Recent Changes to WordPress User Interface
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How to get involved – Why I Post on the subject –
Why there is a need to be involved – What is being said
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Recent Changes to the WordPress User Interface
In reference to the hosted service.
There was a WordPress Forum Topic on this subject, which is worth reading, here:-
http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/massive-changes-to-the-wp-interface?replies=456
WP closed that topic, it now continues on
http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/upgraded-stats-and-changes-to-wp-interface?replies=2
and
http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/stats-classics-how-to-set/page/6?replies=155
and about the notifications on
All WordPress users have access to the forum and a right to use it.
To add your comments, use the link and go to the bottom of the last page. Many specific complaints have been given, so you do not need to do more than state whether you do or do not like the changes, unless you wish to comment further.
There is also an option to subscribe to the thread by email notification and be kept up to date with developments.
– – Update: Investment influences, please click here.
Why I am posting this article:–
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On the forum, in response to the question “When will we start seeing information from the survey ?” the response (Dec 11, 2014, 6:14 PM) from staff was:-
“The survey results will probably be reviewed internally and used as one part of the decision-making process there”.
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The WordPress Daily Post produced an article entitled “Upgraded Stats and Navigation Enhancement”. Comments became complaints and, when I introduced a link to the forum thread, it was closed for further comments and omitted the comment with a link to the forum. The article shows how nice the new stats look on a mobile and is here:-
http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2014/12/09/stats-navigation-enhancements/
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WordPress closed a Customer Services topic after only 24 minutes.
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If views are not made more public, then no one will know the majority opinion.
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There are more changes to come and there is a distinct danger that new formats will eventually replace the existing ones. It is already being made difficult to navigate to the preferred screen pages.
I am concerned that bloggers will think that using the survey will be enough for their opinion to count. Considering that, according to WP Staff, the survey results are unlikely to be published, it is unlikely that they will need to pay much attention if it does not suit them.
Therefore it is most important that we make our views more publicly known, whatever they are. Otherwise we could find our needs supplanted by the pursuit of new markets and face increasingly thoughtless nuisance and loss of facilities. It does not have to be an either or situation, both needs can be facilitated. Although, even for mobile use, it has been badly done.
Bloggers can help to secure the future by leaving even a simple comment on the forum and/or re-blogging this so that others have the opportunity of being in the loop.
A Summary of Complaints
There are many very specific complaints and a lot of annoyance to be found on the forum, but I will try to fairly summarise the main points:-
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The changes were foisted upon us without warning or the opportunity to comment. After all we do pay for this and do make WordPress a financial success by the effort we put into our blogs. The last valuation of WordPress was $1.4 billion.
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The User Interface is being made more Mobile friendly at the expense of Desktop users.
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Navigation and Sign Out drop down menus are disappearing and it is interrupting work flow.
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The New Stats page is only one column showing a graph of 10 days instead of the previous 30, it requires more scrolling to view the entire contents and the summary table icon is missing.
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The new editor is missing “Add Poll”, “Add Contact Form” , the Screen Option of One Column (Full Width View). The editor frame is not adjustable, one cannot get directly from a published post to the old editor and there have been numerous complaints about “beep bop boo etc” from when it first appeared.
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Many people just don’t like the appearance.
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There is only one staff member attending who can only report back to the developers. Although very polite and patient it is, as one member commented, “Like trying to knit fog”.
If I have omitted anything or you have a specific concern, please comment on the forum where it will be seen by other WP members and by staff.
Thank you for taking the time to read and hope that you will take few moments to add your voice.
🙂
Freed From Time 
I feel sorry for the girl in the firing line but the continuous stonewalling really frustrates me. I wonder if the staff personally use the site for posting/blogging because if they did then they would immediately understand what we are saying!
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December 18, 2014 at 18:03
I take your point about the girl in the firing line, but she does have her own blog. I am beginning to think this is a tutored management ploy of “I don’t understand” plus she skipped over a question and a reminder.
