Geocache website navigation

[2milehighwalker]

I have been a subscriber to the Geocache webpage for a few years and find it to be one of the most difficult to navigate. I have requested consideration to simplify the navigation. I'm sure it could be made easier to move around the site with some modifications. What do you think!

[+Lil Devil]

Specifically what modifications would you like to see?

[+stepshep]

I have been a subscriber to the Geocache webpage for a few years and find it to be one of the most difficult to navigate. I have requested consideration to simplify the navigation. I'm sure it could be made easier to move around the site with some modifications. What do you think!

 

Simpler? In what way?

[+Semper Questio]

I find it pretty easy although it isn't intuitive. I could see a tutorial being developed for n00bs. Something more visual since folks, going by repeated questions posted in these forums, won't read the abundant FAQ's.

[+Prime Suspect]

Specifically what modifications would you like to see?

I guess we'll have to wait for him to figure out how to get back to the forums, before we find out.

[+stepshep]

May I suggest this training course?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/course/coursemenu.shtml

[+Team Sieni]

I must say there are a few things that could be improved a little. Nothing that I'm going to lose any sleep over, though. And maybe some of these are just me being obtuse.

 

F'rinstance ...

 

To get to the route page http://www.geocaching.com/my/userroutes.aspx you have to go first to "my details" (http://www.geocaching.com/my) then to member features, then to Pocket Query Generator, then to find caches along a route.

 

To get to my bookmarks page (http://www.geocaching.com/bookmarks/) it's a similar trek, via "my details", and member features again.

 

Yet watchlists are straight off the "my details" page - nice and easy.

 

The "Geocaches" link on "my details" takes you to ... not a list of geocaches (as you see on the profile page) but a calendar to see logs. A nice feature but the navigation is not at all logical.

 

Then there's the overlap between what you see on the profile page, and what you see on "My details" which seems a right mess. Why two areas? Why not one profile area, and all private features are hidden if you look at someone else's profile.

 

Just minor things, that have resulted from the organic growth of the site. As I say, nothing to lose sleep over, but often a little frustrating when I can't remember how to get to some area of the site that I rarely use.

[jeff.doyle]

My main beef as a new user (regular not Premium) is I have gone to allot of trouble to register, provide accurate user profile information and last but not least >*home coordinates*<.

 

My problem is with site navigation as it pertains to the "Hide Search" *function*. I find it extremely annoying that after you enter your search (home) coordinates and click on the various bits of info you have to hit the back button continuously, inevitably bringing one back to a page where one is not logged in. This is a site security navigation issue for me.

 

What I really need is a button that says, "Return To Search Results".

 

Overall I think the site is pretty good. There is much room for improvement . . .

Edited August 11, 2007 by jeff.doyle

[+Moosiegirl]

My main beef as a new user (regular not Premium) is I have gone to allot of trouble to register, provide accurate user profile information and last but not least >*home coordinates*<.

 

My problem is with site navigation as it pertains to the "Hide Search" *function*. I find it extremely annoying that after you enter your search (home) coordinates and click on the various bits of info you have to hit the back button continuously, inevitably bringing one back to a page where one is not logged in. This is a site security navigation issue for me.

 

What I really need is a button that says, "Return To Search Results".

 

Overall I think the site is pretty good. There is much room for improvement . . .

 

Could you possibly give a chronological detail of your actions that take you back to "a page where one is not logged in"? I would have thought that your cookie would have taken care of that. Maybe it's a matter of forcing a refresh on that page (Shift-reload or Shift-refresh)? Now, if you don't accept the cookie that keeps you logged in, I have no sympathy!

 

Happy Trails!

[+Dizzley]

I have been a subscriber to the Geocache webpage for a few years and find it to be one of the most difficult to navigate. I have requested consideration to simplify the navigation. I'm sure it could be made easier to move around the site with some modifications. What do you think!

 

I have to agree. There are plenty of pages it would be logical to jump to from anywhere but it generally means a hop to the "my" page. Why?

 

Example: I'm browsing a cache page and want to build a pocket query.

 

It is normally helpful practice to have consistent navigation on 99% of a site's pages. If you have hung around a site for a few months or years you never notice these quirks.

 

Constructive criticism I hope...

[+Nakedbamboo]

I would like to see the ability of being able to search for caches by ID from another cache's page. For example I do a lot of looking up different caches based on google maps, and every time I have to go back to the Hide/Find Caches page. It would be nice if the cache page template included the search by waypoint id option at the top or side or something.

[+Miragee]

I would like to see the ability of being able to search for caches by ID from another cache's page. For example I do a lot of looking up different caches based on google maps, and every time I have to go back to the Hide/Find Caches page. It would be nice if the cache page template included the search by waypoint id option at the top or side or something.

If you are using a tabbed browser, you could leave this page open all the time.

 

I keep many of the pages I refer to frequently, such as "My Account" page, the PQ List page, and My Owned Items, open as separate tabs, so getting to them is convenient.

[jeff.doyle]

I would like to see the ability of being able to search for caches by ID from another cache's page. For example I do a lot of looking up different caches based on google maps, and every time I have to go back to the Hide/Find Caches page. It would be nice if the cache page template included the search by waypoint id option at the top or side or something.

