New "Improved" search, more whinging.

Yeah i agree, I’ve worked a lot on website development stuff and this should just be at the “snagging list” phase whereby you’re just doing small bits of remedial work. It should take a few days max to get sorted, I can’t understand why it’s taking so long!

I don't mean to sound like a twat but honestly how are you still only at the we are working on this stage?

The old search was notoriously crap but at least it did actually search so I'm not quite sure how the new search still needs working on. Even if you started with the old search as a template how can it take so long to get it to get it to work?

I’m wondering this, are MNHQ just hoping we will stop complaining and they can cross it off their list….?

Can't think of any other reason to be fair. I suspect this is 100% their strategy.

I strongly believe a lot people are just getting fed up of repeating the same issues and leaving the site because they know it's never going to get sorted.

I'm sure in most cases the response will be a we are working on it placating post and then crossed fingers hoping people stop asking.

I’m wondering this, are MNHQ just hoping we will stop complaining and they can cross it off their list….?

This is the same list Justine posted a month ago. Its a cut and paste from the guidelines on one category of accessibility, not accessibility in actual usage or across the range of access issues.

The actual lived reality for those of us using accessibility software is that the upgrade has rendered the site far less usable. Even navigation within a thread, bookmarks etc still doesn't work reliably.

Good search is also a key accessibility tool on any large site. It significantly reduces manual /command effort trawling through results and threads. Engagement with disabled users should highlight this, relying on budget scanning tools will not.

Searching by a user who is knowledgeable on a topic used to give me a list of their posts within a time range and I could see immediately the likely threads. Now it gives a list of threads which may not even contain the poster and I have to trawl through each thread to see if its relevant. Ditto finding threads via posters I simply find interesting.

Whoever you paid to advise you that assuming typos and skewing search to the first post on a site like MN should be giving you a refund - that model rarely works well on SM sites with high levels of poster and community interaction. Its mainly suitable for less socially driven sites where discussions tend to be shorter and on topic.

Unless of course the objective is just to achieve more overall clicks and ad presentations as MNers try to find stuff.

@KatyMumsnet sorry I dont understand your reply. Are you saying it is only me scrolling more or it is a feature of the new system? If there is more scrolling then it is not inclusive for all not just for me. Not sure what you need to discuss to decide if there is more scrolling or not.

Thanks for the reply @KatyMumsnet. Also a bit bemused, like PPs, why it got worse before it can get back to how it previously was, but glad to hear you’re adding that back in.

Why put the new "improved" search out when it clearly wasn't finished?

@KatyMumsnet - I’ve also been waiting for the improvements to the search after the replatforming, and it’s good to see that the date filter slider has gone (it was completely unusable), and you can search by past day/month/year/custom dates - horray!

But the “search by username” is still pretty bad - if you select that filter, I think it only produces results of threads that that poster has started, whereas I (sometimes) want to search for threads they’ve posted on, but haven’t started (like the old search).

Can you reinstate that function too please?

@KatyMumsnet I dont understand the problem then as I have to scroll far far more than previously and others are saying the same. This is an issue for those who struggle to scroll so makes MN less inclusive for all. Are you saying there is no more scrolling? With this problem and photos that cant be viewed I think you should revert to a layout that is inclusive until you can make the new format inclusive. Thank you

We are working on an advanced search feature that will search all posts so you'll have that functionality back soon.

You don't need to 'work on it' you need to give us back what we had please. I believe your said last week that it would be back this week. Its not.

Seriously!

Didn’t see an answer to this so @KatyMumsnet can you confirm?

@KatyMumsnet i am on a desktop not a laptop. do you mean there should not be more scrolling with the new format as i find it far far more?

@KatyMumsnet All the things the other posters have mentioned about accessibility but in particular the fact that there is so much more scrolling now as so little text can fit on a page as it is all centred on a narrow band in the middle rather than running the width of the screen.

Do you not already have a list of issues that people have posted about accessibility?

I would recommend you start a new post (not in site stuff) specifically asking everyone to feedback about how the new site meets or doesnt meet accessibility needs so you can ensure you are not discriminating against anyone with these changes. Thank you

@KatyMumsnet I have no idea how to do screen shots. Surely it is not hard to understand that the pictures are too small to read even if you click on them which should enlarge them. Lots of people are saying the same. Other people have posted screen shots. Please can you confirm that you understand the problem and have seen other peoples screen shots.

I dont think the new system should have been rolled out unless it was at least as accessible as the old system as it is a huge backward step to have changed things in a way that discriminates against those with disabilities. I think you should go back to the old system until you can make a new system accessible.