongside the new site but as we add new features and data the classic site will not benefit from these additions. For further reassurance, I can tell you that we are still running our Telnet site from back in 1992 before The Internet took over.
Why change for the sake of change?
We are one of the oldest sites on the Internet and this new site design is the first major overhaul of the user interface for 16 years. The fact that we have had one overhaul in 16 years demonstrates that we do not 'change for the sake of change'. We have added so much data and so many new products over the years that we simply had to re-organize the architecture of the site. Also, we appreciate how much our loyal users love the appearance of the classic site, but for visitors less familiar with it, the brand impression was not always so positive. We have conducted research that showed that many people did not trust the weather data on the classic site because of its dated appearance. Of course our existing users remain our number one priority and these changes are designed to enhance your experience - but to continue to be here and provide you with our unique quality of data then we have to appeal to a wide audience.
I can't find data on the city forecast page?
The number one rule that we set ourselves when looking at the city forecast page was that absolutely no data could be taken away from our users. The focus of the redesign was to instantly surface as much data as possible for our users - but with a layout that doesn't feel like such a data overload. Despite its cleaner appearance, there is in fact more data available on the city forecast page than before, without having to click to a new page.
Why has the 5-day Forecast been moved further down the page?
We understand that some users are not happy about having to scroll down to the 5-day forecasts. We introduced the 'at a glance' data at the top of the page so you can see what weather is heading your way over the next 36 hour period. We could not keep everything at the top of the page but please note that the new city forecast page is more customizable for users with the collapsible functionality of the content sections. In response to many requests, we have just launched a new tab next to the radar image on the city forecast page that will give you the 7-day text forecast in one piece at the top of the page. If you click on this new tab, it will remain the default for your next visit.
Why did we launch the new site during major storms?
We had planned the re-launch for Groundhog Day for several months and we unfortunately could not have anticipated the level of severe weather activity that far in advance.
Are we 'going to do a Facebook' and keep changing the interface?
Again, this is the 1st overhaul of the site for 16 years. If you've used wunderground.com for a while you know that we are constantly making small changes to improve the site and this will continue on the new site. I can't promise that we won't redesign the site in 2017.....!
You can still go to your settings page and view both fahrenheit and degrees - it still needs some work integrating with the new site - we're working on it!
We will continue to listen to all of your feedback as we move forward with the new user interface. Ultimately, our focus is on delivering the most reliable and in-depth weather information - you can choose which version of the site you wish to view the data on.
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 — Blog Index
My biggest complaint is that we must now scan up and down for information and not left to right. The eye is trained to read left to right not up and down. The classic site is designed left to right which is easier to read and ascertain the data quickly, it's more natural.
Long Live The Classic!
I have tried to like the new site, but I guess I will be changing the links from our website (http://ccmcks.org/weather) to point to the classic site.
If you want the site to look more modern here are my suggestions for changing the classic site. I assume you are using style sheets so this ought to take, at most, a few hours to do.
Change the color scheme to more modern, pastel colors. Primarily ditch the bright blue. You still need a decent contrast, just don't use so many primary colors.
Update the graphics. The top priority should be the logo. I have never liked it.
There, you are done.
Take a look at Accuweather. I really like the LARGE bold layout. And, very nice graphics!
I am a "paying" customer, perhaps I won't renew the subscription. Poor design for the new view.
typing in the classic does not work as I get redirected to the new layout
Thanks CurlyDog for the link.
Hmmmm! For those of us who have been speculating what WU's new design is all about! http://www.adotas.com/2011/02/wunderground-redesi gn-woos-advertisers/
- or through the Quantcast site itself: http://www.quantcast.com/top-sites-1
In the new WU: sign in, go to Member Settings, Page Preferences, set Units to Both and press Save Preferences. Then look at some cities and see that what you just saved has changed nothing - temps are NOT displayed in both fahrenheit and celsius. Go back to the Settings page and note that it no longer says Both.
In Classic WU: sign in, go to Member Settings, Page Preferences, set Units to Both and press Save Preferences. Then look at some cities and see that temps are displayed in both Fahrenheit and Celsius, as you requested. Thank you! Go back to the Settings page and note that it still says Both. But now sign out, clear your cookies, and sign in. Note that your settings have been retrieved and used, but temps are NOT displayed in both F and C. Go to the Settings page and note that Units says English, which is NOT what you previously saved.
Please, WU coders, when you save our settings, would you save ALL our settings, including our selection of Fahrenheit, Celsius or Both. Why offer us the choice if you're not going to honor it? You said "The number one rule that we set ourselves when looking at the city forecast page was that absolutely no data could be taken away from our users."
Thank you.
I am not resistant to change, a curmudgeon, luddite, or wont to complain-- but you've absolutely destroyed the value that wunderground had for me, and this was always the best and first place I would go to for weather.