If you are using a tabbed browser, you could leave this page open all the time.

 

I keep many of the pages I refer to frequently, such as "My Account" page, the PQ List page, and My Owned Items, open as separate tabs, so getting to them is convenient.

 

Thanks, that's helpful

[jeff.doyle]

My main beef as a new user (regular not Premium) is I have gone to allot of trouble to register, provide accurate user profile information and last but not least >*home coordinates*<.

 

My problem is with site navigation as it pertains to the "Hide Search" *function*. I find it extremely annoying that after you enter your search (home) coordinates and click on the various bits of info you have to hit the back button continuously, inevitably bringing one back to a page where one is not logged in. This is a site security navigation issue for me.

 

What I really need is a button that says, "Return To Search Results".

 

Overall I think the site is pretty good. There is much room for improvement . . .

 

Could you possibly give a chronological detail of your actions that take you back to "a page where one is not logged in"? I would have thought that your cookie would have taken care of that. Maybe it's a matter of forcing a refresh on that page (Shift-reload or Shift-refresh)? Now, if you don't accept the cookie that keeps you logged in, I have no sympathy!

 

Happy Trails!

 

Thanks, maybe I will accept the cookie for this site . . .

[+Kauilamermaid]

My main beef as a new user (regular not Premium) is I have gone to allot of trouble to register, provide accurate user profile information and last but not least >*home coordinates*<.

 

My problem is with site navigation as it pertains to the "Hide Search" *function*. I find it extremely annoying that after you enter your search (home) coordinates and click on the various bits of info you have to hit the back button continuously, inevitably bringing one back to a page where one is not logged in. This is a site security navigation issue for me.

 

What I really need is a button that says, "Return To Search Results".

 

Overall I think the site is pretty good. There is much room for improvement . . .

 

Could you possibly give a chronological detail of your actions that take you back to "a page where one is not logged in"? I would have thought that your cookie would have taken care of that. Maybe it's a matter of forcing a refresh on that page (Shift-reload or Shift-refresh)? Now, if you don't accept the cookie that keeps you logged in, I have no sympathy!

Happy Trails!

 

 

Thanks, maybe I will accept the cookie for this site . . .

 

I need help with putting a picture in the body of the description of the cache I want to have listed. Can anyone tell me where to look for this guidance? Thank you.

[+Miragee]

You need to use HTML in your cache description to get a picture to appear. I often upload those pictures to this page.

 

This is a helpful page for simple HTML codes.

[+Kauilamermaid]

You need to use HTML in your cache description to get a picture to appear. I often upload those pictures to this page.

 

This is a helpful page for simple HTML codes.

 

Thank you, that was a lot of help! I appreciate your time. Aloha.

[+Sternenkriegerin + geo_tom]

Simpler? In what way?

 

I find it a bit strange that the site has a left navigation bar and several different top and right navigation bars. The left bar is the only one that stays, but it's also the least useful one and contains that some cachers may never use (like "Find Benchmark").

 

I regularly mess up the way to the page with the found coin icons:

- My Account

- DO NOT CLICK on "Travel Bugs (Mine)" in the top navigation

- Click on the stat's image in the right navigation bar

- NOW click on "trackable" in the top navigation

 

Especially the two different (but somewhat similar) top navigation bars for your own data are confusing...

 

How about integrating everything into an expandable left bar structure?

Example: http://www.udm4.com/demos/expanding-multiple.php

[+FireRef]

I do agree that it is definitely not intiutive in terms of how to navagate - I've talked 2 n00bies through the site, and it is difficult to explain why something is where it is.

 

Nothing is perfect, but I have heard they are working on redoing the site... But then that means the rest of us need to learn how to do it all over again...

[+Glenn]

I agree but don't move things are to quickly or those of us who are used to where thing are now will trouble finding there they have gone.

[+Hynr]

Maybe a picture could help to illustrate how the navigation might be better:

Still plenty of room in the frame for the advertisement.

[+infiniteMPG]

As an owner of several hundred caches I think one of my 'beefs' with the geocaching website is when a user is looking at a cache listing and they click on the cache owner name, it goes to the profile page and then they do a "send message". There is no tagging the name of the cache they are writing about in the message so they go on and on and when the cache owner receives it, they have to write back and ask what cache the people are writing about. The message comes thru to the owner just like any other message yet often it is an issue with a cache that needs pretty immediate attention.

 

It would be nice to add a button to "Contact Owner" or something like that on the webpage listing for each cache and send a message with a specific topic or subject line about that specific cache in the message. When the origin of a message is from the cache page, the users think that the owner is getting a message and will know it's about the cache that they sent the message from. Not the way it works.

[+infiniteMPG]

Oh yeah, as far as the GUI goes for cache pages, there is a link for "Make this page print-friendly (no logs)" but now when you get that 'printer friendly' page I can't seem to find a way to SHOW some previous logs. And it's also a little 'hidden' where the -decrypt- link is over the code key and not near the encrypted hint, it's just lucky that someone figures out that's how to decrypt the code on the other side of the screen.

