In my last post Usability Improvements, I talked about parts of the current version of the site we find awkward. As we looked at various ways we could make small iterations to try to solve this issues, we realized that many of our ideas would be very difficult to implement on the existing architecture. As a result, we decided to use our 18 months of experience and user feedback to re-conceive the entire platform in order to better support site development well into the future.
Personalized Home Pages
Inspired by Flickr, we are moving to an architecture where new users of the site are presented with a home page to help introduce the ChinesePod service to them, while previously logged in users will be directed (determined by a browser cookie) to a personalized home page to help get them studying ASAP.
Introduction to ChinesePod Home:
Personalized ChinesePod Home:
Username Implementation
There are a number of areas of Version 3 that depend on this personalization, especially with regards to lesson management and the basic social networking features. As a result, we will adding site usernames for on-site identification and custom URL’s. To preserve the unique identify of these, existing users will initially be assigned a numerical username which can be updated at any time.
Independent Community Venues
In many ways our team here in Shanghai are only stewards of this ChinesePod project. We believe that the community that has developed around ChinesePod over the past 1.5 years is something truly special and we intend to continue to do what we can to facilitate more and more involvement. Currently there are many tools to use to contribute to the community. While we hope to tie these closer and closer to the core service, we also value the independence of these venues. As a result, the forums, wiki and blogs will remain untouched apart from a few cosmetic changes.
ChinesePod Forum: http://forum.chinesepod.com/
ChinesePod Wiki: http://wiki.chinesepod.com/
ChinesePod Blogs: http://blogs.chinesepod.com/
In addition, our non-lesson shows (Saturday Show & Word on the Street) will get their own home where archives and comments can be better stored. We are calling this ChinesePod - Extra:
ChinesePod Extra (still under construction): http://extra.chinesepod.com/
Short, Human-Friendly URL Structure
We have tried to make all site URL’s less complicated. For example this is how our lesson URL’s currently look:
http://www.chinesepod.com/podcast/2007/02/27/
%e8%8f%9c%e9%b8%9f160-my-keys-are-missing/
This is how they will look in the future:
http://chinesepod.com/learnchinese/my-keys-are-missing/
While this may disrupt some external links to lesson pages, we felt it was important to get these right going forward into the future.
Membership Structure
Currently, we offer a 7-day free trial of premium services, after which the account expires. First, the 7 day trial will become a 15-day trial to allow new users a little more time to sample the premium features. Second, we are slightly modifying the user architecture defining user types as (1) Public users (no account), (2) Free Account users (can explore lessons, interact with others in Connect section), (3) Basic users (can play lesson dialog, download PDF’s) & (4) Premium users (full access).
Next Post: Lesson Review
中文 Chinese
Hotpot Mike Says:
March 14th, 2007 at 10:48 am
… the other ChinesePod Blogs are underneath September 2005’s blogs?
The personalized page looks good… but lacking any sort of community feel. I see the Connect button… but anyways…I shouldn’t pass judgement on the new version based on a couple screenshots.
Anyways, strongly agree with Dima’s message on the last blog.
金平 Tsin_Ping Says:
March 14th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Wow! Thanks Ken for updating us to the new ChinesePod! (Is it Ken or hank??? I dunno…)
Anyway, yes, The Saturday Show is getting what it deserves!(Having a page all by itself! Wow! Saturday Show’s really getting attention!)
Honestly, I wanna be a premium user… But the thing is, I don’t have my own money… Maybe someday, when I work (I think it’s a little bit approaching now.. haha)… I don’t want to try the 7-free trial, because in the end, I’ll gonna be upset for it’s finished… But, what do we have here? From 7 days to whooping 15 days?? Whhoooweee!!! That’s two weeks with premium access!! I think I’ll change my mind… haha..
Anyway, I hope that the new ChinesePod is a success! A success that will attract more customers and fellow long lost poddies, that will change the way we listen to podcast fully, that will change the way we learn Mandarin (Or Spanish, I bet) fully, and lastly, that will make ChinesePod the greatest podcast ever!
Again, Godbless and Godspeed!
By the way, I gave a comment on “Brand New Look”… 
L.L. ChinesePod!!!
