Segway Social is not ready for prime time

[IRASegyRider2]

After seeing some bad press in Chat, I took a more serious look at Segway Social. The bottom line, in my opinion, is that Segway Social (at this URL: http://social.segway.com/) is not ready for prime time. That's sad. :(

After an initial look and discovering a couple of issues, I sent feedback email to the webmaster. (They actually invite feedback on the website.) I was pleasantly surprised to get a reply. Actually I got two replies! While that might seem as over attentiveness at first blush, it actually demonstrates a lack of organization where feedback should be handled by one person or department. Since then, however, they no longer reply to my emails as I point out other problems. I won’t try to help if I don’t feel welcome to do so.

The website itself is disorganized. There is no help system for using some of the tools, especially the map. At first glance, the map feature appears really cool! But then, in an attempt to learn how to use it, I got rather frustrated. I am proficient computer user and I got confused about how to do several things.

They call it a beta. As the prior manager of a 25-person Software Quality Assurance Group, I would call it an alpha. Software in an alpha state is missing some features (that are obvious to the user) and it has critical errors (bugs) that result in malfunctions so severe that the user soon develops a general distrust and even leads the user to stop using the software. Beta software, on the other hand, is obviously not perfect, but all the features are in place and there are no critical issues. It is ready for use by proficient computer users, but not quite ready for every user. The beta users are encouraged to offer feedback.

Things that disappear as I use the website, lowers my confidence and creates confusion. For example, some of the red dots indicating the location of glides disappear as I drag the map, and others appear. Another example involves the two tabs, "Featured Group" and "Details". When I click the former, the "Details" tab just disappears. That is inconsistent and unexpected.

Clicking on "Tips and Tricks" starts a new window and goes to a foreign website, MediaWiki. There is no explanation for this behavior prior to starting the new window. The user is faced with a website that changes its look and feel, decreasing the user’s confidence and comfort level. The MediaWiki is a pretty cool idea for technologically advanced users, but, in my opinion, it is inappropriate for the intended user base, a bunch of Segway riders, some of whom are not comfortable around computers.

This is not meant as a rant, but merely my observations about a website with a lot of potential. I wish them well, and if I am encouraged to offer feedback with the aim of helping to produce a better website, I will.

[nora k]

i'm not sure receiving a response every time you submit feedback is the best way to gauge whether your feedback is welcome. if they didn't want feedback they wouldn't have a link for it. our submissions are the best way to impart what we, the enthusiasts, want the site to be. Inc. is trying to create something good for us and good for them. we can only mold it to be what we want by continuing to tell them how the site will serve us better, not by withholding critiques because we did not get a thank you.


After seeing some bad press in Chat, I took a more serious look at Segway Social. The bottom line, in my opinion, is that Segway Social (at this URL: http://social.segway.com/) is not ready for prime time. That's sad. :(

After an initial look and discovering a couple of issues, I sent feedback email to the webmaster. (They actually invite feedback on the website.) I was pleasantly surprised to get a reply. Actually I got two replies! While that might seem as over attentiveness at first blush, it actually demonstrates a lack of organization where feedback should be handled by one person or department. Since then, however, they no longer reply to my emails as I point out other problems. I won’t try to help if I don’t feel welcome to do so.

The website itself is disorganized. There is no help system for using some of the tools, especially the map. At first glance, the map feature appears really cool! But then, in an attempt to learn how to use it, I got rather frustrated. I am proficient computer user and I got confused about how to do several things.

They call it a beta. As the prior manager of a 25-person Software Quality Assurance Group, I would call it an alpha. Software in an alpha state is missing some features (that are obvious to the user) and it has critical errors (bugs) that result in malfunctions so severe that the user soon develops a general distrust and even leads the user to stop using the software. Beta software, on the other hand, is obviously not perfect, but all the features are in place and there are no critical issues. It is ready for use by proficient computer users, but not quite ready for every user. The beta users are encouraged to offer feedback.

Things that disappear as I use the website, lowers my confidence and creates confusion. For example, some of the red dots indicating the location of glides disappear as I drag the map, and others appear. Another example involves the two tabs, "Featured Group" and "Details". When I click the former, the "Details" tab just disappears. That is inconsistent and unexpected.

Clicking on "Tips and Tricks" starts a new window and goes to a foreign website, MediaWiki. There is no explanation for this behavior prior to starting the new window. The user is faced with a website that changes its look and feel, decreasing the user’s confidence and comfort level. The MediaWiki is a pretty cool idea for technologically advanced users, but, in my opinion, it is inappropriate for the intended user base, a bunch of Segway riders, some of whom are not comfortable around computers.

This is not meant as a rant, but merely my observations about a website with a lot of potential. I wish them well, and if I am encouraged to offer feedback with the aim of helping to produce a better website, I will.

[quade]

What I don't really understand is that so many of the functions it would like to be exist in off the shelf purchasable modules.

