The Problem With Medium’s New Homepage And A Probable Quick Fix
First things first — I like chronological order. I like my twitter feed because it serves me the latest content first. If I want, I dive down. If not, I don’t. I understand, Medium is not Twitter and both cater to different needs. But the larger point is not just about serving latest but user’s choice and simplicity.
Humans are not robots. We are associated, identical yet distinct. There are similarities that join us with each other and there are factors that differentiate us from one another. There are as many ways in which we can be boxed together and as many ways in which we can be boxed apart. We live around different geographical locations, come from different backgrounds, our aims are different, our aspirations vary. For the vast audience from US, Trump may matter but there are people out there, outside US, far away from the West for whom he is nothing more than a footnote. He matters but they care less for their priorities are different. This is but one example. There are other pointers which differ from region to region, people to people. Few people sitting at one place, howsoever capable, can’t decide for entire audience sitting across the globe in different environments. Isn’t that why news outlets have local bureaus?
The power of medium to me always has been its simple no-brainer UI. Your new homepage for members changes just that. I know you have provided users with options wherein they can go into their settings and change the same. Below post is members only; so you’ll only be able to access it if you’re a member. I suggest you pay the minimal $5 and come on-board. But more on that later.
To sum it design wise— there is new member only UI which may also get rolled out for all in future. It looks like this.
Now some may like the arrangement and some may not. You can never create something that is please for all. That’s given. I for one, like the new design. Design is not everything though. Everyday when I have headed to medium (and which is often), I have scrolled the page, read few posts, if there’s enough time then long reads, if not then short poems. I have always found content from Poets Unlimited on my medium homepage but where are posts from them now? I’m not blaming medium as such. It is largely due to algorithms and code underneath that is to blame. It didn’t feature content from them because it thought (maybe) I rarely recommend their posts so I may not like them much but the fact is, I do. There are other similar sources. If my homepage was chronologically set, I would have found their content as they press publish. Simple.
Yes, I know I have option to go back to my old homepage by changing settings. That’s the bone of contention here. Medium’s strength has been its simplicity. It’s not hobbyist paradise like a Wordpress. Its focus as I understand has always been its readers and writers. Plain interface that inspired people to write often without any worries about formatting and styles because there are none or just bare minimum on the platform.
If medium is listening, what I suggest is, not to abandon the new design but give option to switch to old chronological homepage more upfront. I like the new homepage but want to switch to chronological one real quick like on a press of nearby button(or text link for that matter). To dive there and back here but real quick without the nuisance and pain of going through the mess that are settings page.
Wouldn’t it be nice if I could turn my sofa into bed and bed into sofa on press of a button, real quick without being have to stand up, kneel, pull, do that, do this mechanisms? Well, that’s what I’m looking for in medium!
All said, I’m excited about the new changes. Also hope that Ev Williams and Medium are listening…
Thanks for reading my story. Press the ❤ below if you liked what you just read. It means a lot to me and helps other people to discover it :)
Do please comment below your views on Medium membership, new homepage and rest.
