New Navigation Bar on Goodreads

Hannah wrote: "Liz wrote: "Please figure out a way to mark Re-Reads of books and have them count towards the yearly goal!!!"

I'd like that, too!"

Me 3!

Ed wrote: "Just like supermarkets who move items around every month so you spend more time looking for what you want. "

They do that so that you end up walking through the whole shop and "find" other things to buy - not just the items on the shopping list.

Kate wrote: "There is no "Home" tab......one has to click on GoodReads on the left corner. Why was it taken out? (rhetorical question - no reply needed)"

You wouldn't get a reply anyway. It seems that the only comments that are being replied to are the ones asking for some kind of technical help on the new navigation system. Otherwise, everyone's other complaints are being ignored once again.

Lindsay wrote: "Well, yes. But not everyone is 22. Or even 46. And explore-and-learn doesn't work as well when you've either not grown up with computers like you and I have, or when you've got the shoulder-demon s..."

Very well stated. I'm one of those who is always afraid I'm going to blow up the computer if I press the wrong thing.

I just miss the Home-Button

Trish wrote: "Oh, and while you're at it: if I tell you I want to see ALL posts/reviews/comments/likes/whatever from ALL of my friends, then I mean ALL OF THEM! No filtering!
Thanks.
Sincerely,
a sobbing user "

Yes, stop filtering our feeds!!!!

And what the hell have you did with the e-book-section?? Where are the free e-books?

Good!! The previous user interface was cumbersome and less than intuitive. Looking forward to improvements!!

Why?

The film was already good before it got the colorized version.

Star Wars was already good before it became New Hope and a Special Treatment.

Seriously, inside every George Lucas lives a little IT geek. They add no value.

I am just one of the few who will speak up. The majority of quiet ones will leave. It is known

Jenny wrote: "I just miss the Home-Button"

Click the goodreads button on the left

Dytana wrote: "What happened to the list of your friends. Would like to have my friends list back. Where can I find it at."

Click the Circle far right second option

Amber wrote: "Hannah wrote: "Liz wrote: "Please figure out a way to mark Re-Reads of books and have them count towards the yearly goal!!!"

I'd like that, too!"

Me 3!"

you already can, mark a book as reading as usual and then mark it as finished and it will turn up in your challenge.

Please people, you are not idiots and your computer is not going to blow up if you click around, nothing will change if you hit cancel or back instead of OK. "but I'm older" is no excuse, it's simply wanting things handed to you instead of taking the time to learn new things. All that's happened in this update is that a few things have moved on the bars and the site has been made to look a tiny bit more modern, it is not the end of the world.

Elentarri wrote: "Ed wrote: "Just like supermarkets who move items around every month so you spend more time looking for what you want. "

They do that so that you end up walking through the whole shop and "find" ot..."

That too.

Learnin Curve: That's NOT what the three of us are asking for! We're asking for a button that you can click that SPECIFICALLY says "THIS IS A REREAD."

I do not like this new look. Thought was much easier the way it was. I am very frustrated with it. Not happy at all. :-(

Learnin Curve wrote: "Please people, you are not idiots and your computer is not going to blow up if you click around, nothing will change if you hit cancel or back instead of OK."

I've just been called an idiot. Lol.

Mine popped up this morning. I actually really like it! I think it looks much more streamlined, but everything is nearly where it was so there's not too much of a learning curve. I think it's well done.

No, I said people on here are not idiots, unless you truly believe that you will blow your computer up if you click randomly on a website navigation bar, in which case there is no hope, and if you really want your computer to be safe then you should click on the circle on the far right and then select the bottom option.

Oh no. I don't like it at all.

I like it a lot. The design is super chic and modern. I'm excited for it!!

I like the new layout. It makes some things easier....a few opportunities to fix up clunkiness have been missed but overall it's probably a nett gain.

I'd rather have an option for half stars!

I figured it out. ha ha Click on 'goodreads', it takes you back home for other people slow to 'get it'.

How do we get back to the home page easily now, without having to leave the page? Before you could click at the top of the page.
Thank you.

Claire wrote: "I'd rather have an option for half stars!"

Yes!!!!
Members have been asking for it for years, but Goodreads thinks we're too stupid to work it out. We're smart enough to work out the god-awful GR Choice Awards but giving us the option of a half star will send us into hysterics.

Loving it.

