Flattr developer update #5 — What is left behind

The most important reason for building the new Flattr system is simplification. Flattr is so different from any other payment product that usability has to be our main goal. This is how we will fight the monsters complexity.

We have silently removed several features the last years. Something you might (not) have noticed. Other minor changes have already been announced. The rest of the new Flattr changes are very much the opposite, noticeable and major.

[caption id=”attachment_8256" align=”alignleft” width=”325"]

More is seldom a good idea.[/caption]

Auto-fav-flattrs
“Add money to your likes” is the main way we communicate how the Flattr system works right now. A great notion and idea that was loved by users and press when launched. But it was an idea that in reality did not work out. Multitude of issues has plagued this feature since launch, from Twitter forbidding it to constant undocumented API updates from Google. So this feature will be removed in the next version of Flattr. We can’t build the main way we communicate Flattr on an idea that technically does not work perfectly. As of the next Flattr version, the feature will be provided as a third party collector through FlattrStar.

Unclaimed flattrs
This was also a great idea, specially in combination with the favorite-flattr feature. Problem being that there are tons and tons of unclaimed flattrs that the creators has no clue exists. Sure some creators have noticed and signed up, but the long tail of unclaimed flattrs has no chance of being claimed, ever. Probably also long forgotten by the user who flattred. The unclaimed flattrs also missed the target when it comes to explaining to new users how Flattr works. People always have a “show me the money” attitude. The unclaimed flattrs does not have that. The new Flattr system will try and fix these problems. But at launch unclaimed flattrs will be gone.

Discovery
When we started Flattr we planned for content discovery to be a major part of the Flattr experience. For this we needed meta data such as title, tags, type, etc. With this we could then make things searchable, create top-lists, categories, a catalog and show trending content. The existing discoverability does though look like there are very few things that can be flattred. Something that is not true. Majority of all content does not show up in the catalog because of two reasons. Most content is added to our system without any meta data and only the things people actually flattred at least once are known to us. Discovery will not be a part of the next Flattr version. We might create a staff picks section for new users.