Good afternoon, all!
Looks like the rebrand of the Adventures in Odyssey Club is about to go live on July 18th!
https://www.adventuresinodyssey.com/new/
Many of the things that have frustrated me about the current interface look like they're getting upgraded. It's definitely more than just a facelift. I'm excited to see how it all works out.
Adventures in Odyssey Club Rebrand
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Bren
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They have about 2 weeks to sort out any bugs or issues. I just hope it doesn't end up beig a let down. I remember when they launched how we had the let down of it being restricted to U.S. residents. I wanna be hopeful though.
@Bren It’s a work in progress. I guarantee there will be some bugs and technical issues after the launch as more people are testing it out. But that’s all part of the process of continuing to improve user friendliness. I’m sure they are as prepared as they can be though. But speaking from experience, something ALWAYS breaks. 
Hopefully, if/when that happens, they will have it fixed in no time.
Hopefully, if/when that happens, they will have it fixed in no time.snubs is not dumb as he really is very smart. — Bmuntz
| Odyssey Chat | Odyssey Moments | OM Podcast | #NotAIOMerch |
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The good thing is this isn’t their first launch. So theoretically most of the big things should be petty well-tested.
-- Tue Jul 12, 2022 2:19 pm --
Just got in to the account creation process today. Looks like they're using Salesforce as a back-end, which means that they're not building it all from scratch. That should help things run more smoothly.
-- Tue Jul 12, 2022 2:19 pm --
Just got in to the account creation process today. Looks like they're using Salesforce as a back-end, which means that they're not building it all from scratch. That should help things run more smoothly.
I got an email about setting up my new account but I've been busy so I didn't pay that much attention. I should do that soon!
New site officially releases on Monday!
So, who here has checked out the new Club/website update? So far it seems to be giving a number of people some grief with logging and such. It's been a bit glitchy for me too, but I haven't had an issue with logging in though. Hopefully, the developers will smooth things out within the next week.
Right off the bat, I'm loving the enhanced search! it was a MUCH NEEDED update. Before sometimes you could type in the exact title and the episode STILL wouldn't pull up.
But things are better now. 
Another wonderful feature is unlimited downloads, for offline listening.
My only complaint on that is, that I wish you didn't have to click into an episode in order to download it.
Right off the bat, I'm loving the enhanced search! it was a MUCH NEEDED update. Before sometimes you could type in the exact title and the episode STILL wouldn't pull up.
But things are better now. Another wonderful feature is unlimited downloads, for offline listening.
My only complaint on that is, that I wish you didn't have to click into an episode in order to download it.snubs is not dumb as he really is very smart. — Bmuntz
| Odyssey Chat | Odyssey Moments | OM Podcast | #NotAIOMerch |
| Odyssey Chat | Odyssey Moments | OM Podcast | #NotAIOMerch |
I had some glitches with videos earlier today, but everything else has been totally smooth. I've been using it literally all day. I love the randomizer feature, as well.
I like the look of the new design overall, and some of the features seem like they should be helpful. I don't know as much about them as I'd like, not being a Club member.
That said, as a non-current-Club-member and someone who spends a lot of time thinking about design, I see a few things that seem to merit criticism.
Performance
The site, as implemented, seems painfully slow to me. They're apparently aware that this is the case, because they went to the trouble of coming up with a series of messages to put veneer on the fact that the site is routinely 'loading...' something or another, for cumulatively longer periods of time than anyone would put up with if they weren't already Odyssey fans. The previous design wasn't a featherweight either, but this seems to be one of the heaviest websites I've ever seen, relative to what it does. I hope that they can slim it down considerably over the next few months. As it is, this seems to open a definite niche for alternatives, like the Odyssey Central web player.
Human-Interface (UX) Design
The new 'episodes' page is a fundamentally good idea, but its implementation leaves something to be desired.
Just because mobile devices are in now doesn't mean you have to design desktop-unfriendly websites. Regrettably, every part of this design is clearly made for a small touchscreen, first and only.
This design doesn't appear to expand its capabilities to match your device. Most desktop users would like to be able to see more than two episodes at a time from a horizontal carousel. Even most tablets or phablets (which are most current 'flagship smartphones') could likely get better use of their screen size than this design supports. As-is it may be good for a device with a very limited amount of space, like the 2016 iPhone SE, but for anything else, it falls rather flat. The album view does have a vertical list, which is theoretically more space-efficient, but in this design each entry takes up enough space so that you can't see all of the episodes at once. The ability to take in information at a glance is important, and this design fails in this respect.
