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new cache notifications reformatted


Pontiac_CZ

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This is just terrible UI design! There is no new information in the log and, in fact, the "Log:" label used to be a hyperlink to the actual log and no longer is.

 

I don't know who thought this was a good idea, but they are dead wrong. Please change it back!

 

CORRECTION: It was Outlook misbehaving. The "Log:" link still works. I do stand behind the fact that the e-mail is much bigger and no more useful.

Edited by Portera
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yes.. same here .. I use K9email on Android-Samsung-S5mini - and thunderbird on Windows8.1 with 1280/1024. At both devices I could not see anymore all information. The last change (some months ago) on the email notification was a step back on topic "user friendly" reading. But now, you have to scroll a lot.. and .. the new bright green is terrible too. ;-)

 

newemail.jpg

Edited by widdi
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It's almost as if someone decided that the move from plain text to HTML wasn't quite awful enough already...... :sad:

 

(I hadn't noticed this latest uglification, as after the HTML fiasco, I made sure all my notifications go through a filter that strips out all the HTML rubbish and formats them sensibly once again....)

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Not only the new cache notifications, but all watchlist and owner log mails have changed for the worse.

It is very annoying that we have to scroll down in order to read the important thing, which is the log text.

Please omit the ugly banner (or at least move it to the end) and decrease the line spacing. We would really prefer to see the log text, we already know that the mail comes from Geocaching.com!

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Absolutely agree with previous posts. I receive many logs from my caches on daily basis and I am used to read all of them on various devices. Now it is pure hell on a phone to scroll down again and again and less hell on big monitors where I have to enhance a browser window to full size to be able read one-line log without scrolling. And the size: 50-500 bytes log, 13000 - 19000 bytes formatted mail header and footer. :-(

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Absolutely agree with previous posts. I receive many logs from my caches on daily basis and I am used to read all of them on various devices. Now it is pure hell on a phone to scroll down again and again and less hell on big monitors where I have to enhance a browser window to full size to be able read one-line log without scrolling. And the size: 50-500 bytes log, 13000 - 19000 bytes formatted mail header and footer. :-(

Agree too.

Lot of garbage...and relevant informations, log text...far far away :(

Very bad idea.

 

And this green color - eeeeeeeeeeeeeee

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I also think this new style is really unpractical. I don't want to scroll down on my notebook(!) to be able to see the log text.

It is diminishing my "geocaching experience".

Please change it back or (re-)allow an email preference setting to text only.

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I agree with Pontiac_CZ and other.

 

Even on my 24" display it can not display on one screen, unless I set the "zoom level" to 90%.

Optimize it for small mobile-phones display, please! No graphics! Most important information first!

Make data size smaller!

 

I have a solution that will work for some people.

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=336887

 

I do not understand why I have to use complicated procedures, that in a few months will not work, because the GS again changes the structure of email.

 

I would like to undo the sending of logs without HTML, as it once did. E-mails were small, clear.

If someone wants graphics logs, let us the choice whether we want it or not! Simply option on notification if we would like log as plain text or in HTML. Is this so much ???

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Why hasn't Groundspeak answered yet? I have not read any positive post. Neither here nor in other forums.

 

No-one wants this new email design

 

You haven't been here long, have you? :P

 

Most changes, come to think about it, pretty much all changes, are made without input or concern for users. I doubt anything will change just because customers are unhappy.

 

This is the usual sequence of events:

 

1. Groundspeak changes something

2. Customers find the change to be unwanted and not helpful. Many times, the change makes userability more difficult.

3. A forum thread(s) is started to discuss. Questions are asked and issues pointed out.

4. Sometimes a response comes forth from a lackey but it doesn't clear much, if anything, up. For the most part, we don't hear much else.

5. We end up having to live with the change and eventually get somewhat used to it. About that time, another unwanted change comes about.

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This is the usual sequence of events:

 

1. Groundspeak changes something

2. Customers find the change to be unwanted and not helpful. Many times, the change makes userability more difficult.

3. A forum thread(s) is started to discuss. Questions are asked and issues pointed out.

4. Sometimes a response comes forth from a lackey but it doesn't clear much, if anything, up. For the most part, we don't hear much else.

5. We end up having to live with the change and eventually get somewhat used to it. About that time, another unwanted change comes about.

 

That sums it up nicely :ph34r:

 

The changes on the website don't bother me much, my workflow goes through GSAK, minimizing web use. Greasemonkey scripts make the cachepages usable when I need them, Message Center (extra "s" added to "fix" GS's automistake) can be ignored but now e-mail changes are a real PITA.

