Did You Notice Something a Little Different?

Heather K (dentist in my spare time) wrote: "I hate how there are no borders around reviews!!! It is so distracting! Here is a before and after (I happen to have a review up on my computer before the changes)

https://twitter.com/DentistHeath..."

Yeeees, I hated it to!!!!

Don't like. Type is too small. Colors aren't different enough to differentiate between. Very disappointed. On Giveaway pages, when you click on "More," the paragraphs are too skinny and make the text too long.

Please go back to old way!! Thanks for accepting input!!

I'm finding the fonts a bit difficult to read (straining my eyes) - could do with being a bit heavier. Also, the contrast between the normal text and links is barely discernible (and I have no problems with colour-blindness). If it helps to know, I'm using Firefox on Mac OSX.

I don't mind the font but I really dislike the white background feel. I think it has to do with the 'harmonious color palette'.

On my computer it means that everything feels more the same. Which is a problem because now it feels that my eyes have to work more to see different colors.

So yeah not a big fan of the color palette.

Hate, hate, hate the new font. Very difficult to read and the strain from trying to read it is giving me a headache. I really can't understand why anyone would take something that was working beautifully and change it to something that causes eye strain.

I actually like the fonts better now along with everything else, but the extra bright white background is hurting my eyes if I'm on the website for more than a minute or two.

The update solved the problem of blurry type on IE - so much better! I like the look on IE better than Chrome (my default browser). On IE, it's dark black and on Chrome, type is much lighter. I would use IE but for the fact that everything works for me except book pages don't load, even after cleaning my cache. Anyone else experiencing this?

Something that seems out of balance on both sites is that the san serif type in someone's review is teeny-tiny, but then the comments are a jarring contrast in serif type that is much larger. From a design perspective, I would think it should be the opposite.

The all-white background is simply too bright - it hurts my eyes after spending just a few min reading.
The font got enlarged but it is still blurry. Doesn't help eye strain either.

A change of font is always nice. :) Thanks for this!

THANK YOU for fixing the blurriness!

Agreed with most on here, very blurry to read and the font is really hurting my eyes. What was wrong with the previous font?
A website that is all about reading should have a straightforward, easy-to-read font, end of.

Lobstergirl wrote: "Users are what give GR value. Not in some abstract sense, but actual, financial worth. GR would not be worth anything from a financial standpoint without users. Without users GR would just be a book database, and guess what, that already exists: Worldcat, Library of Congress, others.

Also don't forget that GR staffers get paid. It's the GR librarians who are the slaves. "

Here, here! Additionally I pay for my GR usage every time I purchase a book on Amazon or Audible, which is quite frequently.

Hello everybody! Thanks for all your feedback on the changes-- it is much appreciated. The majority of blurred font issues have been addressed, but for those who are still seeing any badly blurred or strange text please send a screenshot through to support (at) goodreads (dot) com. Please include your browser / operating platform details too.

In addition to that, we'd like to let you know that we haven’t changed the background at all, but we are taking your feedback into consideration. Thank you!

Efka wrote: "It's not good. Too bright, and there are problems with letters from other languages, like my native lithuanian - ąčęėįššųųū. They don't look good when posted, the size differs visibly."

Your feedback on these types of characters (ąčęėįššųųū) has been noted.

Samy wrote: "A lot of arabic words in the books data is not seen"

Are you able to please send through some example screenshots (and links) through to support (at) goodreads (dot) com please?

Emily wrote: "As this was an update we made for visual consistency"

It's strange that a change made for "visual consistency" resulted in such a mismash of significantly different sizes of font, and failed to change everything that was the old green into the new blue-green, so now the site is even more visually inconsistent that it was previously.

There's also a problem with non-Latin alphabets: probably your fonts do not support them, so the reviews written, e.g., in Russian look differently; and if the reviewer quotes several words in English they stand out not only in font style but also in size!
All in all, here's my impression: "do you guys know what testing is?"

I find that it is fuzzy and very hard to read.

The bright background and thin lettered font are very hard on the eyes. We're readers and our eyes need all the help they can get.

Please consider emphasizing readability instead of pretty!!

Shaun wrote: "Hello everybody! Thanks for all your feedback on the changes-- it is much appreciated. The majority of blurred font issues have been addressed, but for those who are still seeing any badly blurred ..."

Shaun, due to the lack of header backgrounds/gradients, the background is simply far more solid and oppressive. Before you had contrast via the different elements, and it was easy to distinguish between sections.

When I look at my profile now, it lacks definition. Everything is framed entirely by white. No border for the profile info, no headers that lift themselves off the background, nothing. It is just extremely sterile, and as such also straining the eyes.

So while you haven't changed the white background, you certainly have put a lot more focus on it by taking away other elements.

As a result I already had to apply a user style via my browser to reimplement more visually pleasing headers. It was just unbearable to navigate pages.

I find it more difficult to read...my eyes are old!

The changes since yesterday helped with the blurriness, thank you for that.

Now if I'd just get a nice sans serif main font for the normal text so I wouldn't feel like I'm reading an Austen novel printed in the 50's I'd be a happy camper. ;)
(Why is modernizing more often than not actually quite the opposite?)

I'm not able to invite anyone to any groups. Anyone else have this problem?

My eyes hurt!

Booked wrote: "Maybe it's just me but don't see much difference, only that the font seems smaller? It's ok, i guess."

