Comments on: New OverDrive Site Not Meeting User Expectations? http://www.teleread.com/library/new-overdrive-site-not-meeting-user-expectations/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Wed, 19 Jun 2013 19:59:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: Juli Monroe http://www.teleread.com/library/new-overdrive-site-not-meeting-user-expectations/comment-page-1/#comment-1235453 Juli Monroe Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:09:55 +0000 http://www.teleread.com/?p=77774#comment-1235453 Vonda, yes, you can view your holds from the same page and see where you are in the queue. What's missing in the new version is also seeing how many books the library owns. It's a big difference to be 15 of 15 when the library owns 20 copies vs 3. I like to get a feel for how long it might take for a book to become available for me. You have a valid point, however. We do get used to doing things a certain way and when forced to change, we resist. I can see where a brand new user might prefer the new interface. If you don't know what you used to see, you won't miss it. Vonda, yes, you can view your holds from the same page and see where you are in the queue. What’s missing in the new version is also seeing how many books the library owns. It’s a big difference to be 15 of 15 when the library owns 20 copies vs 3. I like to get a feel for how long it might take for a book to become available for me.

You have a valid point, however. We do get used to doing things a certain way and when forced to change, we resist. I can see where a brand new user might prefer the new interface. If you don’t know what you used to see, you won’t miss it.

]]> By: Vonda Z http://www.teleread.com/library/new-overdrive-site-not-meeting-user-expectations/comment-page-1/#comment-1235368 Vonda Z Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:01:01 +0000 http://www.teleread.com/?p=77774#comment-1235368 I can view all of my holds from the same page without having to page through each book. Just go to My Account and Click on Holds from the menu on the right. I get an image of all the books I have on hold and it says for each, "You are user XXX out of XXX on the waiting list." Maybe that is more work than you used to have to do (I don't remember how you did this on the old site - I never really looked for it). I don't use Overdrive all that much - I prefer to buy my books and only check out books that I already own in paper but don't want to read in paper and don't want to buy again or books that I am not sure I will like so I try from the library first. However, I found the new interface easier to work with than the old one for finding books. Intuitively, I just figured it out quicker, where I always had to sit in figure out the old site for a few minute before I could work with it. It may very well take more steps to do something, but I didn't have to think about what I needed to do to find what I wanted - it just happened naturally. This may be because I hardly ever used Overdrive so I didn't have the old interface mastered (sometimes sites are very efficient if you know them well, but have a learning curve if you don't), but still - I felt better directing my Mom to this new site than I would have to the old site where I know she would have needed help figuring out how to use it. I can view all of my holds from the same page without having to page through each book. Just go to My Account and Click on Holds from the menu on the right. I get an image of all the books I have on hold and it says for each, “You are user XXX out of XXX on the waiting list.” Maybe that is more work than you used to have to do (I don’t remember how you did this on the old site – I never really looked for it).

I don’t use Overdrive all that much – I prefer to buy my books and only check out books that I already own in paper but don’t want to read in paper and don’t want to buy again or books that I am not sure I will like so I try from the library first. However, I found the new interface easier to work with than the old one for finding books. Intuitively, I just figured it out quicker, where I always had to sit in figure out the old site for a few minute before I could work with it.

It may very well take more steps to do something, but I didn’t have to think about what I needed to do to find what I wanted – it just happened naturally. This may be because I hardly ever used Overdrive so I didn’t have the old interface mastered (sometimes sites are very efficient if you know them well, but have a learning curve if you don’t), but still – I felt better directing my Mom to this new site than I would have to the old site where I know she would have needed help figuring out how to use it.

]]> By: Xendula http://www.teleread.com/library/new-overdrive-site-not-meeting-user-expectations/comment-page-1/#comment-1235149 Xendula Wed, 30 Jan 2013 23:01:41 +0000 http://www.teleread.com/?p=77774#comment-1235149 Barbara, Apart from the downgraded site perfomance (pages slower to load), and the fact that most titles and author names are now cut off (see example below) more clicks are required for certain tasks. This is very bad user experience. When browsing a category, the following is what you saw/see for any title (using "Lara" as an example)... BEFORE THE REDESIGN: Book cover thumbnail Lara by*Bertrice Small Sample Series: The World of Hetar Release date: May 01, 2006 Available copies:**0*(1 patron(s) on waiting list) Library copies:**1 Kindle Book - Place a Hold - Add to Wish List Adobe EPUB eBook - Place a Hold - Add to Wish List AFTER THE REDESIGN: Two thirds of the book cover graphic Lara by*Bertrice S... A bookmark graphic to add to wishlist (not intuitive) Barbara,
Apart from the downgraded site perfomance (pages slower to load), and the fact that most titles and author names are now cut off (see example below) more clicks are required for certain tasks. This is very bad user experience.

When browsing a category, the following is what you saw/see for any title (using “Lara” as an example)…

BEFORE THE REDESIGN:

Book cover thumbnail
Lara
by*Bertrice Small
Sample
Series: The World of Hetar
Release date: May 01, 2006
Available copies:**0*(1 patron(s) on waiting list)
Library copies:**1
Kindle Book – Place a Hold – Add to Wish List
Adobe EPUB eBook – Place a Hold – Add to Wish List

AFTER THE REDESIGN:

Two thirds of the book cover graphic
Lara
by*Bertrice S…
A bookmark graphic to add to wishlist (not intuitive)

]]> By: Juli Monroe http://www.teleread.com/library/new-overdrive-site-not-meeting-user-expectations/comment-page-1/#comment-1235121 Juli Monroe Wed, 30 Jan 2013 21:04:33 +0000 http://www.teleread.com/?p=77774#comment-1235121 Barbara, I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "users just looking at their screens?" I've tested all the items above, and I agree that the new interface requires many more clicks than the previous version. I think that's a valid complaint. Barbara, I’m not sure I understand what you mean by “users just looking at their screens?” I’ve tested all the items above, and I agree that the new interface requires many more clicks than the previous version. I think that’s a valid complaint.

]]> By: Barbara http://www.teleread.com/library/new-overdrive-site-not-meeting-user-expectations/comment-page-1/#comment-1235115 Barbara Wed, 30 Jan 2013 20:55:14 +0000 http://www.teleread.com/?p=77774#comment-1235115 Actually, many of the things on this list are not a problem if users would just look at their screens. I mostly like the "new look", it may not be perfect, but it is pretty good. Actually, many of the things on this list are not a problem if users would just look at their screens. I mostly like the “new look”, it may not be perfect, but it is pretty good.

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