There's still less data visible, the fonts are still harder to read, I still have to navigate to find the things that are on the 'classic' view in one glance-- I have tried to use the new site, but am always finding it useless.
I am totally annoyed that none of the actual good things you are working on in the backend -- microclimate forecasts will ever be in the 'classic' view. I still send you weather data, but am not as motivated to maintain this now.
For example, you trumpeted that you'd been 'listening' to us-- and put the hourly detail back in the 5 day on the new site ... on classic, this is a link for each day, on 'new' there's one link to today, and I need an extra click to see another day.
EVERYTHING is like this on the new site-- harder to read, requires more work and more time-- it's a total disaster. I'm annoyed every time I look at it, and therefore, do not.
According to Alexa, your traffic ranking has dropped 100 places in the last 3 months -- people are obviously voting with their clicks elsewhere.
For me, that's http://www.weatherspark.com -- an actual innovative interface that graphically shows me radar, weather trends, chance of precipitation, cloud cover, temperature (actual v. predicted) graphically, at a glance, for many days in a row, and I don't have to click anything, I didn't have to watch a video to explain how to use it, and why it was done.
Please do restore the ability to see both F and C. This is a helpful option for those of us think F, but travel to countries where they talk C (pretty much the rest of the world).
I have sent a message go no response and saw no change.
YOU HAVE GONE FROM A SITE THAT WAS BASED ON INFORMATION AND MADE IT "THE NEW WEATHER CHANNEL".
Read the blog, TWC is bashed on here for being a unreliable cookie cutter site. Nowhere can you get good info on their site. You had them beat in every way and surrendered your lead.
I have been a member for a long time and i have noticed that my time spent on your site is WAY, WAY, WAY DOWN.
Please do not get rid of the classic site, i hate to think of all the loyal members you will loose.
If classic disappears you instantly become just another accuweather or TWC. Useless and surrounded by your peers.
I ended up having to find and install a Firefox add-on to let me change back the favicon and also find a site that still had a copy of the old favicon. The icons in the tabs still the new one, but at least I can find my bookmarks now.
I agree. I've tried to like the new design, but I just can't. If they drop classic, I'm bailing.
When the opportunity comes around for me to re-up my membership next month I most likely will not and I will transition to gathering my information from other resources. The move to the new site was poorly handled in my estimation as there was very little consideration given to the rabid fan base you had created with the original wunderground and its subsequent improvements.
I've been hoping you guys would acknowledge some missteps in all this but it has not happened, even in the face of the data to back it up. If you want to go big, go corporate, appeal to a wider audience, then so be it and I'm excited to be able to say I was there early on. But the only way that is going to work is if you do it right - don't discourage your core users and acknowledge your errors.
I sincerely wish wunderground.com the best of luck.
The classic site is just fine with the ads. The only thing I miss is the 40 frames of radar and I can get that elsewhere. So I guess I'm saying that I am voting with my pocketbook and my mouse clicks.
THIS
Is
OneDay
fading
away.
farewell
old
friend............
"Please let us know what you think of the new design - it's all for your benefit so we hope you like it!", Reminds me of Nancy Pelosi talking about Obamacare. "Don't worry if it doesn't look right or you don't understand it, you'll see its for your own good."
This is what happens when people have a job that is unnecessary. They try to validate it by growing and changing their department so that it looks indispensable. I've done this myself.
Fortunately Wunderground has some pretty good competition, especially from some of the small wx sites all over the net. Hope this reminds them they can always be replaced. If only we could remind the National Weather Service that they could be replaced.
Keeping the old interface but with no updates for new features wasn't a good enough option to deserve a renewal.
Sadly WU are STILL fiddling with the old "classic" version in order to make it month by month more and more difficult to use. They have stopped showing us the temperature in all our favourite places at the side - this also has to be clicked on specially (and thus provides them with "more clicks" and the illusion of getting more potential advertising revenue while insulting the intelligence of faithful users).
Please continue with the only way forward - criticism and indication of people who are doing it better - when WU screws up then they have no excuse for continuing their screw-up - they KNOW now that this "adjustment" is not effective, and so should concentrate on doing something else in order to make their money - not pester the ordinary user by making things more difficult for him.
Your suggestion I quote
"voting with their clicks elsewhere.
For me, that's http://www.weatherspark.com -- an actual innovative interface that graphically shows me radar, weather trends, chance of precipitation, cloud cover, temperature (actual v. predicted) graphically, at a glance, for many days in a row, and I don't have to click anything, I didn't have to watch a video to explain how to use it, and why it was done.
"
is a sign that I am not the only one to notice the game that is being used.
Take a look at the new Nobel Prize winners announced today (2012 10 15 23:54 GMT) - do they interest themselves for something as trivial as making bucks? They are looking at how to get the product to the people - something WU should think about again, if they want to survive another few years.
Viewing: 651 - 690
Page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 — Blog Index