The method of moving through the aforementioned carousels is also flawed. Swipe-to-move is a staple of mobile design; it's easy and intuitive on touchscreens. However, it's just the opposite when you're using a mouse, which breaks the desktop experience for most users. Native mouse scrolling doesn't work here (although it'd have the potential to be awkward even if it did, since horizontal scroll wheels are not exactly in vogue, and shift-scroll is not likely to be known to most users). There is a scroll bar that you can click on, but it's low-contrast and a small target. I'm also not sure if this design supports keyboard or alternative navigation at all, which might matter to some people, e.g. blind users. I'll grant the previous site probably wasn't very good in that respect either, but the AIO site probably has at least some users who would benefit from an accessible interface.
Combining the complaints about the carousel's visibility and its scrollability, I think it is worth pointing out that in its full effect, it is hard to tell that you can scroll through the episodes in the first place. There's few cues in the interface that there's anything to the right of the first episode (or two) in a set, or clues to any way of getting to them even when you know more content does exist. There is the scroll bar, but as I mentioned, it is small and low-contrast (I don't believe there's even a 'scroll bar groove' to indicate that it is a scroll bar, so you're left to make a guess what this oval-shaped object is, based on your experience and the context). Indeed, if it wasn't for the context (that a set of episodes from '1-50' presumably would have more than one or two episodes in it), it's possible that some people would never discover these carousels were navigable at all.
If the horizontal carousels have to stay, and they don't want to do any major revisions to make a desktop-oriented view, they should consistently add a couple of buttons to the left and right of each set. Users could press them to quickly flip through the carousel. This would give a more powerful navigation option, make it clear that the carousel is a site element that you can navigate, and be familiar to people who have used sites like Amazon.
_____
I know this comes off as a bit of a flame fest. I feel there is still a lot to like about the new site design. The global navigation section is generally* logical and accessible. They clearly thought through making the site visually attractive; the color choices are commendable, and the site as a whole is very easy on the eyes. But it's easy for modern web designers to suppose that 'a good looking site' must be 'a well designed site', and the reality is that isn't always true. This design is a reasonable start that adds a level of polish to the old Club layout, and apparently some useful features, but there's still a long way to go for the interface to catch up with the appearance and feature set.
*It doesn't look like it is accessible in its entirety from the front page, which is a fault, even if it is quickly alleviated by hitting the giant 'Radio' button in the center of the screen.
I'm not sure I quite like the audio podcasts being in 'Learn' instead of 'Listen', given that the video podcasts are in 'Watch'. I know the audio podcast section would feel a bit out of place next to episodes and audiobooks, but it still seems more natural than putting them next to the wiki equivalent.
That said, as a non-current-Club-member and someone who spends a lot of time thinking about design, I see a few things that seem to merit criticism.
Performance
The site, as implemented, seems painfully slow to me. They're apparently aware that this is the case, because they went to the trouble of coming up with a series of messages to put veneer on the fact that the site is routinely 'loading...' something or another, for cumulatively longer periods of time than anyone would put up with if they weren't already Odyssey fans. The previous design wasn't a featherweight either, but this seems to be one of the heaviest websites I've ever seen, relative to what it does. I hope that they can slim it down considerably over the next few months. As it is, this seems to open a definite niche for alternatives, like the Odyssey Central web player.
Human-Interface (UX) Design
The new 'episodes' page is a fundamentally good idea, but its implementation leaves something to be desired.
Just because mobile devices are in now doesn't mean you have to design desktop-unfriendly websites. Regrettably, every part of this design is clearly made for a small touchscreen, first and only.
This design doesn't appear to expand its capabilities to match your device. Most desktop users would like to be able to see more than two episodes at a time from a horizontal carousel. Even most tablets or phablets (which are most current 'flagship smartphones') could likely get better use of their screen size than this design supports. As-is it may be good for a device with a very limited amount of space, like the 2016 iPhone SE, but for anything else, it falls rather flat. The album view does have a vertical list, which is theoretically more space-efficient, but in this design each entry takes up enough space so that you can't see all of the episodes at once. The ability to take in information at a glance is important, and this design fails in this respect.
The method of moving through the aforementioned carousels is also flawed. Swipe-to-move is a staple of mobile design; it's easy and intuitive on touchscreens. However, it's just the opposite when you're using a mouse, which breaks the desktop experience for most users. Native mouse scrolling doesn't work here (although it'd have the potential to be awkward even if it did, since horizontal scroll wheels are not exactly in vogue, and shift-scroll is not likely to be known to most users). There is a scroll bar that you can click on, but it's low-contrast and a small target. I'm also not sure if this design supports keyboard or alternative navigation at all, which might matter to some people, e.g. blind users. I'll grant the previous site probably wasn't very good in that respect either, but the AIO site probably has at least some users who would benefit from an accessible interface.
