Couldn't have said it better. That and I want the old oval "I Want One!" button back!

tl;dr version:
The old site was simple, and that's why it worked. The new site is unnecessarily busy, hideously ugly, and maintains none of what made Woot great.[/quote]

Too bright, and too much junk on the page. Moving things around is fine, but it is more difficult to read with the white background. The additional woot plus seems too big, (the too much junk on the page). Smaller boxes with the ability to go to them and make them larger would be better in my opinion.

@jumbowoot: we are not here because of the % off "list" or "retail" we are here because we've grown with you and you are cheaper than the other cheapies on the web. Any deal hunter will not care how much percentage is off the retail price when no one sells (or buy's) at retail prices online. You can call out another deal site or just take it off.

mvsopen wrote:First, a server error on the feedback site? Strike one!
Second, why all the FaceBook garbage? Some of us still care about privacy, and refuse to use "FacePlant". Strike two. But the one that kills it for me? Making we, your customers, click to read the 2nd half of the product description! That's the reason we're here!!!!

Bring back the old site, please? It worked, and there really was no need to change it. Just because someone in upper-Amazon management said "Hey, this looks dated..." isn't reason enough for you to lose customers, is it?
(And you will lose customers over this "upgrade")

EXCELLENT call! I Abhor in the stronggest terms facebook, Twittew, et. al. I write SW for a living and know Just how much facebook and twitter record, index, and cross index, virtually EVERY post, comment, picture, question, etc., etc. using a massive number of machines and a hadoop back end to run the nightly map-reduce jobs. I RUN from facebook and anything to do with it.

cheron98 wrote:Yah, I got a server error too. Except I was going to say this:

Biggest issue I'm seeing with the new layout: The top menu bar isn't scalable. I'm on a netbook; yes, one of the many ones you guys sell or used to when netbooks were all the rage, and its ideal resolution limits it to 1024px wide. I can't logout. The menu bar doesn't scale enough so that I can get to the logout link, which means multiple users can't be on the same machine. I also see the "Stuff you bought" link, but can't get to whatever is next to it. I see a "Y", so I'm guessing it's "Your account", but I can't tell. It's fixed, so I can't scroll it over. Way uncool.

Also, the text box for the message posts is teeny tiny and the width won't expand (using Firefox 12).

I'm viewing it on a 27" monitor and I can confirm "Y" is your account and right above it is "not you?"

All things considered I might prefer the view on a netbook, it is SOOOO bright.

rjpsjfg wrote:Change for the sake of change probably by new management in order to 'improve' (and usually in an attempt for recognition of the 'innovator').

I myself have been through SO many of those instances where "new guys" try to make their mark so that management recognizes their worth at the expense of the designers and ultimately the customer. After some thought I think the new design may be reflecting the cries of confused designers that are trying to please a micro-manager (or two) making a grab at another entry for their resumé. Hang in there older Woot designer/s, my experience shows that those sorts are usually one-trick-ponies, always at-ready to jump to another company once they muck things up and reveal their true colors.

DO NOT LIKE.

You know what it's really missing? Comfort. Up to now Woot was always that site where I felt comfortable visiting. We all knew that behind the curtain it was growing by leaps and bounds, but the "face" of Woot emulated it's humble roots with a handful of employees growing the business in a way that was fun and witty for the customer to come back to night-after-night, even if they had no funds to buy anything. Now it looks busy, sterile, cold and less personable and makes me question who is really behind that curtain now.

Embrace change people!

I think it is easier to navigate and I for one enjoy it.

Take a couple days and get used to it and we will all keep on living.

I want to see how it looks during a woot off and think we need one today.

read about how to adjust & modify a website: http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2012/04/ff_abtesting/

Overall negative.

Biggest concerns:

1 - Too cluttered

2 - Doesn't tell me if that laptop is new or refurbished.

3 - Extra info shoves thumbnails for home.woot, kids.woot, etc. off the top so I need to scroll down.

An angry unicorn just took a crap all over my favorite website...

clutter. busy. junky. too bright. opposite of everything woot was before.

Okay so I have two suggestions. (These are being made in my sweetest voice ever) Please...

1. Add a link to the discussion board for the specific item on the "Stuff you Bought" page. That would make my life about 4 clicks easier.

2. Bring back the time stamp on each of the posts. I use them when I return and want to pick up were I left off. Now we only have a date and I had to go through all of the messages for the day before I started seeing some I didnt recognize.

Thanks for your consideration.

I'm guessing the $5 All You Can Ship is secretly a beta test implemented by the Russians to see how it works out and maybe keep it forever if it makes us buy more stuff, but I'd like to just say right now that we should keep it forever because it's making me buy more stuff.

SaVioR wrote:Loving the hate. The net these days is all about a mass of information at your fingertips all at once as fast as possible. GREAT job on the new design coming from a certified user interace engineer. LOVING it guys.

