FindMyPast have made a statement of why they need to make a change. The underlying (software) model which was used to produce the old site has reached its capacity for accessing any new datasets that need to be added. Without going into further technical details which the majority of users may have difficulty following, I’m not sure what else can be said.
What they haven’t done is make any statement regarding the rationale on the new way of accessing and presenting their records other than making woolly statements about ‘easier to use’, ‘more flexible’ ‘search over a broader range of records in one go’ ‘we’ve listened to our users’ and so on. By not doing this they have invited the storm of ‘this site is rubbish’ comments. Having said that, even if they had explained in more detail, the new model is SO POOR, they would still have been bombarded by the same comments.
When their new development team sat down with the task of designing the new site, the first requirement should have been that all the search and presentation facilities of the old site should be available on the new site and not ‘now, how are we going to search all these the records, any ideas?’
The corporate flannel which has been wheeled out several times by their CEO, is just that, Flannel.
The change was necessary, the new implementation and subsequent launch, hopeless.
Simon
