New Welcome Center Beta Feedback Thread

Provide feedback, criticism or praise about Kitely, or suggest new features
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Ozwell Wayfarer
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New Welcome Center Beta Feedback Thread

Post by Ozwell Wayfarer »

Ahead of opening the new Kitely Welcome Center to Beta Testers this evening, I am opening this thread so that testers may leave feedback. If you want to share your feedback privately, please send a notecard to me, Ozwell Wayfarer or to Ilan Tochner.

We ask that you please refrain from taking and posting pictures of the new Welcome Center for now. We would like the first pictures that go out to be official ones.

Of particular value is feedback regarding layout. Was it easy to find everything? Is everything clear and easy to use? Have we provided well for newcomers? That said, any and all feedback is most welcome!

Thank you in advance to all the Beta Testers for taking part. If you would also like to take part as a Beta Tester, please apply to Ilan or myself.
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Re: New Welcome Center Beta Feedback Thread

Post by Ravyn Stormchyld »

Over all it seemed to be a great job. On the find places to go strip however, it was a bit confusing at the top of the hill whether to go right up the hill or left across the bridge. Loved the work put in to it, I think it will make a fine KWC when finished. Oh and i did find it spaced just a bit far apart, some new people are not as willing to stroll as some of us lol. Great job !!!!
Last edited by Ravyn Stormchyld on Sun Jul 10, 2016 9:54 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: New Welcome Center Beta Feedback Thread

Post by Caribia Zsun »

Welldone new area is more clearer and I liked those colors but will there be music? :)
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Re: New Welcome Center Beta Feedback Thread

Post by Ozwell Wayfarer »

A few people have asked about music. That is something for Ilan to decide, but I think its not a great idea to have music.

Mostly for the reason not everyone shares the same taste in music. You might hate what I think is good and vice versa. I think it has the potential to cause arguments over what music gets played/when etc. Plus you can play music on your PC so I dont really see the need.

But I know a few greeters want it. Why is it such a popular request? I really genuinely dont understand. Can someone explain why it is more desirable than just playing your own music on your own PC?
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Re: New Welcome Center Beta Feedback Thread

Post by Freda Frostbite »

Initial Reactions And Questions Before Looking To See What Anyone Else Says

1. Fabulous that I landed right next to The Starter Pack. (Any chance The U's LM can get in there?) Too much to read on two notecards. I think they would work better broken down into smaller bites on individual cards. One that says "Movement," one that says "what's in the welcome center?," one that says "Finding Information in Kitely," etc, and so on, and so forth. Seriously, people just won't read all that, but they WILL scan headings on Notecards and read the ones that apply to them. (This is why books with short chapters and catchy chapter titles sell better than ones with no chapter breaks at all. It is also why Dummies books are so popular.)
2. Likewise the greeters board. WE NEED MORE GREETERS IN MORE TIME ZONES. And, as I have said before, NOTHING is as welcoming and helpful as having an actual greeter present at The Welcome Center when a newcomer arrives. Being on call is okay but requires the newcomer to understand what they are to do with that board. I know it tells them, right on the board. Maybe that will do the trick? Maybe?
3. The fountain is lovely, but it is in the focal point where, as a newcomer, I would expect the most important info you plan to give me to be located. Unless there will ALWAYS be greeters sitting on those benches to answer questions, the space could be put to better use.
4. Love, love, love the giant arrows on the ground pointing to things. Helpful, obvious, and nowhere near as tacky as the ones in Diji. Well done!
5. Info in the ABOUT KITELY gazebo is presented clearly. It is perfect, IMO.
6. FINDING PLACES is too far from the center circle, IMO, and one passes a meeting area that is not labeled. A newcomer might want to know what that is for. You also pass one of Dundridge's event boards. Do we still use those? Finding the Finding PLACES Pavilion took me way too far from the center. When I was a newbie, I'd have gotten lost there and never found my way back to the center. That is, in fact, sort of what happened the first time I tried SL. I never did get basic info and was utterly confused, so I logged out, wondering why anyone bothered with SL.
6b. Will ALL worlds be represented here? No, I doubt they will be. So why not just a link to The EXPLORE WORLDS page? Why complicate matters this way?
7. I have never been in The Hall of Merchants at the current WC. It does not interest me on whit. Likewise for the new one. Give me LMs to shops and I am there! Tell me how to open Kitely Market and pay with paypal, ka-ching! But, Dear God, don't ask me to stand around looking at sale flyers from the Sunday paper, which is essentially what a Hall of Merchants is. Of course, I am but one shopper. YMMV
7b. I am guessing there will eventually be a HUGE link to Kitely Market right by the entrance of the Merchant's Hall. Unless it will contain every single merchant who sells in Kitely and every single item they sell, there must be. Right now, it gives the impression of being all there is to buy in Kitely.
8. Finally, I found the thing most people will want first, the avatars. It was right there, but I was not drawn there first. Not sure why.
9. Nice amphitheater. What is the building by the amphitheater?
10. Landscaping is gorgeous! I love how the colors work together. Lovely!