Is there a way to change my nav bar back? This new format sucks and the old one was way easier to navigate

Just want to say that I have played with the new navigation bar for a while and I like it. Don't get all of the complaints. As long as my books are still in the same place and I know where to get where, I'm happy.

κικκι. I'm in love without ever having seen your face wrote: "Is there a way to change my nav bar back? This new format sucks and the old one was way easier to navigate"

Sorry to say, it's not a choice. GR are following current trends in website design. I don't think it's an improvement to the website so much as a cosmetic makeover. I've had a play with it and most of the functionality is still there and reasonably easy to access.

Licha wrote: "I've just been called an idiot. Lol. "

The fact that the complete opposite was said and you took it as you being called an idiot is kinda sad. Learnin Curve was saying that no one is an idiot, every other person that uses a computer, even people as young as me that have grown up around computers had to learn how to use them by doing. We were never given instructions on how to use a computer we clicked around and learned it for ourselves and Learnin Curve is saying that anyone should text the new navigation bar by doing just that, clicking around.

I like it just the way it was.

Is it just me, or does every new change just aim to make the site look more and more generic? Simple little things like the book spines header that has now vanished were essential parts of giving GR a unique look. It's just getting more and more bland... not a fan of this trend.

Functionality-wise it's fine, a bit huge on the desktop IMO (whyyy is everything aimed at touchscreens?), but oh well. I do like that it remains visible when scrolling down, but that's pretty much the only actual improvement over the old version. The ginormous drop-down thingy that pops up when you hover over "browse" is driving me nuts, though.

F.P. wrote: "I keep looking over the article above, but I don't see any links (?). (I, too, am having more trouble reading the text here since the changes.) Is there a link somewhere to test the navigation beta..."

Yes, there's a wall for Mexicans.

Caronte wrote: "I come from Mexico and y can't see anything. The bar is just for USA?"

Yes, there is a wall for Mexicans. ^^

I have no problem with the Navigation Bar. The things that I have a problem with are the fact that of all the websites that I visit, Goodreads is by far the slowest to load.

Also, regarding recommendations, Not a single one of these that have popped up as a result of my reading a book has been relevant to me. I have nothing against American authors but I just like supporting and reading British authors, some well known but a great many less so. However, every single recommendation that I have had have been books, vaguely within my reading genres, all by American authors. If recommendations are given then surely they should be linked not only to the genre but also to the authors that I read. That way I might be encouraged to read some of the books recommended. If I have books on my Kindle, Amazon manages to make relevant recommendations so why can't Goodreads?

Vickie wrote: "The website looks no different when compared to the white background in my documents. Learn to change your brightness settings, it's pretty basic..."

I've been adjusting my brightness settings for weeks (or is it months) ever since the redesign went into effect. Even so, my eyes hurt when I spend more than about 1/2 hour on GR. This never happened on any other website, ever, regardless of the background color of the website. For some reason the GR white is just really, really, really bright white. Some days my eyes start tearing up and I have to turn off the computer. I've tried every combination of screen dimming, overhead lighting, task lighting, and there is still something about the GR white background that hurts my eyes. Many other people have said the same thing.

Asking again: can you please make the book recommendation in the BROWSE dropdown box go away?

I don't want recommendations shoved in my face. I don't want them, I never have, I never will.

Denise wrote: "Is it just me, or does every new change just aim to make the site look more and more generic? Simple little things like the book spines header that has now vanished were essential parts of giving G..."

It really started when apple updated their apple OS a few years ago to reflect the new trend in web design which was to make everything very flat crisp and clear, which does look very good on a tablet with a smaller screen as things like cute book ends tend to take up space needed by other things. Header bars are also better moving when you scroll on a tablet, and it's easier to navigate from the bar if you can touch once and have a larger drop down box that stays there. The old goodreads site although not myspace levels of out of date was looking worn around the edges.

Goodreads and Amazon are one, Amazon sell tablets and a lot of books via other people's tablets therefore it makes perfect sense for this update to be geared towards them. People using a mac or PC may not like it but technology is a fluid thing, they can't "keep it the way it was" (as other people have been asking for) because very quickly the way it was won't work properly over all formats or will look very dated and you will end up with people leaving the site.

In summery. You have to keep up with the times or the majority will leave the site.

Ugh, I don't know. First impression: Help, WTF, it's all different and confusing and why do you keep fixing stuff that isn't broke instead of fixing what needs fixing... I'll get used to it eventually, but right now it's all a bit much and I'll need time to get used to stuff...

