New Details Page: Functionality issues to still address?
I realize these issues were submitted previously, but I wanted to share again, in case they could be addressed before the demise of the old page.
1) The single column option does not expand to the width of the box. The single column option on the Details tab is helpful, but the column does not expand to the entire width of the box. This means fewer text is shown than the old version, which means more scrolling and more clicking the pencil icon to view the text.
2) The description field for events is difficult to view the entire text. Note what happens when you click the pencil icon for an event. You still don't see the full description at once. The only way to see the full description is to click in the box and ARROW RIGHT it. It is impossible to see the full text at once to review and edit.
The current box allows users to see about 47 characters.
3) The "More" option is missing from the event description. On the new page, there is a "More" option available in the Vitals section. However, it was removed from the Description in the Events section. Having a "More" option for Descriptions (as we had on the old page) lets users expand text to copy/paste or print for research purposes.
4) Reduce white space + make font sizes more consistent = improved functionality & happier users. The new details page could be tighter with the space use and font sizes could be more consistent. For example, "MORE" is a larger font size in the "Brief Life History" than in the "Vitals" area. Larger fonts take up more space on the page, resulting in more scrolling. The old page didn't have these issues.
Check the overall character height and spacing with the old vs. new. This was handled better on the old page. For example, the description font size was smaller on the old page to reduce scrolling and show more text at once. And the cute little icon next to the Place name is gone which helped places stand out.
The old banner distributed the space evenly within the box. The font size was consistent with date and profile ID and fit the width under the name.
Thanks for your help!
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Yes to everything JulieKlar wrote.
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1) I do like the consistency the new page provides in displaying this text. Showing more text is not always a good thing. Writing more text is not always a good thing. “I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”― Mark Twain
2) This description should be short. The size of the input box and the display is meant to encourage a short description.
3) The “MORE” option is currently used for only the reason statement. From the screenshot, it looks like some of the description is really the reason for the conclusion. I think, if you adjust how the information is put in, you'll be much happier with the result.
4a) Fonts and spacing are always a constant give and take. One thing I like to remember is that not every language displays the same way. This is especially true for character height.
4b) “MORE” is larger in “Brief Life History” than the “MORE” in “Vitals” for the “reason statement”, because it matches the importance of the context and what the link does. Brief Life History “MORE” link opens a popup. Vitals “MORE” link expands the reason text in place.
Maybe choosing another word other than “MORE” in “Brief Life History” would be appropriate. But how many one off link/button names do we want to generate?
4c) The cute little place icon only showed up only if the text matched exactly to the standard text that was selected for the current language you are in. So if a user was in a different language than the user that entered the data, the cute little place icon didn’t display. It was a very inconsistent behavior that also encourage users to update place information that didn’t need to be updated.
5) Banner spacing: The Name is bigger, which has been appreciated by many users. The width of the date and person ID is independent of the Name. In your example of Sherwood Holcombe it just happens to be close in width.
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I have worked many hours on my family tree over the last five or so years. I am very proud of what I was able to accomplish. I fixed mistakes and added important data that was missing. Sometimes I made errors, but with research and hard work I was able to fix mistakes and I felt good about what I contributed and accomplished. I know my family well because those who came before me were excellent record keepers. I appreciate the many other family members who also contributed and it's been rewarding to be able to reach out to one another and communicate back and forth on Family Search website.
Perhaps I'm one of those people that does not adapt to change well. I am not computer literate so when things are changed it's difficult for me to adapt. Therefore, I'm feeling stressed at the new changes and pages. For those who understand it I suppose it's good, but for someone like me who worked so hard on the old format and added to and corrected errors on the old pages, I feel lost and am having trouble finding my way around the new information. Hardest, however, is dealing with the errors I find in so many documents such as the census reports, birth and marriage records, etc. The record keepers of the past were not always good spellers and spelling errors can create multiple persons out of one person. When I know the family names that have been passed down through the generations and I know how those names have been spelled, and have visited the graves and read the names on the headstones for myself, it is upsetting to see them changed because of careless census takers and record keepers of the past. I know this is not a problem that only have I found. Others I know have found that problem too. I realize extractors work hard and are doing their best. However it upsets me that they can override actual family descendants and change data that we've worked so hard to verify and which is ignored because of the census taker's and record keeper's errors from long ago.
My other problem is this: as I stated above, I am not good at finding my way around the computer. While I know my family genealogy well and felt I had done a good job of recording it on the Family Search website, I feel lost with the new format, and am worried that important data is going to disappear or be changed. Perhaps it will all work out in time. I'm getting old and old people don't do well with changes. I know your intent is to make records easily accessible and accurate. But please don't underestimate the knowledge and resources of human beings who knew, or at least know of, those who came before them. If it comes down to choosing the records of long ago census takers who didn't personally know the people, or extractors who have never seen where these people lived, worked, and are buried, or those of us who have walked where they walked and who treasure their photos with the names and dates on the back, please favor the contributions of those who came after them and who owe them so much.
Thank you, Lizabeth Ann Goodrich Kirk
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@Lizabeth Ann Kirk user correction abilities are comming to all records. Here is a great demo.
Specifically watch the part starting at time 37:12
It will take time to get all records to have this ability, but it is coming.
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