I returned to this thread to comment on Namecheap. I see there are now a few places I might reply.
The Namecheap redesign originally struck me as "design for design's sake" and it continues to do so. A bit more than just the front/"funnel" pages, it also impacted some of the menus and the cart and checkout pages.
With regard to the front pages, I found it no improvement. Some form of "Bootstrap-ification" or whatever that served primarily to hide things rather than to expose them -- both to me, a longstanding user, but also I suspect to a fair fraction of new users.
Checkout also was initially more opaque, although that seems to have been improved a bit since then. (Among other things, the first time post-design, finding and renewing an associated "WhoisGuard" registration was a PITA game of hide-and-seek.)
I found the redesign to be yet one more example of what I consider to be the current, mistaken over-influence of "Design" and "Designers". Taking "stuff that works" and "prettying it up" while making it: Harder to actually see; harder to actually use; more bug prone; less responsive (as opposed to "responsive"); etc.
There are plenty of good redesigns. But there are plenty of "redesigns for redesigns' sake" that should be stopped before they are started.
The other day, I heard someone apply the Hippocratic Oath to an element of software/systems design, and I found myself agreeing: "First, do no harm."
In Namecheap's case, I can understand the design to update a distinctly "old school" appearance. But, as has been pointed out, the older design worked. Keeping things working, and clear, should have been a primary -- first -- requirement of the redesign. They didn't fail entirely in that regard, but they certainly annoyed.
Also, the redesign did look more than a bit like someone "slapped" a Bootstrap theme or similar onto the site. Maybe it looks better particularly on phones and tablets than the old site. But I didn't/don't find it particularly attractive. If I'm going to devolve into discussing its "Design", I think they could have done a fair amount better.
Anywho, the site is working, and on the rare occasion when I need customer support, they've always been very responsive via IM (integrated into the site).
Setting Namecheap aside, I hope that "the Web" in general, or at least the parts I care about, can get past this apparent outsized influence of... "Design" (/Craig-Ferguson-dramatic-expression-mode).
P.S. While I'm here, I'll just add: Darn it, Namecheap. "autocomplete off" your credit card security code field!!! You got the message about the credit card number field, but this change remains needed and outstanding (and has carried over through the design change).
The Namecheap redesign originally struck me as "design for design's sake" and it continues to do so. A bit more than just the front/"funnel" pages, it also impacted some of the menus and the cart and checkout pages.
With regard to the front pages, I found it no improvement. Some form of "Bootstrap-ification" or whatever that served primarily to hide things rather than to expose them -- both to me, a longstanding user, but also I suspect to a fair fraction of new users.
Checkout also was initially more opaque, although that seems to have been improved a bit since then. (Among other things, the first time post-design, finding and renewing an associated "WhoisGuard" registration was a PITA game of hide-and-seek.)
I found the redesign to be yet one more example of what I consider to be the current, mistaken over-influence of "Design" and "Designers". Taking "stuff that works" and "prettying it up" while making it: Harder to actually see; harder to actually use; more bug prone; less responsive (as opposed to "responsive"); etc.
There are plenty of good redesigns. But there are plenty of "redesigns for redesigns' sake" that should be stopped before they are started.
The other day, I heard someone apply the Hippocratic Oath to an element of software/systems design, and I found myself agreeing: "First, do no harm."
In Namecheap's case, I can understand the design to update a distinctly "old school" appearance. But, as has been pointed out, the older design worked. Keeping things working, and clear, should have been a primary -- first -- requirement of the redesign. They didn't fail entirely in that regard, but they certainly annoyed.
Also, the redesign did look more than a bit like someone "slapped" a Bootstrap theme or similar onto the site. Maybe it looks better particularly on phones and tablets than the old site. But I didn't/don't find it particularly attractive. If I'm going to devolve into discussing its "Design", I think they could have done a fair amount better.
Anywho, the site is working, and on the rare occasion when I need customer support, they've always been very responsive via IM (integrated into the site).
Setting Namecheap aside, I hope that "the Web" in general, or at least the parts I care about, can get past this apparent outsized influence of... "Design" (/Craig-Ferguson-dramatic-expression-mode).
P.S. While I'm here, I'll just add: Darn it, Namecheap. "autocomplete off" your credit card security code field!!! You got the message about the credit card number field, but this change remains needed and outstanding (and has carried over through the design change).