FamilySearch. NEW 'Top' Line Menu is very "Disappointing". 'Web" version is NOT like "Mobile" Applic

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Brett said: FamilySearch.

The NEW 'Top' Line Menu in the "Production" ("Live") Environment is very "Disappointing".





This is not the way the 'Top' Line Menu, looked; or, operated, in the in the "Beta" ("Test") Environment just a few weeks ago.



The 'Web" version of "FamilySearch" is NOT like the "Mobile" Application of "FamilySearch'; and, should not need to appear so or operate like.

Please reconsider the appearance of the 'Top' Line Menu in the "Web" version of "FamilySearch".

'Thank You' in advance.

Brett

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Mary Louise Dunn said: I agree, the change is not good, I work with many individuals who have trouble Navigating the family tree and are not computer smart. This change will make it much harder for them to accomplish what the desire to do. Please bring back the headings across the top of the page so everyone can see the link to the area of the family search program they desire to go to without looking for some magic little lines in corner of screen and then trying to figure out which links they need to click on to get to where they want to go.

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Alan E. Brown said: I think what you're seeing is simply because your browser window is not wide enough to show the full top-line menu. If you make your browser window a bit wider, you should still see the "Family Tree, Search, Memories, Indexing, Activities, Temple" options on the left and "Help, Messages, (Account)" on the right.

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Stewart Millar said: I don't see this - PC/Firefox/Windows 10 - I get the full set of menu selections - but not the "extension" 3 bars on the right . . .



. . . must be related to available screen width?

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Gordon Collett said: Full width of screen:



When screen narrowed down, the banner changes at this point:



I do like the header, but it does seem like there is room to maintain the full one a bit longer before collapsing it.

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Cousin David said: I agree. The places I normally search for FHC are moved. Options are not clear.

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Jordi Kloosterboer said: I think it is good response design, but it could be implemented a little better. The sizes of the fonts could stay the same for one (when not signed in) and it could change designs at a lower width.
Maybe the 6 headers could get icons at a smaller width before all the buttons disappear similar to how the messages text disappears leaving the icon at the smallest width.



Add icons here instead of having a big white empty space. Also, you can see how the help and hamburger menu buttons are off-center and could be bigger.

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Heidi Kuosmanen said: I do not like this new header. Previously when I hovered my mouse over the headings it opened other choices like from Family Tree you get Tree, Person, Find and Lists. Now you need to click every heading to see what choices you get.

"Extension" 3 bars are on the wrong side. Headings are on the left and when the window size gets smaller those "extension" 3 bars move to the far right. It takes a while to find them. It should be on the same side as headings or in the middle and also bigger.

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Tom Huber said: See my comments in the https://getsatisfaction.com/familysea... discussion.

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Adrian Bruce said: I don't have a problem with the "hamburger" menu (the 3 lines stacked) being on the right because that's where Firefox has its "hamburger" menu.

I very definitely have a problem with not seeing the 2nd level menu items when you hover over the top level one. It's not so bad once you realise that you can click to get the same effect but it does slow things down and makes it less intuitive. My feeling was that overing was more advanced than clicking, so it seems odd...

And FS haven't sorted out the illogical top menu yet - Family Tree / Find and Search / Family Tree both go to the same place, so why have two? If you want to search Family Tree - wouldn't you go to the Family Tree menu?? (And why have both "search" and "find" as terms? Inconsistency....)

Also - top level menu item "Family Tree" still has 4 items in its drop down. Now, how do you get to "Recents"? You have to choose "Lists" (say) and you then see 5 items in the resulting 2nd level sub-menu because "Recents" is added in. Ahem.

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Adrian Bruce said: And why have the big border round "Create Account" taking up so much space? Wikipedia manages quite well with ordinary sized text.

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Adrian Bruce said: I do wonder if the loss of the hover menu is quite as bad as I first thought. Yes, it does slow things down in that you have to click each menu to see what's in it. On the other hand, I always find it too easy to "hover off" the menu item that I want, in which case it disappears.

Surely the real lesson of my initial reaction and the confusion over the "hamburger" menu / "Where are my menus?", is that no-one(?) expected this?

The "hamburger" menu isn't remotely self-evident - it just happens to appear in a lot of software now, so if you tell people that it's coming, how it works (i.e. browser width is crucial), etc, etc, then surely things will go more smoothly?

Rather than sending out publicity messages that probably offend half of Northern Ireland (see another thread here), wouldn't it be better to use the communications people to warn FS patrons of upcoming changes to the User Interface? And no, putting it in the Blog a week after it happens doesn't count!

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Chas Howell said: Right, mine is collapsing at 110%

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Robert Wren said: All "progress" involves change, but not all "change" is progress.
If it ain't broke, don't 'fix' it - or, at the very least, explain what is being (or has been) done, and WHY!!

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Gordon Collett said: I think I like the clicking. It makes the three menu bars (Family Tree - Search - ..., Tree - Person - ..., Details - Time Line - ...) behave identically. (Hover over to get the green highlighting. Click to cause an action.) Providing some of the consistency in style Tom has been begging for. Now they just have to change the View Tree, Watch, and View My Relationship from being underlined when hovered over to having the green highlighting.