Combining the complaints about the carousel's visibility and its scrollability, I think it is worth pointing out that in its full effect, it is hard to tell that you can scroll through the episodes in the first place. There's few cues in the interface that there's anything to the right of the first episode (or two) in a set, or clues to any way of getting to them even when you know more content does exist. There is the scroll bar, but as I mentioned, it is small and low-contrast (I don't believe there's even a 'scroll bar groove' to indicate that it is a scroll bar, so you're left to make a guess what this oval-shaped object is, based on your experience and the context). Indeed, if it wasn't for the context (that a set of episodes from '1-50' presumably would have more than one or two episodes in it), it's possible that some people would never discover these carousels were navigable at all.
If the horizontal carousels have to stay, and they don't want to do any major revisions to make a desktop-oriented view, they should consistently add a couple of buttons to the left and right of each set. Users could press them to quickly flip through the carousel. This would give a more powerful navigation option, make it clear that the carousel is a site element that you can navigate, and be familiar to people who have used sites like Amazon.
_____
I know this comes off as a bit of a flame fest. I feel there is still a lot to like about the new site design. The global navigation section is generally* logical and accessible. They clearly thought through making the site visually attractive; the color choices are commendable, and the site as a whole is very easy on the eyes. But it's easy for modern web designers to suppose that 'a good looking site' must be 'a well designed site', and the reality is that isn't always true. This design is a reasonable start that adds a level of polish to the old Club layout, and apparently some useful features, but there's still a long way to go for the interface to catch up with the appearance and feature set.
*It doesn't look like it is accessible in its entirety from the front page, which is a fault, even if it is quickly alleviated by hitting the giant 'Radio' button in the center of the screen.
I'm not sure I quite like the audio podcasts being in 'Learn' instead of 'Listen', given that the video podcasts are in 'Watch'. I know the audio podcast section would feel a bit out of place next to episodes and audiobooks, but it still seems more natural than putting them next to the wiki equivalent.
Some of that sounds like it would make a really good email to the team. Some really good feedback there.
Edit: They've evidently been making changes even this morning. The album order just flipped so the newer stuff is on top (definitely my preference).
Edit: They've evidently been making changes even this morning. The album order just flipped so the newer stuff is on top (definitely my preference).
I didn't have any issues. I downloaded a few favourite episodes onto my iPad and my phone. Like snubs, I thought it would be easier to be able to download without clicking on the episode, but it wasn't a big deal for a few episodes. I like being able to use a pin. No complaints here.
@Bob: That doesn't sound like a flame fest. All of those things are valid and fair. I think feedback from people using it daily/often is highly valuable. I've been enjoying the new design and mobile app update, but that doesn't mean I don't have my fair share of constructive criticism on what I think would make it better. I want the app and website be the best they can be! Plus, like you, I appreciate a well-executed UI/UX design. So, picking it apart is a fun exercise. 
I agree about the horizontal scroll thing. On the home page, there is an arrow button to pan (horizontally) through the content. So I have no idea why it's not on in the episode section as well. Also, I'm not sure I like that the arrow button is blue... it blends in a little too much. Also, on the home page, I think it would be helpful if the "collection" (and album) titles were clickable.
I created a google doc where I am adding all my notes on how I think it could be improved. I'm also listening to what others are saying and adding their thoughts. My blind friend will be poking around on the app soon to see how accessible it is and I'll be adding their input to my notes. Before the update, he said it was far from blind-friendly.
I agree about the horizontal scroll thing. On the home page, there is an arrow button to pan (horizontally) through the content. So I have no idea why it's not on in the episode section as well. Also, I'm not sure I like that the arrow button is blue... it blends in a little too much. Also, on the home page, I think it would be helpful if the "collection" (and album) titles were clickable.
I created a google doc where I am adding all my notes on how I think it could be improved. I'm also listening to what others are saying and adding their thoughts. My blind friend will be poking around on the app soon to see how accessible it is and I'll be adding their input to my notes. Before the update, he said it was far from blind-friendly.
snubs is not dumb as he really is very smart. — Bmuntz
| Odyssey Chat | Odyssey Moments | OM Podcast | #NotAIOMerch |
| Odyssey Chat | Odyssey Moments | OM Podcast | #NotAIOMerch |
Does anyone know if it’s possible to turn off auto play in the new oac app?