Learnin Curve wrote: "You have to keep up with the times or the majority will leave the site. .."

A lot of people have left the site, in two waves - the big censorship event of several years ago, and the redesign of a few months ago.

Here's the thing: people always came to GR because it was a site for books and readers. That's its core mission - not looking modern, looking clean, trendy, looking Apple-like. As long as GR did its core mission well, helping people catalog their book collections, keep track of their reading, make bookish friends, no one was going to leave because people who attracted to bookish things are not frivolous.

If people leave a book site because it doesn't look super trendy, OMG the avatars are square rather than round, off I go, I'm irritated by the duplicativeness of both a HOME link and a goodreads link, I'm gone, those people are not really interested in books to begin with.

Fun thing:

None of the genres listed under "favourite genres" is one of my favourite genres. So what's the point?

Also: why do you restrict to 10 the list of books being read on the front page? Wouldn't it be trivial to extend it, as your mobile app does? That's truly annoying, you know? Some of us read more than 10 books at the same time (well, not quite at the same time; we hop from book to book) on occasion, you know? I, for one, am in the middle of 12 books at the moment... and yet I can't interact with, update, whatever, two of them on the web. Why?

That's the streamlining I'd like to see, to be honest. Not stuff that is mostly cosmetic.

Lobstergirl wrote: "Vickie wrote: "The website looks no different when compared to the white background in my documents. Learn to change your brightness settings, it's pretty basic..."

I've been adjusting my brightne..."

I have EXACTLY the same problem as Lobsterfgirl. It's ONLY Goodreads I have a problem with, I can look at White word documents or other websites for hours and be fine but within 10 minutes of scrolling through goodreads my head starts pounding.

I still don't have the new toolbar & quite frankly I don't really care about that, I'm sure I'll get used to it in time & as long as I can still find the pages I want I don't really care what the buttons look like or what they're called.

My whole issue is that I can't spend time here anymore without suffering migraines. I miss chatting with my friends, reading their reviews & following their updates. I tried changing settings on my browser, I tried reducing my screen brightness but all that does is make every other thing I attempt to do on my laptop pretty much impossible. I shouldn't HAVE to edit settings every time I come here & then edit them back when I leave. In what world can that possibly be user friendly?

People who are saying this isn't the place to discuss that issue I get your point I really do BUT I've been reporting this to goodreads since DECEMBER in multiple places and haven't had a single response. I've watched others say the same thing over and over and over again until I'm sick of hearing about it BUT they don't respond even to tell us tough shit find another website to join. I'm sick of feeling ignored. I may be a small fry reviewer compared to many but I've been a member for 6 years and I've posted over 2000 reviews in that time, I used to be regularly in the top librarians list for taking the time to edit incorrect information on books & I'm in the best 50 reviews list for the UK.

USERS provide goodreads with its most important content and they can't be bothered to respond to any bugs that we tell them about. I've spent countless hours helping to build this site and I feel like they're shitting all over me so forgive me for being vocal about it. Ranting makes me feel slightly better even when I know there's a snowballs chance in hell of them actually listening to me :-(

Elka wrote: "I figured it out. ha ha Click on 'goodreads', it takes you back home for other people slow to 'get it'.

How do we get back to the home page easily now, without having to leave the page? Before you..."

Yes! It took me a few minutes to figure it out.

I genuinely have no problem. So either there's something broke in your computer or your browser settings.

I am going to question the age of people who don't realise that the goodreads logo at the top corner is a home button. This is the same on practically EVERY WEBSITE. Come on guys! :'D

Lobstergirl wrote: "Vickie wrote: "The website looks no different when compared to the white background in my documents. Learn to change your brightness settings, it's pretty basic..."

I've been adjusting my brightne..."

There is no such thing as a brighter white on a website, no really honestly truly, there is just one shade of white and it's white and this website is as white as the background on my documents or google. Nor can a website change monitor settings, it just can't, windows, iOS or anti-virus programs would go nuts and start throwing up warnings and block the site if it tried to. People who know about computers are all screaming at the screen when people who proudly say they know nothing about computers keep posting that it's the new white giving them headaches.

Turn the brightness down, and this is important. If you are still getting headaches with the brightness turned down then you may have a problem with your eyes. It is possible that your glasses prescription is out. Headaches off a computer screen should always be a one way trip to an Optician no matter what you think the cause is, it could be that your eyes are sensitive to the invisible screen flicker on monitors, and this change has highlighted a previously hidden problem with eye strain that could make your vision worse over time.

also as I have posted before you can turn the page sepia or purple if you wish simply by installing this addon on firefox. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-GB/fire...