Makes you wonder...

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I do not understand why I have to use complicated procedures, that in a few months will not work, because the GS again changes the structure of email.

 

I would like to undo the sending of logs without HTML, as it once did. E-mails were small, clear.

If someone wants graphics logs, let us the choice whether we want it or not! Simply option on notification if we would like log as plain text or in HTML. Is this so much ???

 

Then don't. This has been working for me for about 2 years though (whenever the HTML was first added.) So yes, it will break at some point in the future, but this is the best I have to offer.

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Most changes, come to think about it, pretty much all changes, are made without input or concern for users. I doubt anything will change just because customers are unhappy.

 

I think that's unfair and untrue. Unless you happen to work at Groundspeak, you really have no idea what sort of usability testing, focus groups, and input they get from real geocachers. I am very sure that the UX team does get input from real geocachers. Just because we don't have visibility into it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I know how these usability studies run (generically, not specifically to geocaching.com), and I know they target various types of users. I'd love to see comments from a lackey confirming this, but I'll bet anybody a beer that these sorts of changes aren't just tossed in randomly.

 

People that participate in the geocaching forums are almost always the longer term, hard core, and obsessed cachers. They are power users, and will not appreciate changes made to make it easier for new users. I didn't like the original HTML changes 2 years ago, and I don't like the ones made last week. But I accept that I'm not the only user they are targeting.

 

Most comments here are from people caching since 2006 and earlier. I've been caching since 2003, and reviewing since 2006 - I'm in the minority and while I'd love the world to revolve around my process (please!), it doesn't.

 

All that said, I would obviously like to see something different, otherwise I wouldn't have hacked up a script to make this work for me.

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Most changes, come to think about it, pretty much all changes, are made without input or concern for users. I doubt anything will change just because customers are unhappy.

 

I think that's unfair and untrue. Unless you happen to work at Groundspeak, you really have no idea what sort of usability testing, focus groups, and input they get from real geocachers. I am very sure that the UX team does get input from real geocachers. Just because we don't have visibility into it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. I know how these usability studies run (generically, not specifically to geocaching.com), and I know they target various types of users. I'd love to see comments from a lackey confirming this, but I'll bet anybody a beer that these sorts of changes aren't just tossed in randomly.

 

People that participate in the geocaching forums are almost always the longer term, hard core, and obsessed cachers. They are power users, and will not appreciate changes made to make it easier for new users. I didn't like the original HTML changes 2 years ago, and I don't like the ones made last week. But I accept that I'm not the only user they are targeting.

 

Most comments here are from people caching since 2006 and earlier. I've been caching since 2003, and reviewing since 2006 - I'm in the minority and while I'd love the world to revolve around my process (please!), it doesn't.

 

I think that's unfair and untrue.

 

All that said, I would obviously like to see something different, otherwise I wouldn't have hacked up a script to make this work for me.

 

Hacking up a bypass that is rather techie, and only useful for a minority of cachers, shows that there is a major problem. Change for the sake of change is seldom a good idea. Techie thinks it's a good idea. The long-term users think it's a terrible idea. I guess the long-term users do not count? It's so bad that a long-term user/reviewer has to hack up a program to get back to the original???

That says it all: Let's get back to a program that works!

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People that participate in the geocaching forums are almost always the longer term, hard core, and obsessed cachers. They are power users, and will not appreciate changes made to make it easier for new users.

 

What you write might be true for some other changes, but the notifications about logs and new caches are sent for being read. There is certainly no single user regardless of which category the user belongs to for which usability is increased by this current change.

 

Moreover, I think that notifications about new caches and about logs will certainly be more important for those who cache more often and/or own caches.

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I happen to like the new format for notifications. I have slight problems with my vision after a stroke and the white space allows me to see the text more clearly. With the smaller fonts and less white space previously, I had problems picking out specific words. I have been caching since 2003, and the web site has undergone numerous changes. Go to The Wayback Machine to see the Groundspeak site from when I started caching. The green they used then is what they are using in the new notifications.

 

Some people forget that not everybody is up to the newest technology. Broadband is not everywhere, even in the US. I surmise that most people on this site do not use their phone as their main instrument for caching and contacting the web. Groundspeak has to be able to be accessible to them also.

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Call me skeptical, but two words: "Message Center".

 

I'd love to know what subset of the user base was queried about that feature before it was implemented as a fait accompli.