The app hasn't changed, if you're using that.

can you not? I want to old one back :/

In addition to that, we'd like to let you know that we haven’t changed the background at all, but we are taking your feedback into consideration. Thank you!

In other words, those who find this combination of the background and the new font unreadable shouldn't expect a change?

Even reading a couple of pages of this discussion strains the eyes quite a lot. Thumbs-down to the new font and the white background.

Yay, the font looks fixed! Thank you. :)

I LOVE IT! The new look is so pretty. My eyes are happy :')

Shaun wrote: "Hello everybody! Thanks for all your feedback on the changes-- it is much appreciated. The majority of blurred font issues have been addressed, but for those who are still seeing any badly blurred ..."

There's also a problem with the following letters: č, ć, đ
They vary in size way too much, it's even more noticeable when they're next to each other: čćc dđ

Here's a screenshot: http://prntscr.com/9evbba

مرحبا
أجل أمس..عند ظهور الموقع لاحظت فورا تغيراً ارعبني صدقاً..
إذ اعتقدته فيروسا أو أحد المتطفلين دخل على الحاسوب.

حسناً لسنوات عدة ألفنا شكلاً معينا للموقع،ولطالما فكرت حول لوك - مظهر جديد له..
لكني صراحة لم احس بالملل بشأن الموقع أو شكله إطلاقاً.
..
ولم أرتح للتغيير الجديد بصراحة للأسف، أعتذر
ربما تعودنا على شئ خلال هذا الوقت الطويل وصار من الصعب
البدء من جديد للتعود على شئ آخر..لكنها ليست الحقيقة.فهذا التغيير بعينه من لم يرق لي.

شكراً

Emily wrote: "To clarify, we did rounds of testing on our side, but couldn't do a beta test on the live site."

Beta testing on the live site isn't the only option for beta testing with actual site users.

What GR could do is create a test version of the site (and I'd bet they already have) and beta test there with actual GR users.

I think you should add the option to choose between a light or dark background, because the new look is way too bright in my opinion.

i love the new styling! it's beautiful and refreshing. ;) thanks!

MrsJoseph wrote: "HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE"

Ewwwww

I'm finding it harder to read. Generally I can read a computer screen easily without glasses, this new font style has push my need for aid right to the limit. The letters/words are a little fuzzy. I don't think I'm going to like this new change.

Not a fan. Hate the font, hate the green colour that seems to be everywhere now. I also notice my screen's glow a lot more, which has never bothered me before. Maybe because it contrasts less with the green than with the black?

I've said it before: To make everyone happy, you could implement a "classic goodreads look". That way the fangirls can love the change, and everyone else can have things back to no-eye-pain normal.

Oh, and by the way, Emily, dear, please add a way to access polls more easily!

I agree with many of the comments...font too small and close together.....need to zoom in all the time now. Very uncomfortable on the eyes. Bummer.

Sandi wrote: "I've said it before: To make everyone happy, you could implement a "classic goodreads look". That way the fangirls can love the change, and everyone else can have things back to no-eye-pain normal. "

I'd go for that. Seconded!

Actually white background with this type of font do really hurt my eyes, can't read anymore. Please do something with it. Could there be some possibility for those who can't bear this new harshly bright design to change it into the old one? Or probably just tone in darker?

Thanks for quickly addressing most of the rendering issues; it's much easier to read now than it was when you first deployed. My "Currently Reading" box on the front page is still tough to read, as is anything similarly sized in Merriweather. I think Chrome really doesn't like the font.

I like dark blue (dark teal?) font color, too. But something is making the background seem particularly glaring. I still have a few tabs of old-Goodreads loaded, and when I compare them, I can see there's no actual difference in the background color, but I think that with the way all the sections sort of bleed together now, my mind is tricking me into seeing the white as brighter; with nothing cutting it, it glares a bit. Between that and the thinner font, it's going to take a lot of adjusting.

I also really miss the "tab look" for updates and discussions.

The green.. I want the old green back.. The page feels so boring like this, and dead. Boring and dead

I logged in and for a minute I was like "what the f...?!" but now I really like it for some reason!
It's different, it's cool, modern and more pleasing to the eye, in my opinion.
Still needs a bit improvement, but at least you changed something! :P

Thank you for the update since yesterday-it looks better, still not my favorite choice of font though. I appreciate you guys taking our feedback into consideration!

Great work! Really modern and light. The focus is the content. Thank you!

Shaun wrote: "Hello everybody! Thanks for all your feedback on the changes-- it is much appreciated. The majority of blurred font issues have been addressed, but for those who are still seeing any badly blurred ..."

Do you mind if I send some other feedback with the screenshots?
With all respect you do need our feedback, seriously I am writing this comment in Word and copy+pasting.

It became very high contrast and bright - it's very hard to look at the screen with this new development.

Don't mind the colors or the layout changes, but the fonts are horrible!
I can barely read the screens -- they are blurred and unclear, I can feel my eyes struggling to focus (and failing), and are very hard to read.
With it being so hard on my eyes to look at the screen, I don't want to linger on site the way I did before.

Eilonwy wrote: "Sandi wrote: "I've said it before: To make everyone happy, you could implement a "classic goodreads look". That way the fangirls can love the change, and everyone else can have things back to no-ey..."

This a fab idea. New look, particularly the tiny font, is not good at all for people with sight issues. Very uncomfortable to read in the new format.