I think they are trying to keep Find as short for "Find a person" and Search as "Search for a record."

If I recall correctly, Family Tree was added under the Search menu because enough people were not noticing the Find under the Family Tree menu. It was just to add as many pathways as possible to where people wanted to go.

I do agree it would be nice if they could find some way to incorporate Recents under the Family Tree top line menu so that the drop down menu under Family Tree was identical to the second level menu when in Family Tree.

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Heidi Kuosmanen said: I have noticed that especially older people with language other than English have problems with signing in. When the "Create account" button is so much bigger and it has borders they create account every time they go in and it causes problems.

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Adrian Bruce said: Ouch, Heidi.

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Heidi Kuosmanen said: Well said!

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Adrian Bruce said: I'll agree with Consistency, certainly. And I'm already forgetting exactly how the previous hover system worked so don't remember which bits were inconsistent!.

(I had a look how Firefox handled its menus - you have to click the menu to make the menu items appear but then, once they're there, then you can hover all over the things changing drop-down menus as you go. Not sure if that's any better)

"If I recall correctly, Family Tree was added under the Search menu because enough people were not noticing the Find under the Family Tree menu"
That's a good point. The problem is that when I notice it, I think that there must be a difference! Over-analyse? Me?

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Adrian Bruce said: I think the crucial word there is "explain" - or at least, "warn"....

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Gordon Collett said: Since there is already a large create a new account button in the middle of the page and since when you click Sign In the option to create a new account is also on that page, I'm not sure the Create Account button in the top left needs to be there at all.





If it is causing confusion, I would be happy to see it removed.

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Adrian Bruce said: I did wonder about that. However, I think that the removal of "Create Account" might cause some to wonder how to create an account if they could only see "Sign in"? Maybe a composite button "Login/Register"?

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W David Samuelsen said: More salt to wound!

None of the line links will open into new tabs or windows. Please RESTORE the
ability.

You are forcing us to LOSE the pages we need to stay on, in order to review sources, temple ordinances, etc.

Why breaking something that is working good???

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Gordon Collett said: When I right click on any of them, a new tab opens. This is in Safari. Which ones don't for you?

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Brett said: Chas

Mine, is OK at 110%; but, "Collapses"/"Disappears" at 125%, my regular/usual "Setting", for a number of Years now.

As I indicated in my "Reply" of 2 Hours earlier below ...

I have been using the latest version of 'Google' "Chrome" with "Windows 10" for a long time now with the SAME "Setting" for a number of Years now WITHOUT any problems/issues ...

I have had my "Zoom" set at 125% for many Years now WITHOUT any problems/issues. Hence, my original "Disappointment" very early yesterday morning.

Previously, even when I had increased the "Zoom" to 150%, for something specific, for a short time, it is was nowhere near as BAD as what this.

PLUS, when I was "Testing in the "Beta" ("Test") Environment just a few weeks ago, my "Zoom" was set at 125%; and, I DID NOT encounter the problem/issue that I did early this morning in the "Production" ("Live") Environment.

Something has been "Changed" in the "Coding" from the "Beta" ("Test") Environment just a few weeks ago, to this morning in the "Production" ("Live") Environment; and, it want NOT for the better.

Brett

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Brett said: Gordon

'W David' is talking about the "Links" on the NEW 'Top' Line Menu for "Tree", "Search", "Memories", "Indexing", "Activities" and "Temple"; plus, "Help", and ('Avatar') "Display Name", they are now ONLY operate as 'Drop Down' Menus, you can NO LONGER 'Click' on the 'other side' of the 'mouse' and 'Open' them DIRECTLY as NEW, 'Tabs'; and/or, 'Windows', like we could before.

The ONLY one that you can is "Messages".

For me, that in the latest version of 'Google' "Chrome" with "Windows 10".

Brett

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Gordon Collett said: You just have to choose where you want to go. Click on the menu item to open the drop down menu then right click on the item you want to go to in a new window. Works great.

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Adrian Bruce said: Yes - if one threw up a new tab or window based on top-level menu-item Search - what could come up? The screens are for Search / Records, Search / Family Tree, Search / Genealogies, etc. I can't see what screen would come up for just Search on its own. And, as before, I've forgotten what happened in the previous UI!

If there has indeed been a change, then it should have been publicised before the event, of course, rather than leave us (me) wondering.

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Gordon Collett said: Adrian, I'm going to use your idea in a mock-up for the sign-in page. See it in the post about that page.

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Brett said: Gordon

'Yes', I am well aware of that now; but, previously, one was able to open a NEW, 'Tabs'; and/or, 'Windows', from the (old) Tree", "Search", "Memories", "Indexing" and "Temple"; plus, "Help", and ('Avatar') "Display Name".

Like 'W David', I found is a little disconcerting at first, until I 'played around'; and, figured out what was going on ... we should not have to do that!

The usual problems/issues ...
- The unnecessary "Change" for the sake of "Change" ...
- "If it an't broke then don't fix it" ...
- Lack of "Consistency" - well, non-existent consistency really, across the board.

Brett

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Adrian Bruce said: Yes Brett - but what came up in a new tab from the old top level Search menu item (for example)? I'm sure something did but I can't think what....