TPM upgrade feedback (2021): what do you think?
Some thoughts:
#1. Usernames Are Now Visible
E.g.
There are a few members who've provided their real name as their username. And, as such, would prefer to keep their username private and only their public profile name—which is whatever they choose it to be—visible.
#2. The Font Looks Very "Starter WordPress"
The regular text looks the same, yet the headers used to be bolder.
Not a huge issue, simply something to watch out for if one really dislikes reading walls of texts (which aren't uncommon to read from newer and sometimes older members).
The previous headers that were more emboldened made posts more engaging to read whenever used, and that's listed as a WIIFT win in the forum guidelines.
I have a few other thoughts that I'll get to when I have the time, but right now, I miss the old TPM website.
It brings to mind a quote I often think about:
Anonymous: "The status quo hates change. Even though the status quo was once the new frontier."
Chances are that I simply need to do better at accepting change. So, I'll do my best to offer any feedback or help I can that might make the TPM upgrade even better.
*Note: Maybe we can find a way to move Matthew's feedback under this thread to avoid redundancy. Or, if it makes sense, the other way around.
*Note: Maybe we can find a way to move Matthew's feedback under this thread to avoid redundancy. Or, if it makes sense, the other way around.
Lucio seemed to have resolved the issue on that thread.
I think we can just continue talking on here :).
Following the formatting and numbering from Ali,
(learnt a lot from his formatting 🙂 )
#3. Power University Interface is Better
Personally, I find Power University's interface smoother and easier to navigate.
I like the drop-down menu where you can minimise and maximise the subtopics under the main topic.
Like you see in the screenshot below for Power 101.
#4. Should Power University Subtab Point to the First Lesson?
Power University Subtab
I think we should point the Power University subtab to the following link:
https://thepowermoves.com/courses/power-university/lessons/power-101/
For non-subscribers, this automatically redirects to the sales page.
For subscribers, they go directly to the first lesson of Power University.
The caveat is that maybe the redirecting time is important.
#5. Do We Have to Sign In/Register on the Forum Page?
The usual sign-in and register buttons seem to be gone on the top right-hand corner of the website.
This may cause more friction for new and current subscribers to get into their accounts.
Now it seems that we have to login/register from the Forum Page:
Thank you, Ali!
I fixed the headers first, that was very important.
On Change
Improving means being open to accepting that not all change makes things better.
It's a relatively common trap, I think, to accept all change as "part of progress".
Part of it is about status and virtue-signaling: accepting change with open arms self-frames one as progressive, open-minded, and optimistic. While rejecting change can easily frame one as negative, narrow-minded, and conservative.
CONS
There are several cons to the current website / course.
And if you or anyone else has any to point out, please do!
Some of them are part of the "teething problems" -ie.: the headers and the usernames showing-, and will soon be fixed or improved.
Some of them might not be as easy to fix, but if the "pros" outweigh the "cons", then it's still a step forward.
While I think the course is an easier "winner", the theme change might not be obviously so.
Especially not when it comes to "looks".
This theme is simpler, with fewer bells and whistles.
I purposefully chose a theme without page builders such as Elementor, as that makes it leaner and more reliable -but of course, it might make it less visually appealing unless you heavily customize it-.
But we're still in the customization process now. So it will probably improve and I might add a few visual details.
PROS
There are also many advantages to this new website and, especially, to this new course provider (or I wouldn't have made that step, of course :).
The new theme was recommended to go well with the new course provider.
So this was a "course-driven change".
Course infrastructure first, and theme change as a consequence.
PU Pros
When it comes to PU:
- Better Power University experience: the course works better on mobile, is easier to navigate once you're in, and it even looks better (and more professional)
- Higher reliability: the previous course provider was free. This one is paid on a subscription basis. Albeit that's no guarantee of quality, it's usually a major indicator of better testing and reliability. I previously always considered it a risk to install new updates, and for a good reason: they weren't properly tested, and sometimes led to issues (the latest one was with H2 titles, which I didn't fix because I was working on this upgrade)
- Easier to read course page & curriculum: the previous course page had grey fonts, which made it harder to read, and was poorly formatted
- Proper grammar and English: it seems weird to even write this, but the previous developers were not only non-native speakers, but also poor English speakers. That showed big time in the course. There were mistakes and weird sentence structures everywhere.
- Better support: there is a larger community around this new course provider, and better support both from documentation, from other users, and from official support
Edit:
In short, the previous course provider was from a small group of developers. It targeted beginners in the learning industry who were looking to save money. They did a great job with what they had.
And they allowed me to start at a time when money was tight and quickly approaching the "0" :).
But many of the freeware limitations were obvious.
This new course provider is from a bigger, established provider. And it targets people who are willing to spend money to provide a better service to their users. There is plenty in it for me in this change. But it also felt like a moral obligation and personal duty to provide the best infrastructure I could provide.
Edit 2:
I realize Ali specifically called this the "website and forum" feedback, thus excluding PU.