I will continue to be polite but I am no longer inclined towards acceptance.
Thanks again or taking an interest. Sadly there are too few voices although I am inclined to think that too few know of the forum or the present thread. I don’t know if this can be remedied, but it’s worth a try.
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December 18, 2014 at 18:13
Sadly I fear that we are like the Spartan 300 at the battle of Thermopylae – ultimately destined to fail!
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December 18, 2014 at 18:35
Maybe, but I have found it a good idea to injure the bully. Then they think twice before doing it again. 🙂
I’ve got more information to come, but biding my time. 😀
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December 18, 2014 at 18:39
Have a nice day 🙂
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December 18, 2014 at 18:39
Agree so much. I feel sorry for her too. It’s just her job to stand in the line of fire. But I guess she knows that all this is not personally, she just has to read the critique and knows that we are more concerned about the new design and whoever came up with this idea to destroy a very well working backend.
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December 18, 2014 at 20:52
Thank you for your comment and especially for the re-blog. The more the word is spread and brought together in one place the better our position.
Excellent stuff. 🙂
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December 18, 2014 at 21:08
Gladly reblogged. I wrote about all the recent changes on my blog several times too but I usually rant a lot when I do 😀 However, others agreed with my posts.. I was writing about this since the beep beep boop drama and as we can see, they are not finished yet to destroy something that once worked very well. I don’t reblog very often but I clearly support your opinion and I wish that some of my followers complain in the forums too. Your post is a nice instruction how to do so… I believe some don’t even know that a forum for wp.com exists. Had to share. And thanks for being one of the people who still value usability. Too sad that the usability is now entirely gone.
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December 18, 2014 at 21:19
I just found your own post on the subject. It is entirely understandable that you are annoyed.
I am hoping that people will get together to be annoyed on the forum. That way WP will have to recognise the general consensus.
We shouldn’t have to put ourselves to so much trouble, but better that we do otherwise they win by default and are encouraged to use the same methods again.
Therefore, on behalf of all, thank you once again for all your efforts. 🙂
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December 18, 2014 at 21:26
Yea, I think it’s easy to get annoyed in this case. I sometimes thought they want to make fun of us. Seriously, some issues are so apparent that it is a shame that we have to document all the problems. While I have participated in many game or software alpha’s and beta’s, I am not in the mood for it right now. First they ask you what exactly the problem is, then you answer it to hear later on “Thank’s for the feedback, but as far as I know, this won’t be changed” (for example with the loss of pixels in width or that it is now a single column design). I think most of us can stay calm, but at some point it is not possible anymore.
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December 18, 2014 at 21:34
I think one of greatest stresses of modern life, is the amount of restraint we have to employ when we are so tempted to do this.
Well one can dream a little. 🙂
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December 18, 2014 at 21:39
I do share the same concerns and already raised my concerns.
Great to see ore and more people responding and thank you so much for sharing the link.
I’ll definitely share my views there.
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December 18, 2014 at 19:47
Excellent 🙂
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December 18, 2014 at 19:51
Thank you for the excellent summary of concerns. I’ve chimed in on that thread several times—most recently with screen shots that clearly illustrate the inferiority of the new design on a desktop computer.
My statistics page now defaults to the new design, and I’ve seen nothing from WordPress regarding the polls.
I think we’re swimming upstream, but I’m glad to see so many adding their voices.
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December 18, 2014 at 20:33
Thank you for the comment. Whilst we may be swimming upstream the challenge is worthwhile. If we give up to easily then we show ourselves to be any easy target for more high handed behaviour.
So, we keep on plunging and spreading the word. 🙂
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December 18, 2014 at 21:06
Reblogged this on Diary of Dennis.
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December 18, 2014 at 20:53
Oh WP, they just don’t understand how to interact with people. Very frustrating.
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December 18, 2014 at 21:11
Thank you for joining in and quite so. What worries me is that they are getting worse.