Can anyone help me? I'm having a PIN problem. I know my password, but when I log in (whether on the app on my phone or iPad, or in a browser on my laptop) it asks me to pick my account and enter my 4-digit PIN. I have tried dozens of numbers and am consistently wrong, so either I made it something even I can't guess or maybe I misentered the number originally so it just isn't what I think it should be. I thought it would be one of two options when I first realized I needed the PIN, but after trying so many things, I have just grown increasingly frustrated. I cannot for the life of me find a way to get in to reset the PIN. There's no "reset your PIN" option and even when I'm not on the app, I can't just use my password to log in and access my account and reset the PIN. Either I am missing something obvious or I have accidentally discovered a very frustrating flaw in the Club. Surely I can't be the only one to ever forget my PIN.
They just recently added this feature.
Did you get this resolved? I heard the latest update gives you the ability to send your PIN via email in case you forget.Catspaw wrote: ↑Sat Oct 29, 2022 8:04 pm Can anyone help me? I'm having a PIN problem. I know my password, but when I log in (whether on the app on my phone or iPad, or in a browser on my laptop) it asks me to pick my account and enter my 4-digit PIN. I have tried dozens of numbers and am consistently wrong, so either I made it something even I can't guess or maybe I misentered the number originally so it just isn't what I think it should be. I thought it would be one of two options when I first realized I needed the PIN, but after trying so many things, I have just grown increasingly frustrated. I cannot for the life of me find a way to get in to reset the PIN. There's no "reset your PIN" option and even when I'm not on the app, I can't just use my password to log in and access my account and reset the PIN. Either I am missing something obvious or I have accidentally discovered a very frustrating flaw in the Club. Surely I can't be the only one to ever forget my PIN.
snubs is not dumb as he really is very smart. — Bmuntz
| Odyssey Chat | Odyssey Moments | OM Podcast | #NotAIOMerch |
| Odyssey Chat | Odyssey Moments | OM Podcast | #NotAIOMerch |
Thanks snubs! I hadn't tried for a while, so your post gave me the courage to try again.snubs wrote: ↑Sat Nov 05, 2022 4:35 pmDid you get this resolved? I heard the latest update gives you the ability to send your PIN via email in case you forget.Catspaw wrote: ↑Sat Oct 29, 2022 8:04 pm Can anyone help me? I'm having a PIN problem. I know my password, but when I log in (whether on the app on my phone or iPad, or in a browser on my laptop) it asks me to pick my account and enter my 4-digit PIN. I have tried dozens of numbers and am consistently wrong, so either I made it something even I can't guess or maybe I misentered the number originally so it just isn't what I think it should be. I thought it would be one of two options when I first realized I needed the PIN, but after trying so many things, I have just grown increasingly frustrated. I cannot for the life of me find a way to get in to reset the PIN. There's no "reset your PIN" option and even when I'm not on the app, I can't just use my password to log in and access my account and reset the PIN. Either I am missing something obvious or I have accidentally discovered a very frustrating flaw in the Club. Surely I can't be the only one to ever forget my PIN.
I checked my Android app to make sure I didn't need to update, which I didn't, and it still didn't come up as far as I can tell, so I checked on my laptop (not through an app) and I did see the option to email about a forgotten PIN. Yay! I have now changed it so hopefully a reset won't be necessary again for a while. Oh, YAY! I was about to not post because you posted your issue over a week ago, but I'm glad I did!Catspaw wrote: ↑Sat Nov 05, 2022 7:17 pmThanks snubs! I hadn't tried for a while, so your post gave me the courage to try again.snubs wrote: ↑Sat Nov 05, 2022 4:35 pmDid you get this resolved? I heard the latest update gives you the ability to send your PIN via email in case you forget.Catspaw wrote: ↑Sat Oct 29, 2022 8:04 pm Can anyone help me? I'm having a PIN problem. I know my password, but when I log in (whether on the app on my phone or iPad, or in a browser on my laptop) it asks me to pick my account and enter my 4-digit PIN. I have tried dozens of numbers and am consistently wrong, so either I made it something even I can't guess or maybe I misentered the number originally so it just isn't what I think it should be. I thought it would be one of two options when I first realized I needed the PIN, but after trying so many things, I have just grown increasingly frustrated. I cannot for the life of me find a way to get in to reset the PIN. There's no "reset your PIN" option and even when I'm not on the app, I can't just use my password to log in and access my account and reset the PIN. Either I am missing something obvious or I have accidentally discovered a very frustrating flaw in the Club. Surely I can't be the only one to ever forget my PIN.
snubs is not dumb as he really is very smart. — Bmuntz
| Odyssey Chat | Odyssey Moments | OM Podcast | #NotAIOMerch |
| Odyssey Chat | Odyssey Moments | OM Podcast | #NotAIOMerch |
I had been super frustrated after trying so many times over a few days, so after I posted I figured I would save the stress and wait for someone to post before I tried again, so your post was perfect timing! I enjoyed a few episodes today while I was baking and doing dishes etc.