 

And the maps are a little confusing now. You used to get a MapQuest map and it showed the cache by itself as the location on the map in a new window. You 'could' seek all nearby caches and show multiple caches on a single map but the MapQuest map allowed you to single out the one cache to print out if you wanted. Now you have to use the right table to figure out which of the many markers on the map is the cache you were looking for.

 

You also have several ways to show maps. The upper right inset map is a map view that looks like it's 20-30 miles across. If you click on it you get a map pop up that looks like it's about 2,000-feet across and no way to zoom or navigate. If you hit BACK it not only closes the map but bounces you out of the cache listing page. Don't see much benifit in the pop up map, too tight a zoom and without navigation it doesn't float my boat.

 

Then under the Send To GPS, Send To Phone buttons it says "(view map)" which brings up the same map as the links at the bottom. These maps can get confusing in geocache congested areas as it does not appear you can turn the icons for caches on or off so you're looking at all the caches in the area and not just the one.

 

The map insert at the bottom has numbers under it labelled 1 thru 10. No explaination of what they mean or represent. They're different map views but no telling what you're getting until you click on them. At least when you're in the printer friendly view the map says things like "street", "city" and "state" so you kind of know what you're getting.

 

Maybe I'm just not used to it yet but I think I preferred the old webpage layout and mapping. Also having so many ways to display a map seems confusing and may be a hurdle for someone not used to the site to navigate thru. Hate to think we loose anyone because of navigation problems with their mouse and not their GPS.

 

My 2-cents.

Edited August 13, 2007 by infiniteMPG

[+stepshep]

As an owner of several hundred caches I think one of my 'beefs' with the geocaching website is when a user is looking at a cache listing and they click on the cache owner name, it goes to the profile page and then they do a "send message". There is no tagging the name of the cache they are writing about in the message so they go on and on and when the cache owner receives it, they have to write back and ask what cache the people are writing about. The message comes thru to the owner just like any other message yet often it is an issue with a cache that needs pretty immediate attention.

 

It would be nice to add a button to "Contact Owner" or something like that on the webpage listing for each cache and send a message with a specific topic or subject line about that specific cache in the message. When the origin of a message is from the cache page, the users think that the owner is getting a message and will know it's about the cache that they sent the message from. Not the way it works.

 

I like that, kind of like how ebay runs.

 

Maybe a selction on the right hand navigation: Send Owner a Message, with a drop down on the next page: Needs Maitenance, Overall Disgust, Overall Praise, General. When the message then arrived to the cache owner it would have a subject line: [GEO] Message from CacherXYZ concerning GC##### (Cache Name)

[+Miragee]

As an owner of several hundred caches I think one of my 'beefs' with the geocaching website is when a user is looking at a cache listing and they click on the cache owner name, it goes to the profile page and then they do a "send message". There is no tagging the name of the cache they are writing about in the message so they go on and on and when the cache owner receives it, they have to write back and ask what cache the people are writing about. The message comes thru to the owner just like any other message yet often it is an issue with a cache that needs pretty immediate attention.

 

It would be nice to add a button to "Contact Owner" or something like that on the webpage listing for each cache and send a message with a specific topic or subject line about that specific cache in the message. When the origin of a message is from the cache page, the users think that the owner is getting a message and will know it's about the cache that they sent the message from. Not the way it works.

This is a great idea! As stepshep mentions, it could be like eBay where you can send the listing owner a message linked to that specific listing.

[+Miragee]

Maybe a picture could help to illustrate how the navigation might be better:

Still plenty of room in the frame for the advertisement.

Boy, that would be great for people like me who have slow dialup connections. To be able to get directly to a cache page, or the Trackable page, without having to wait for another page to reload, would be great!

[+infiniteMPG]

Definitely agree on the contact link button. Often it's a day or two before the cache owner and the cacher can get on track with what cache is in question and that's valuable cachin' time! Many times a cacher wants to send the owner a note but not include it in the log and I prefer it that way. If someone says something about access or maintenance needs with a hide and they put it in the log it might discourage people from looking for it. Where if they drop a note to the cache owner it gives us a chance to fix it behind the scenes and keep everyone looking sunny and bright. But it kind of helps to know WHICH cache they're talking about so that contact button would be a BIG help.

[+Prime Suspect]

Maybe a picture could help to illustrate how the navigation might be better:

Still plenty of room in the frame for the advertisement.

There's no reason to have individual entry fields (except for geocacher). The system can figure out what they are.

Edited August 13, 2007 by Prime Suspect

[+Hynr]

There's no reason to have individual entry fields (except for geocacher). The system can figure out what they are.

Technically true, but this approach does serve to tell the user that the expected entry is a code and not the name (nor some other possibility).

[+Nakedbamboo]

One thing that is slightly annoying when I click in the "Visit another listing" box after logging a find. The box starts out filled with GCxxxx. When you click in it, the x's disappear, but then your cursur jumps to the beginning of the box before the GC. This also happens in the box on the right side of the home page. The concept is good to leave the GC, but stop the cursur after it not before it. Otherwise, I have to make 2 clicks in the box or my waypoint name will end in GC everytime. If this is not possible, just erase the whole box.

Thanks