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December 18, 2014 at 21:15
Reblogged this on My Other Blog.
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December 18, 2014 at 22:30
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WordPress has done this sort of thing so often that I barely had the strength left to complain this time. I exhausted myself with the Beep Beep Boop thing in August.
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December 19, 2014 at 06:10
Exhausting complainants is the name of the game. Manage the person and so avoid addressing the complaint. I find the trick is to be detached, like a surgeon.
The greatest stress in the modern world is the restraint necessary to remain civilized. Now where’s that scalpel. 😈
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December 19, 2014 at 08:50
I forgot. The thing that such organizations fear most are the unity of others, which is why they try to keep us apart, and revelations that break their image. 😛
Merry Christmas anyway.
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December 19, 2014 at 08:53
I’ve just seen your post, Graham and perhaps I should add my perspective on this since I’m both a blogger and I work for WordPress.com.
Our developers really do listen to what you have to say so we really encourage feedback from our users and changes are made based on the feedback we get. I also personally pass on feedback. For instance, the changes to the Sign Out button have caused problems for lots of my users and this has been passed on. I’m confident that they’ll either bring the sign out button back to the menu or at the very least make it more prominent. I’ll keep you posted.
The classic editor isn’t being phased out. The logic behind the changes is that the classic editor has looked the same for many years and hasn’t really changed at all. It also has some drawbacks. For instance, it’s really just for publishing text. There isn’t an easy way to visually manipulate parts of the screen by dragging and dropping things around and this has been a point of complaint for users over the years. People want to be able to enter design mode and then move stuff around their page. The new editor is laying the ground work for something like this so there will be many more changes to come as it grows and improves and eventually becomes a great platform for designing sites as well as publishing content.
I agree that changes are foisted upon our users without any notice and it would be better if people knew there was something coming before the something arrived. It’s part of the nature of how we work as a company. We’re still very small and flexible and this means we can make changes quickly which is often useful if the change is needed to address a bug or a point of concern for users. But it also means that there can be a bit of a surprise factor there. I would like to see more notice given however.
There’s the forum thread you linked to where people can give feedback but we also have email, private forums, and live chat. I work predominantly in live chat and I’ve received some feedback there, although not all that much. Most of it has been in relation to the stats and I personally agree with what most of our users are saying there but I’m also very confident that since it’s just the first version of the new stats, it will only get better as our developers will listen to your suggestions and make changes.
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December 19, 2014 at 14:51
Thanks for the entry. I am preparing a new post on the subject with a broader background. Upon that broader picture I can make a more comprehensive response.
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December 20, 2014 at 10:43
so… is this where all the troublemakers lurk?! j/k glad there is at least some user base push back
i think it is also worth questioning certain drastic technical limitations re the wp runtime interpreter for css3 and html5 that cause our blogs to lag behind the times technically
wp is arbitrarily not keeping up with the evolving spec and usually invokes “security reasons” or not saying anything at all does get a little tiresome
i’m not going to list them here, but i am sure everyone who has custom css knows what they are!
there appears to be a core group of wp users who are sophisticated technically and need to be treated with more technical respect than be fed vacuous reasons for why things are the way they are
i for one would welcome having access to a post or page that clearly delineates WP runtime architecture aw well as syntactic and semantic deviations from the existing css/html spec
at any rate i am now going to read the “follow the money|” links at the end of the Massives Changes thread.. as i am a total fan of Evil Empire doomsday scenarios, whether true or not!
cheers
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December 19, 2014 at 16:29
anyone have an opinion about any other CMS vendors that offer more latitude re css3 and HTML5 and maybe even offer javascript functionality? i have kind of outgrown wp.com technically but dont want to hassle (and pay for) with a rented a hosted wordpress solution —
i am currently doing a lot of things on my desktop with css3 that simply cannot be done in wp,com and it is really annoying me that i cannot users the canvas html element or use svg images or have user input buttons etc
this really makes for a technically limited web site IMHO with little to offer by way of user interactivity
plus i would wish some of the function were user extensible — eg the search feature, such that you can search by categories sor tags and that the search box could perform cross site searching within WP
at any rate, i would really like to hear about any experiences users may have with more sophisticated CMSs
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December 19, 2014 at 19:27
Sorry I can’t help you with that. Not enough time to research it. You could try opening a separate thread on the forum with your request or info.