As a certified UI user, I'm not digging the site at all. The new look is too busy. The site has a "corporate" look to it now with all the extra "buying opportunities". Have a separate page for all of the Woot Plus stuff. Use the newly freed space to show the humorous description, the features, and the specs. You know, kinda like it was before. With the old look and layout, my process for looking at all the products and their relevant info was simple. About 6 clicks and I was done. To get the same info, the new site has simplified the process into only 18 steps. The only reason I can see for the new design is to make room for more sales opportunities in the Woot Plus ads. How very corporate.

I won't be surprised if the next screaming monkey has a suit and a tie instead of the cape.

Purchase history not working, attempting to use OpenID generates an error, server error when trying to leave feedback.

The new page is far to busy and bright. It is crowded and obnoxious, and has become far too commercial.

It is sad to see Woot giving up and bowing to the almighty dollar, what was once a great place is now nothing more than another 'buy our stuff' lemming.

Yet another duckface on the Facebook of Internet stores.

It will take me a bit to get use to it. I am glad you can get to moofi easier. There are no local deals in Norfolk, VA so I can't use that. I like how you still left the easy icons on the right hand side. There is nothing for me to order today so I am not sure how much you have changed that bedsides being able to pick quantity and color right away which is nice. I love that fact that you can pay one $5 shipping for all the items bought that day. It will probably take me a week to get used to the new Woot.

Have not explored the site enough to have much more of an opinion than, "awfully busy." What struck me most was the tone of the copy on the guide to new woot.com page. It's all gushy "More stuff you're _sure_ to love!" and none of the grumpy sarcasm that doesn't really care whether we love it. It reads like the copywriters from Amazon and not woot. Which tells me that you guys don't really believe in it either.

sugar10381 wrote:It will take me a bit to get use to it. I am glad you can get to moofi easier. There are no local deals in Norfolk, VA so I can't use that. I like how you still left the easy icons on the right hand side. There is nothing for me to order today so I am not sure how much you have changed that bedsides being able to pick quantity and color right away which is nice. I love that fact that you can pay one $5 shipping for all the items bought that day. It will probably take me a week to get used to the new Woot.

I dont see a moofi link. Maybe im not looking in the right place.

Most websites hastily patch their sites to attempt to keep up with the Jones.com, but Woot actually put some thought into theirs and made a very functional, fluidic website. It will still take a little getting used to for this creature of habit, but I'm going to go ahead and deliver the verdict. Guilty. (of doing what I thought was impossible- improving on the website. Real smash up job guys [and possibly a girl])

Overall I like it, but I agree with this poster on the middle/right thumbnails. All in all good job guys!

thumperchick wrote:I'm 50/50. Love the top bar navigation. Hate that there is so much going on on the landing pages.

Ditch the middle/right site thumbnails and stick the woot+ info there. Put the description back on the front page, with the tabs for spec's and such. That would help a lot.

Kerig wrote:You know what it's really missing? Comfort. Up to now Woot was always that site where I felt comfortable visiting. We all knew that behind the curtain it was growing by leaps and bounds, but the "face" of Woot emulated it's humble roots with a handful of employees growing the business in a way that was fun and witty for the customer to come back to night-after-night, even if they had no funds to buy anything. Now it looks busy, sterile, cold and less personable and makes me question who is really behind that curtain now.

Didn't you watch the movie? The guy behind the curtain was none other than Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs. (The wizard of Oz) (btw- his initials are O.Z.P.I.N.H.E.A.D.)

Too busy, too bright, page too wide to fit on my 1280 x 800 laptop screen, ads more annoying somehow, and the tabbed design that makes me click to see a full description or specs is a major fail.

I was hoping the changes would add a more obvious way of directing people to shirt.woot's list of shirts currently for sale (the "reckoning"), since it was one of shirt.woot's biggest problems with casual browsers and new customers. Nobody glancing at the site is going to know there's dozens more shirts available, unless they accidentally stumble across it by wondering what "reckoning" means enough to click on it. Very disappointed to see that this problem wasn't part of the redesign.

On the plus side, at least the weekly batch of side-sales is well-featured now.

jrs1980 wrote:Agreed. I'll often read the product write-up even if I'm not at all interested in the product. I take free entertainment where ever I can get it. I don't see myself doing a double-click and then a page-down.

Also, three sets of links to all of the sister sites? Top, right, and bottom? Seems overkill to me, especially since the top menu is static.

I still hate my avatar.

i have a crappy selections of avatars too... was kinda hoping the woot redesign would have somehow thrown in better choices or some sort of avatar generator

WoW!! I love the NEW Woot! The new format is really nice (with a few exceptions).

*I don't like to click on a button to see whether an item is new or refurbished.
*I want to see the description on 1st page.
*i never want to see moving images on my description of item page. It's terribly distracting!

I personally want to like the redesign, and can live with most the changes. My biggest beef? Lose the ticker! As far as scaling, I'm having no problem on my low-res tablet.
I wouldn't mind the top navbar just staying at the top of the page, a "home" keypress away.
My order history page is "server error"ed...
We'll see how hard I cry when I use a computer...