As I said in the thread on the GR Feedback group, I don't like the new navigation bar. Though it's not as horrible as the UI "improvements" of December.

Yet we still don't have features that members have been requesting for five years or more.

Vickie wrote: "I genuinely have no problem. So either there's something broke in your computer or your browser settings.

I am going to question the age of people who don't realise that the goodreads logo at the..."

Ahem!! I'm in the prime of life and mentally fit thank you very much!
And it's not that way on practically EVERY WEBSITE. ;)

Learnin Curve wrote: "There is no such thing as a brighter white on a website, no really honestly truly, there is just one shade of white and it's white and this website is as white as the background on my documents or google. Nor can a website change monitor settings, it just can't, windows, iOS or anti-virus programs would go nuts and start throwing up warnings and block the site if it tried to. People who know about computers are all screaming at the screen when people who proudly say they know nothing about computers keep posting that it's the new white giving them headaches.

Turn the brightness down, and this is important. If you are still getting headaches with the brightness turned down then you may have a problem with your eyes. It is possible that your glasses prescription is out. Headaches off a computer screen should always be a one way trip to an Optician no matter what you think the cause is, it could be that your eyes are sensitive to the invisible screen flicker on monitors, and this change has highlighted a previously hidden problem with eye strain that could make your vision worse over time. ."

Clearly you haven't read every single complaint by many, many multiple people (I'm guessing hundreds?) since the redesign. Go read the threads in Feedback Group. Read the blog post announcing the redesign. Many people experienced eyestrain IMMEDIATELY after the redesign happened. Sure, maybe their eyes were already deteriorating and were just waiting for some event to trigger them noticing that their eyes were deteriorating. If that's the case, the triggering event was THE REDESIGN.

The new fonts were a big part of the problem - they were so thin and faint that people could not read them. The font in combination with the white background was causing the eyestrain.

GR improved the appearance of the fonts (somewhat at least), but for many users the eyestrain did not go away.

You acknowledge that the white background is the same on GR, on word documents, on other websites. So why do you think it is that people have no problems, no eyestrain, on all those other websites, on all those other documents, ONLY with Goodreads? There has to be a reason. People are not imagining their eye problems. Nobody thinks GR is adjusting our monitors, so don't throw that strawman in there.

I think a lot of people are complaining simply because the old layout was familiar to them and this one, clearly, is not. I, for example, had a mild meltdown when I couldn't locate the "popular" list for a few moments. I like it though, it's very minimalistic and seems easy to use.

Vickie wrote: "I genuinely have no problem. So either there's something broke in your computer or your browser settings.

I am going to question the age of people who don't realise that the goodreads logo at the..."

Rude and unpleasant.

You know what's really passé, are enormous dropdowns that activate on mouseover (both intentional and accidental) and cover 2/3 of your screen.

The BROWSE dropdown needs to go away.

Jorge wrote: "None of the genres listed under "favourite genres" is one of my favourite genres. So what's the point?"

Favorite genres are selected by members when they first join. It's possible you've moved on from the genres you initially chose. You can update your favorite genres by going to Browse > Recommendations. Pass your mouse over "How to Improve your Recommendations" at the top and a screen will open up. Click on "Get Specific About Your Favorite Genres".

I like it because you do not have to scroll all the way to the top to refresh.

Ian wrote: "Favorite genres are selected by members when they first join. It's possible you've moved on from the genres you initially chose. You can update your favorite genres by going to Browse > Recommendations. Pass your mouse over "How to Improve your Recommendations" at the top and a screen will open up. Click on "Get Specific About Your Favorite Genres"."

Maybe I haven't selected favourite genres at all when I joined in... maybe there wasn't that possibility at the time, even (I genuinely don't recall; I've been around for more than half a decade, so it's been a while since I went to do some archaelogical diggings in my account settings).

However, I do read stuff, and the stuff I read is tagged and those tags are used to feed me with suggestions of further stuff to read. It's kinda amateur (OK... -ish) to ignore that, since my favourite genres are usually those that I read the most.

Anyway, I don't care for that drop-down thing. I never read stuff because it's "popular" (if popularity has any effect is to tell me to keep well away from those books, at least until the hype is gone), so that's a useless waste of screen space for me.