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December 20, 2014 at 10:45
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Hmm. Going to investigate further before forming an opinion. Haven’t been on WP for some days now…
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January 4, 2015 at 21:08
Hello GrahamInHats,
Thank you for bringing this to our attention. 🙂
Unfortunately, as many of us expected, that topic got closed today 😦 :
http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/massive-changes-to-the-wp-interface/page/16?replies=456#post-2197202
Well at least we came together and we tried, and we will probably join together again for the next big WordPress.com battle just like we have the last few times. 😉
Thank you,
-John Jr
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January 5, 2015 at 22:18
Thank you John Jr. This one continues on
http://en.forums.wordpress.com/topic/upgraded-stats-and-changes-to-wp-interface?replies=2
Because this is something of sea change, it is unlikely that the protest will cease.
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January 6, 2015 at 01:23
You are welcome GrahamInHats, I agree, and thank you for sharing that link to the new topic. 🙂
-John Jr
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January 6, 2015 at 02:04
I tried communicating my concerns with the new stats page when they had the public forum, and as I got more and more frustrated at their practice of only replying to what they saw as complementary comments, my own comments got a little harsh (I accused them of destroying their own previously good reputation, and becoming the new Windows Vista by forcing unwanted changes on the very portion of their customer base that keeps them in business). They then censored my next comment (which was a complaint, but was polite) so I stopped trying. Then, when they changed the notifications I sent one comment in asking simply if they could tell us when these inside attempts at destroying WP would finally be over, since they had now changed everything except the name. They published my comment, but no reply. So really, what’s the use, whatever forum we use, it seems pretty clear, they’re going to do exactly whatever they feel like doing, and nothing we say means anything in the end. They were handed the perfect solution along time ago. Just offer a choice at log-in. If a person wants to use the Classic, fine, it’s already in place, it’s not like they have to design it or anything, let them use it. And if a person wants all these new changes, fine, knock yourselves out, but if there are new costs involved in this, then bill the Mobile users who are the main reason for all these changes. But if WP won’t take that suggestion, and it was made a long time ago, then no one is going to come up with anything better. Sorry for the rant, I’m just really flustered.
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January 24, 2015 at 04:09
It’s good place to have a rant and you are in good company. I entirely understand how frustrating it is and believe that it is part of their game plan and also believe it is a faction from within that has, for the moment, got control. Making out that we cannot do anything being part of a ploy to discourage protest..
I will be writing more on means of overturning it later. In the meantime may I request that you add a brief comment to one of the threads. It is not what we say that will make a difference but the number of people saying it.
Thank you for adding your voice. Regards G.
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January 24, 2015 at 08:04
How do we directly contact someone at wordpress? I’ve looked all over the place for contact information.
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May 18, 2015 at 22:48
Hello Nananoyz,
It is harder to find out how to contact them than it should be.
You can use the WordPress.com Contact Page:
https://en.support.wordpress.com/contact/
Type a question//what you are looking for, if it is not already answered/if you can not find what you are looking for then go to the bottom of the page, there is a button to click to contact support, and you can either chat with them or send a message or create a topic at the WordPress.com Forums (but this could have changed a bit).
Or maybe email them at help@wordpress.com and/or support@wordpress.com.
Good luck,
-John Jr
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May 18, 2015 at 23:51
Thank you so much!
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May 19, 2015 at 01:16
You are welcome, Nananoyz. 🙂
-John Jr
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May 19, 2015 at 01:33