Neither am I loving the new redesign. One new comment, and to echo others' observations:

- The new page layout is too wide. I'm a Mac guy, and I keep many windows open. No single browser window is so important that it commands my full-screen. I typically open windows roughly at 1024x768, so I can see what's happening elsewhere. The new layout is badly clipped at this size - a lot of the important stuff is lost.

- Despite consuming lots of screen space, the page looks cluttered. It's disorienting to see the product photo in the middle of the page.

- Where's the story? Oh, it's on the right. But that's where Woot! puts the non-so-important stuff.

- And you have to click "read more"? Not good - you're hiding the best part...

- Woot!plus is probably a good idea for you. But making it so prominent says you're losing the "One Day, One Deal"-ness.

- I hate the "List Price" info. I don't care what it used to cost. I trust you to give me a good deal. (And what if it's only half-off? Since I mostly expect Woot! pricing to be *way* lower, a 50% discount can make it sound expensive... :-)

- If you're gonna keep this layout, you should add a few pixels of whitespace on the left and right of the text if you shrink the width of the window to the minimum size (without horizontal scrollbar). The Woot! logo, "TODAY'S WOOT" and "Toshiba 17.3..." all touch the left edge of the window, which is visually offputting.

- I wanted to see an old page for comparison, so I fired up the Wayback Machine... http://web.archive.org/web/20110722090145/http://www.woot.com/

- I'm using Chrome 19 on Mac, 15" screen at 1440x900, if it might make a difference.

I can't take in what is actually the woot item of the day. There is so much going on.
1) The screen is way too bright.. Too much white
2) read more for the deal - sucks
3) You have tabs at pinned @ top, buttons on the right, and buttons on the bottom.. Choose what you want..
4) Woot plus.. Seems like a woot monkey puked up some additional deals which should not be there (maybe their own page).
5) You have Wootcast, Blog and then huge advertisements down bottom.
6) Advertisements on the right.

Site is a total turn off now..

In order to see the entire width of the page,I would have to adjust my screen resolution. Everything else looks great, but I really hate having to use my horizonal scroll bar!!!! Can you just make it the same width as the old woot?? Please.

How about putting a link at the top of the page "Go back to woot 3.0" and lust us choose which design to use..


That would be nice

This new design is so cluttered my eyes don't know where to go...

The new design is awful. I stopped buying Woot shirts when they upped the price and dropped the quality. I was still visiting for the writeups and the possibility that I get overwhelmed by the awesomeness of a design.

Now the writeups are half-hidden by a link. The main page has too much stuff going on - what do I focus on? What are you trying to sell me? I have no idea, because I'm too busy focusing on how fething large all the images are.

If you're just getting absorbed by Amazon, just do it already! Don't pretend you're still woot when you're "Woot plus, oh, and woot still I guess, if you don't mind twitching corpses" - ie, the exact think your webpage is telling me.

Going to go ahead and delete that bookmark. Enjoy circling the drain, Woot; I do hope you enjoyed burning my eyes though. I'm sure that was a knee-slapper!

Is there any way to get the selling price listed on the RSS feed again? I make 95% of my woot impulse purchases in my newsreader and without a price, I probably won't bother with all the clicking.

Posted 2 separate comments and a server error both times

Hate the click-thru aspects of the new redesign, too cluttered and WAY TOO MUCH JUNK.

Plus, what's with the Woot!Plus crap - so much for "One Day, One Deal"? Hate that that's gone now.

Guess I'll just wait around for WootOff Monkeys.. Oh Yeah, they suck now too, thanks to the new cheap and inferior 'bandit' version.


Update: Oh Yeay !! 2 more server errors trying to post this. Woot, where have you gone. Next you'll be saying there are no more Bouts of Consternation.

Update, again: Make that 4 more server errors trying to post this.

Hmm, methinks I see Amazon culture intruding. Thanks for keeping the green.

Hmmmm.... first Amazon buys Woot. Then a redesign that looks like it started with an Amazon template with the busy detail to go with it. Woot was a unique site in both the business model as well as web design - simple, unclutter. Woot, you're now officially part of the crowd...

spahkee wrote:Hmmmm.... first Amazon buys Woot. Then a redesign that looks like it started with an Amazon template with the busy detail to go with it. Woot was a unique site in both the business model as well as web design - simple, unclutter. Woot, you're now officially part of the crowd...

Forgot to mention, it looks like the old Target.com template back when Target's web site was being hosted and run by Amazon (take it from someone who worked at Target.com)

With the annoying static bar up top being static and not being allowed to scroll, I can't get to any account settings like logging in or account management or anything on the right hand side of it on my netbook.

Please make it un-stick it so I can access my account stuff.

Also, speaking of prices, it would be incredibly helpful to have the selling price listed on the drop downs from the menu bar. Like them or not, I don't like having to click on more stuff to see if the price is sufficiently low to make me buy something I don't really need.