Weblog
flickr Usability... or Lack Thereof
By Meryl K. Evans, May 7, 2007 09:29 AMIs it just me or is it just there are so many web designers and folks from the web community that give flickr enough votes to help the site continue its winning ways? I wasn't impressed with the site when I first tried it out and I'm still not impressed after discovering many similar social photo communities.
I don't think the site is easy or intuitive. Even after using the site a few times (including with a paid membership), I still didn't think it felt "natural" to use. Flickr has the advantage of being one of the earlier photo sharing sites, which probably helped its popularity. By the time others went online, flickr already had the lead and the publicity.
Yet, flickr won top honors for Best Practices in the Webby Awards. No matter how you feel about the Webbys, I believe it's a great way to showcase the best web sites out there. Just like we believe some actors don't deserve their Oscars... it happens to the Webbys, too. I know flickr didn't get my vote.
Flickr is as difficult to use as MySpace. But with both having a huge following, their users get the hang of the sites and know how to get around. I have a myspace page and know my way around now... but it took a few visits to get used to it.
Or is it just me?
- It's not just you
- I started using Flickr last year to post family photos. I like their uploading tools and lack of storage limits (for paying subscribers, at least). Most of all I like their system for keeping photos private to only family and friends. While I'm all for sharing some types of photos, I don't want my kids' pictures ending up as someone else's wallpaper.
I did initially have some trouble creating groups of pictures and organizing them they way I wanted. Their photo management tools could use some work. Even after a year I have trouble with some things if I haven't been to the site in a while.
I also don't like their general page design. I want my family to see sets of pictures I've put together from related events (vacation photos, the last birthday party, etc). But those groups are definitely not what your eyes see first when you come to the site. I found I had to explain to many family members how to navigate to find the pictures they were looking for -- instead of just seeing what I had posted most recently.
I still think the site is great, and overall I'm happy with it. But it is in dire need of some usability testing. Given that Yahoo Photos is going away and all users will be moved to Flickr, maybe Flickr will get some design attention. If not, maybe I'll check out competing sites to see what they have to offer. - Reply to this Comment
- flickr
- More sites are available that offer more storage for free than flickr. I don't like that you have to register to see someone's private flickr stuff instead of receive a link. I think it should include a choice -- as having a link out there can be spidered.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Dustin. - Reply to this Comment
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