While I agree there likely wasn't any significant polling about the message center, if there had been, it wouldn't have been too difficult to get a positive response. They'd just have to ask things like, "Would you like to attach pictures to messages?", "Would you like the system to send messages that point to the cache page you're reading?", and "Would you like messaging to be easy to use?" and, voila!, you get support for the message center as long as you don't ask whether it would be OK for all those features to be in a completely new facility you have to pull up separately from your existing e-mail systems.

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Call me skeptical, but two words: "Message Center".

 

I'd love to know what subset of the user base was queried about that feature before it was implemented as a fait accompli.

While I agree there likely wasn't any significant polling about the message center, if there had been, it wouldn't have been too difficult to get a positive response. They'd just have to ask things like, "Would you like to attach pictures to messages?", "Would you like the system to send messages that point to the cache page you're reading?", and "Would you like messaging to be easy to use?" and, voila!, you get support for the message center as long as you don't ask whether it would be OK for all those features to be in a completely new facility you have to pull up separately from your existing e-mail systems.

Yes, this is very typical

1666550_orig.jpg

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the new notifications stink. I hate the new green, and all the space in between. In reply to the moderator, I have only been catching for 1.5 years, and I find these changes to be for the worse. I only have basic knowledge of computers, to all this talk about reformatting my email and html and other tech talk is lost on me. I hate that I have to add a click to read logs now on the web page of a cache.

 

Also, is anyone else emailing Groundspeak about the changes, or are just complaining here? I suggest emailing as well. Hopefully someone will listen.

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I only have basic knowledge of computers, to all this talk about reformatting my email and html and other tech talk is lost on me.

 

Understood ... my "solution" is nothing more than a hack for those of us comfortable with making such changes. I don't expect a whole lot of non-tech weenies to use it. Just something I wanted to share since it works for me.

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I only have basic knowledge of computers, to all this talk about reformatting my email and html and other tech talk is lost on me.

 

Understood ... my "solution" is nothing more than a hack for those of us comfortable with making such changes. I don't expect a whole lot of non-tech weenies to use it. Just something I wanted to share since it works for me.

 

Weenie? Oh, i think i was just insulted... :laughing:

 

While i'm ok with computer basics, it's not right that i should have to use a hack to correct a problem i did not initiate. I agree that changes sometimes come about to benefit the "many" and that the "few" get left out in the cold. This is as usual business but in this case, i don't see how this change helps very many. Question, is there a device that this new format displays better on? It doesn't display well on my computer screen so i certainly can't imagine it doing very well on a phone.

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I think that's unfair and untrue.
Call me skeptical, but two words: "Message Center".

 

I'd love to know what subset of the user base was queried about that feature before it was implemented as a fait accompli.

 

Interesting is, that for reviewers is disabled link to message center on treir profile pages.

When it is possible for reviewer, why not for "plebs" ?

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I only have basic knowledge of computers, to all this talk about reformatting my email and html and other tech talk is lost on me.

 

Understood ... my "solution" is nothing more than a hack for those of us comfortable with making such changes. I don't expect a whole lot of non-tech weenies to use it. Just something I wanted to share since it works for me.

 

Unfortunately your solution is not working too... It worked from start, but after couple of hours I've received this message: "Service was initiated in one day more times than allowed".

 

Is somebody from GS reading this topic? It would be great, if there will be at least some official response...

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I only have basic knowledge of computers, to all this talk about reformatting my email and html and other tech talk is lost on me.

 

Understood ... my "solution" is nothing more than a hack for those of us comfortable with making such changes. I don't expect a whole lot of non-tech weenies to use it. Just something I wanted to share since it works for me.

 

Unfortunately your solution is not working too... It worked from start, but after couple of hours I've received this message: "Service was initiated in one day more times than allowed".

 

Is somebody from GS reading this topic? It would be great, if there will be at least some official response...

 

I found out today there is a 100 email per day limit using the google apps script, so if you receive a lot of messages that's probably why it stopped working and you got that message. I'm going to change the script to handle that, but it won't be able to reformat after 100 emails.

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BUG: the "Remove this from my watchlist" link doesn't work, in a TB-discovered-watchlist email. This happens for me in two different browsers in two different OSs. Can't even identify the link inside the message source (without more effort than it's worth) because the entire HTML is compressed. You figure it out.

 

On one browser (Thunderbird, Linux) the text appears as a link (colored, underlined), but clicking it does nothing, as doesn't right-click, open link in browser. On the other (Gmail app, Android), it doesn't even appear as a link.

Text emails please. Has anybody suggested this?

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