Charles Says:
March 14th, 2007 at 11:28 am
Okey I love the commenting account idea. But I am a bit iffy about the front page… I just don’t think I use a resource like ChinesePod in the same way I use flickr. Search is not the first thing I do when I open ChinesePod but it is for flicker. I do that only if one of the recent podcasts doesn’t interest me. Someone mentioned this in the last post as well that the search has too much focus. So instead of a gateway to access it’s more like wall I’ll have to climb over.
The main argument for this type of page is it encourages sign-ups that’s why flickr is the way it is… It wants you to sign-up with a nice shiny yahoo account. If you want to be socially interactive on flickr you get an account but if your not socially inclined your probably just looking for photos on a specific topic hence the prominent search box. The format doesn’t really go over to ChinesePod.
From looking at the front page I have two things I can click on to continue.. get started (sounds like what I’m going to be using the most) and Browse by level. So no matter what I’m going to be clicking on something.
Please can we have a check box with the option “do not show this page in future” under the Get started option.
There seem to be some contradictions in the design as well. Bring the Zh lessons in and move the informal podcasts out
One thing I’ve got to ask is where was the blog post saying we’re redesigning ChinesePod what do you like hate? open discussions about what peoples chinesepod work flow is? a questionnaire? There have been blogpost covering this stuff in some form but nothing that really said we’re redesigning ChinesePod… help us! What would have been great is if there had been a public beta rather than… we’re rolling this out in a couple of weeks this is how it works. This sort of seems against the talk of the being stewards and the big brain.
I’m sure that I will enjoy the majority of the new features. Just feel a bit left out and it’s the inclusiveness of chinesePod that attracts me to the service above all.
Beyond my criticisms above I have a few questions..
On the front page below preview the lesson we are asked to sample the review activities. Does this actually take us sample review lessons or a prompt to sign up for a free trial?
Is the “Level check” open to all?
whats that xlabs thing in after privacy?
Whats the box that looks like it has a bit of Lorem ipsum in it?
Also can you give us a link to larger screen shots. They’re to small to really see anything.
Diana Says:
March 14th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Ken, do you know when the service disruptions will be during the changeover?
Also, since you’re highlighting the “take a test to check your level” so prominenently, it would be good to have a reading/vocab test as well as a listening…We encounter the listening part first in the podcasts, but for me at least, there’s a difference between the level at which I listen at the level at which I do read and do review exercises.
Also, it would be good to have more frequent tests so that existing users can test themselves on a periodic basis. Not that improvement is that rapid, but one can only hope.
Changye Says:
March 15th, 2007 at 8:38 am
＞ the other ChinesePod Blogs are
＞ underneath September 2005’s blogs?
I totally agree with Hotpot Mike.
They should be at the top of the page.
Otherwise, very few people would notice them.
Changye Says:
March 15th, 2007 at 9:45 am
One more thing. I hesitate a bit to say this, but Ken’s look in the photo seems somewhat gloomy. I like your smiling face in the upper right on this page best. It’s very charming.
Hank Horkoff Says:
March 15th, 2007 at 9:52 am
Moved the links module above the Latest Posts. Can’t do much about how Ken looks.
Sandra Says:
March 15th, 2007 at 10:24 am
OTOH (see too-long post in the other home page critique), I love the idea of the personalized Web page. Do I understand that we will be able to skip the home page and go straight to our separate personal page?
Sandra
Lantian Says:
March 15th, 2007 at 4:59 pm
MAKEUP - Oh I don’t know Hank, a little powder, eyeliner and blush…might make Ken really scary looking…maybe he can get some tips from Aric on how to make that grey under his eyes shout hey! I am beautiful.
Photoshop also does wonders in the trade rags.
kmk Says:
March 16th, 2007 at 5:18 am
Basic users won’t be abble to interact with others poddies in Connect section anymore ?
What a shame, you will then lose my great expertise !
Hank Horkoff Says:
March 16th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Sandra,
After you login the first time on the home page, a cookie will be saved on your local machine. Next time you visit the site it will recognize who you are and automatically direct you to your personalized page.
kmk,
All users (Free Trial, Basic and Premium) will be able to use the Connect section. You will need to register, but it is not necessary to pay.
Mitchum Says:
April 14th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
V3 problems? Can’t access the Saturday Show or WOS from any link of the extra.chinesepod.com page. Whatsup?