I agree both on clapping and on rebranding. I’m really surprised how some elementary UX and marketing principles have been neglected. I’m really confused.
Personally, I think that the binary “recommend” had to be overcome, also according to the new perspectives. But a rating without a scale is nonsense. They give the reader an useless freedom, that translates into uncertainty and inconsistency.
The UI of clapping is terrible. The user has to “discover” the possible actions. Also information is not evident. How many claps did I give, when animation already stopped?
Finally, on clapping, what’s the meaning of clapping? It’s a misleading concept. Nobody applaudes a writer, when the writer is not there. Rather, you make a review. The applause rewards other type of performances. A writer does not seek applauses.
About the logo, really I don’t understand. The communication with the new logo is evidently going in the wrong direction. You may like or dislike it, but the substance is that it conveys the wrong message.
