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For those of us familiar with the Etsy site, we know we can buy several ways – categories, search, seller list, time machine, colors – but for those who are new to the site, there are just a bunch of graphics they have to sort through and decide where to click.
One such person ended up putting Etsy at #2 on their list of websites that suck! Why? Because of the flash abhorration that is the color picker.
Currently at the top of ‘Ways to shop’ on the front page of Etsy, this tool invites new visitors and buyers to click and find something in a color of their choice. The only problem is that is doesn’t work. What you end up with is a hodge podge of items that may have that color, or a similar color, somewhere in the photo of that item. Supposedly the tool picks from somewhere near the border of the photo upon listing. But who the hell knows!? It doesn’t work! And outside sources agree.
What’s particularly troubling is that this is what greets new shoppers. And it isn’t the only pain in the ass feature on the site. Just the one highlighted by a programmer’s annual list of sites he finds annoying. Which isn’t good press, especially since he has a point.
When the list of sellers is at the bottom of the ‘Buy’ page, having the color picker at the top of ways to shop is just insulting.
Sure, it gives people something fun to do…for 5 minutes. And man hours were spent developing it. Which makes me wonder again what the hell they’re thinking.
2 Comments:
Oh, how true. The Flash-based features vs. basic site functionality (e.g., search) are a huge annoyance to so many of Etsy's sellers, sort of along the lines of the video you mentioned. Although I'm sure Jared is a nice enough guy, does Etsy need his toys (including the ones that mock Etsy users, if you recall the time he put together a quick Flash page to intimidate a seller trying to make a critical point) as much as they need to fix their problems? Obviously not. And it's tiring to hear over and over about how different people do different things. If Etsy doesn't have enough people to do the things that need doing, they need to take another look at their staffing. It's an easy fix.
ooh, I forgot about that button...looks like I have more flash apps to write about.
The endless fodder they do themselves provide...makes my self-righteous head want to explode!
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