My bad.
On the other hand, I guess it's also good to have all in one.
Quote from Matthew Whitewood on July 9, 2021, 6:03 a
#4. Should Power University Subtab Point to the First Lesson?
Power University Subtab
I think we should point the Power University subtab to the following link:
https://thepowermoves.com/courses/power-university/lessons/power-101/For non-subscribers, this automatically redirects to the sales page.
For subscribers, they go directly to the first lesson of Power University.The caveat is that maybe the redirecting time is important.
Thank you (again) for the feedback, Matthew!
I specifically quote this one because it was a "BOOM, genius idea" moment :).
Indeed I was thinking about how to best allow users to quickly access PU. And that might be a quick and effective solution.
Edit:
Tried it, and I think it works great.
Let me know if it's not working for you, or if you think otherwise.
Quote from Ali Scarlett on July 8, 2021, 9:43 pmSome thoughts:
#1. Usernames Are Now Visible
Yes, there was a code for that hid it from the front-end.
I couldn't find it now on the fly.
But I fixed by removing the option to mention -"@"- people. It didn't seem to be a very popular feature.
But I like to ask both you and Matthew or anyone else reading here: does it bother you guys that someone can see the original username?
The issue I can see with it is that in the beginning, people might choose their real name first.
Then, only later, they will think "I want to write in the forum, but keep my privacy". Then it might become an issue.
The problem was bigger when the "guest checkout" was available since the nickname was the email address.
That's not the case anymore though.
But I like to ask both you and Matthew or anyone else reading here: does it bother you guys that someone can see the original username?
The issue I can see with it is that in the beginning, people might choose their real name first.
Then, only later, they will think "I want to write in the forum, but keep my privacy". Then it might become an issue.
I think Ali was mentioning that for the others on the forum.
For me, it does bother me, but it was my mistake to sign up with my real name rather than some other name.
It was out of the habit of using my real name as my username.
Then I realised halfway that the username shows in the url.
Tried it, and I think it works great.
Let me know if it's not working for you, or if you think otherwise.
It's working for me :).
Edit 2:
I realize Ali specifically called this the "website and forum" feedback, thus excluding PU.
My bad.
On the other hand, I guess it's also good to have all in one.
Ali, do you mind if we talk about PU-related feedback over here?
I also interpreted Power University as part of this website.
New Provider
You seem to avoid mentioning the name of the new provider.
Would that be confidential?
I saw the new admin on this forum and checked out their website.
But if it's confidential, I will avoid talking about this vendor on the forum.
On Change (Continued)
On Change
Improving means being open to accepting that not all change makes things better.
It's a relatively common trap, I think, to accept all change as "part of progress".
Do you mean that
- sometimes we change something,
- we realise that it's not working out for us, and
- instead of accepting the change as better, we should roll back after evaluating that the previous situation was better?
I guess there's an idiom:
Don't fix what's not broken
Elearning Platforms
Now I'm also thinking how challenging is it to build a reliable elearning platform.
The main challenges seem like what you said: user experience, reliability and integrability.
It seems that there are still issues in getting elearning platforms to integrate well with websites.
I suppose it's a crowded space.
Quote from Matthew Whitewood on July 9, 2021, 8:33 amEdit 2:
I realize Ali specifically called this the "website and forum" feedback, thus excluding PU.
My bad.
On the other hand, I guess it's also good to have all in one.Ali, do you mind if we talk about PU-related feedback over here?
I also interpreted Power University as part of this website.
Not at all, Matthew, it's all good guys.
Lucio, if you want to, go ahead and change the title of this thread to:
- TPM upgrade feedback: what do you think? (= opens it up to everything related to the upgrade)
Or: - TPM upgrade feedback (2021): what do you think? (= opens it up while being mindful of the TPM upgrades in later years that will spawn future feedback threads)
Picking up where Matthew left off:
#6. Forum Links Are Now Invisible
What it used to look like:
What it looks like now:
Since the recent update, the links have been turned black. So, they can't be seen in any of the forum posts.
I think this is an important issue, especially for the forum guidelines which contains quite a few links.
And, that includes the link in Lucio's signature.
Before:
Now:
The link (now in black) is only more visible in the signature due to the surrounding grey text. But, in a post where all of the text is black, it becomes unnoticeable.
Thank you fo rthe heads-up, Ali!
Fixed now.
There are so many color options in the forum dashboard that sometimes I lose track of what changes what:
Quote from Lucio Buffalmano on July 9, 2021, 7:17 amQuote from Ali Scarlett on July 8, 2021, 9:43 pmSome thoughts:
#1. Usernames Are Now Visible
Yes, there was a code for that hid it from the front-end.
I couldn't find it now on the fly.
But I fixed by removing the option to mention -"@"- people. It didn't seem to be a very popular feature.
Update:
I found the code again.
So now usernames are not showing, BUT it's possible to "@" people.
I wanted to use this function a couple of times in the last days and I think it's useful.