The map function, for instance, could have been purchased from Google Maps and would have allowed for the import of tracks rather than recreating them by hand. This includes the import of .kmz files from Google Earth which can be created by direct download from GPS units. While this -may- sound like a trivial point, let me assure you that if you have more than a couple of straight line involved along an existing road it makes a world of difference. Further, not all "glides" are going to be circular in nature. The existing tool ALWAYS connects the two end points of the route.

And the maps function is just one example.

I get the impression that the entire social.segway.com site was designed by committee and low bid by people that have never created a website based on user generated content before.

[IRASegyRider2]

i'm not sure receiving a response every time you submit feedback is the best way to gauge whether your feedback is welcome. if they didn't want feedback they wouldn't have a link for it. our submissions are the best way to impart what we, the enthusiasts, want the site to be. Inc. is trying to create something good for us and good for them. we can only mold it to be what we want by continuing to tell them how the site will serve us better, not by withholding critiques because we did not get a thank you.

With all due respect, nora k, if you check my profile, you will see that I'm from the old school. I was taught that if I don't thank the gift giver, I'd get no more gifts. When I spend well over an hour carefully documenting a problem and I hear nothing I don't know for sure whether or not my email even made it to the recipient. Saying "Thank you, Asa, for your email. We will look into your suggestions." takes a few seconds, especially if it is part of a macro. That's a very small price to pay to make the customer happy. Maybe the suggestion will make it into the product. Otherwise, the only "pay" that a volunteer gets is a thank you.
:)

[nora k]

but aren't macro enabled thank yous hollow thank yous? they take away accountability from the recipient because their "job" of checking back in with the supplier of the feedback is done. I sent a letter to Gary Carter in 1986 and got back one that was stamped with his name on it. Sure they responded, but there was no meaning in it.

(who knows? maybe they'll see this and create that very macro!)

btw, that's about all the henny youngman i know.

and no more attempts on my part to hijack your thread! promise!

With all due respect, nora k, if you check my profile, you will see that I'm from the old school. I was taught that if I don't thank the gift giver, I'd get no more gifts. When I spend well over an hour carefully documenting a problem and I hear nothing I don't know for sure whether or not my email even made it to the recipient. Saying "Thank you, Asa, for your email. We will look into your suggestions." takes a few seconds, especially if it is part of a macro. That's a very small price to pay to make the customer happy. Maybe the suggestion will make it into the product. Otherwise, the only "pay" that a volunteer gets is a thank you.
:)

[wwhopper]

is run by just a couple of people who work normal 9-5 Monday through Friday work days.

I would expect that they would be most interested in your constructive comments, I know they have heard mine, and others from this community and commented on them in other conversations.

So keep sending in your comments, some of them BLUNT, some of them not so blunt, but they want this to work, and are interested in hearing from anyone about the program.

[Sal]

IRASegyrider2,

With respect to where you're coming from, I do understand the need to get a simple "thank you."

But, and here's the kicker, having been familiar with Segway from the beginning of it's rollout, etc., it's a company that is still trying to find itself both in the business world, as well as what "relationship" it needs to have with the most enthusiastic of its proponents.

From the start, and unsurprisingly through to SegwaySocial, (many of the members of this site can tell you) INC has been one of the most difficult to "diagnose" businesses. It has often confused, angered, disheartened and sometimes totally disregarded what their customar base has asked for / suggested.

I am not surprised that their responses to SSocial feedback were sporadic. I received only one thank you to around 7 or 8 suggestions. Nora submitted probably two dozen suggestions and also received only 1 thank you.

Please don't let the antics of INC prevent you from making it a better company.

Just know that this is probably the most vocal INC has been in asking for user input.

That's my $0.02.

-Sal

[quade]

is run by just a couple of people who work normal 9-5 Monday through Friday work days

Not to put too fine a point on it, but so are the majority of company web sites. :)

eMail auto responders aren't exactly rocket science. :D It's just another example of how not well thought out the site is. From a legal stand point, you'd think they'd want to cover themselves on both the feedback form saying that ideas submitted become property of Segway Inc. and the confirmation email should restate that point.

[wwhopper]

eMail auto responders aren't exactly rocket science. :D

Is an auto response.

Segway is very much interested in Segway Social, I think they would be more interested in giving you a live response, not just an auto response.

Anyone can set up an autoresponse on their email system, I personally detest them!

[quade]

Is an auto response.

Segway is very much interested in Segway Social, I think they would be more interested in giving you a live response, not just an auto response.

Anyone can set up an autoresponse on their email system, I personally detest them!

I agree that -more than- a simple auto response would be desirable, but if a web site is successful at all, then anything more than than would normally be reserved for exceptional cases.

The last company I worked for was a small tv show with a fan web site. Not even a "popular" show, just a small one on SPEED, yet we received far more feedback than any human could possibly personally respond to on a daily basis. It's just the nature of the beast.

[BringOnI2]

And the maps function is just one example.

I get the impression that the entire social.segway.com site was designed by committee and low bid by people that have never created a website based on user generated content before.

Here's an example of user generated maps that they wouldn't have needed to pay for - http://www.openstreetmap.org/