The new Findmypast (Part 3)

[busybod]

It seems that I too have been switched over to the new site.  I cant even log in to it, whatever I click on it just says this page cant be displayed.  What am I doing wrong, anyone any ideas. Cant even change my password.

[Tsu]

Ha!

Part of me is glad that it isn't just me complaining.

Topics merged.

[andrewalston]

I got moved over on Friday.

I'm not normally one to use foul language, but I'm sorely tempted.

Early this year I had upgraded to a World Subscription, and was disappointed to find that accessing my extra money's worth could only be done through the stupid method of:
1. Go to the Help menu and select International records.
2. A page appears for US records.
3. Go to the bottom of this page and click Next
3. A page appears for Irish records..
4. Once you see the part of the world you want, it's no use clicking on the name of the database you want as they are just "advertising".
5. Click on "Search All Irish records" (or equivalent)
6. A page appears with ALL the Irish records listed (several million items found).
7. Use the filters to slowly restrict your selection to the set you actually want to search.
8. Enter the name you want to look up. No use putting this in earlier, as changing the filters clears it out.
9. Once a list of search results appear, use PageDown to trawl through them, as there was only one item per screenful.
10. The Image button replaced the current text screen with the most feature-free picture viewer in the market. No way to open in a separate window or tab; only one FindMyPast window is allowed at any time. Want to see the reference? Use your browser's Back button.

I thought "What a horrible lash-up. Maybe the promised re-write will tidy it up." and persevered.

Little did I know that what was being planned was to take that horrendous model and foist it on the UK site.

[andrewalston]

Nearly as bad as the disastrous search results/lack of results is the new layout.

The reason for the new design is simple.

Someone in their management team spouted in a board meeting that "Everybody seems to be into smartphones and tablets. We need to get some of that market." Well, it sounded reasonable, so the go-ahead was given to convert one of their websites to be "smartphone friendly".

With the database back end of FindMyPast undergoing big changes to deal with all those records from FamilySearch and others, why not move that one first?

Hence the very few words per page, the widely separated boxes and the huge empty columns down each side of our screens.

Instead of being able to see a list of possible records as the result of a search,

we are

given a

very long

screen

which is

readable

on a

smartphone

in portrait

mode but

looks awful

on anything

else.

The purpose of a web browser on a smartphone is to make the web usable for a smartphone user. It is NOT the job of a web designer to make everything fit in a screen an inch and a half wide.


Note that the front end and the database back end are NOT tied together in the way that FindMyPast suggest. The search engine on the "old" site was upgraded to allow the enhanced wildcard searches only three weeks ago. Who would bother doing that specifically for a framework which was to be killed off so soon?

[Isabel H]

When searching newspapers too many results appear.  I apply filters and it deletes the name I was searching for.  Absolutely useless!

Haven't had any response to my complaints.

[ankerdine]

What's going on at Find My Past? I just got used to the new layout and it's all changed. I cannot follow it at all any more.

Judy

[keyboard86]

Nearly as bad as the disastrous search results/lack of results is the new layout.

The reason for the new design is simple.

Someone in their management team spouted in a board meeting that "Everybody seems to be into smartphones and tablets. We need to get some of that market." Well, it sounded reasonable, so the go-ahead was given to convert one of their websites to be "smartphone friendly".

With the database back end of FindMyPast undergoing big changes to deal with all those records from FamilySearch and others, why not move that one first?

Hence the very few words per page, the widely separated boxes and the huge empty columns down each side of our screens.

Instead of being able to see a list of possible records as the result of a search,

we are

given a

very long

screen

which is

readable

on a

smartphone

in portrait

mode but

looks awful

on anything

else.

The purpose of a web browser on a smartphone is to make the web usable for a smartphone user. It is NOT the job of a web designer to make everything fit in a screen an inch and a half wide.


Note that the front end and the database back end are NOT tied together in the way that FindMyPast suggest. The search engine on the "old" site was upgraded to allow the enhanced wildcard searches only three weeks ago. Who would bother doing that specifically for a framework which was to be killed off so soon?

  I am currently posting this via a "Smartphone" take my word for it is even harder to negotiate than my PC! Overall given up at present with their blessed filters, life is too short!

Keyboard86

[andrewalston]

When searching newspapers too many results appear.  I apply filters and it deletes the name I was searching for.  Absolutely useless!

Exactly the behaviour I noted for records outside the UK. I ought to have checked out what users of findmypast.com.au etc were saying before I raised my subscription level. Unfortunately I assumed that what I was seeing was a minimalist window onto a fully-featured site like the old FindMyPast, and that I would get full benefit in due course.

Haven't had any response to my complaints.

Me neither.  But then I asked for timescales to get this stuff sorted, and there won't be any money from manglement to pay for fixing the fiasco, so no ETA for a working site.

[LizzieW]

Well I don't know what's happened to FindMyPast now.  The home page shows Search All records, but the boxes below the title have disappeared.  So I went to the top Search Records and the long list has shrunk to 4, Search All Records, Newspapers and Periodicials, List all UK records, List all word records.  I thought I'd choose Search All Records, 1 click, the Births and Baptisms 2 clicks, (still nowhere to put in a name etc) so I clicked on Births and Baptisms, 3 clicks, nothing happens, so I clicked on Births 1761-2006 - 4 clicks, now it shows Births and Baptisms are available, and also England and Wales births 1837-2006.  I chose births and baptisms, 5 clicks, search finds exactly the same page, but now it states Births 1761-2006, 6 clicks and guess what I'm back where I started from, so I thought I'd click on England and Wales births again and I got a Page not found Yahoo Error Handler.  So that's 7 clicks only to be told the page isn't available.

So I tried FreeBMD, I put in the name of the person and year of birth, no county or reg district, clicked Find and within seconds had 1 result - the correct result.  So I put the same name in again and March 1840 to December 1850, within seconds I had 9 results.  If a free site works, why doesn't one that we've paid nearly £100 to?



I give up.