Layout gets a 6 on a scale of 10. Info offered gets a 7. Definitely a vast improvement over the current welcome center, but could still be better.
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Re: New Welcome Center Beta Feedback Thread

Post by Freda Frostbite »

Because no place really breathes without music. Music can convey a sense of place in a way nothing else can. In this case, one would hope for carefully selected, cheerful, gentle, undemanding music.
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Re: New Welcome Center Beta Feedback Thread

Post by Ozwell Wayfarer »

Thanks Freda :) to answer some of your points.

1. - Pending other feedback, we can look at breaking them up more. yes U can go in I think.
2. - We have to make the best of the greeters we have. I agree we need greeters in all timezones. If you know of those people please point them to me.
3. - Initially, we put the kiosk with all the information there in the center at the LZ. But because it is cirular it was difficult to present the information without having to cam or walk around it. So it was decided to put the info in the Kiosk area. We determined that when a new person logs in, they will be looking directly at the starter pack, which is what we felt was important.
6 - "Places/garden of worlds" is not in an ideal spot I agree. I dont really think it can be moved, but I can maybe put some more signposts on the hill. But world search is also in the info kiosk near the LZ, and again in the kiosk in the actual garden area. Initially, I did want to trim this area. But it was decided by Ilan that as much space should be used as possible. So people can see the potential worlds they can create. So we had to fill it with something.
7 - I agree that links about becoming a merchant should be included in the merchant hall. good call.
9 - The building is just intended as a background filler designed as a traditional roman style theater house. It can be replaced or used depending what is going on at the amphitheater.
10 - Thanks :)

On music, if anyone knows where to find fitting music, with the appropriate licences etc. Feel free to suggest it. But I am sure everyone will have a different idea exactly what constitutes "cheerful, gentle, undemanding music."
Last edited by Ozwell Wayfarer on Mon Jul 11, 2016 12:10 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: New Welcome Center Beta Feedback Thread

Post by Ozwell Wayfarer »

For the record, I am all in favor of more ambient sound. But I think music will be potentially divisive.
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Re: New Welcome Center Beta Feedback Thread

Post by Freda Frostbite »

Actually, I use a lot of music that fits that description when leading online meditations. Here is one site that has some music available.
http://www.freemusicpublicdomain.com/ro ... age-music/ There are many, many more. And, of course, music could prove to be divisive. So can air and water. Doesn't mean we should have none at all just cuz we can't agree about where to source our water.
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Re: New Welcome Center Beta Feedback Thread

Post by Ozwell Wayfarer »

Well as I said its not my call to make. Ilan will have to weigh in on this tomorrow. But personally speaking, I think its not a good idea.

I really like some of the music from the link you posted. Especially the guitars, but I dont think any of it fits to being played, in a playlist on repeat, especially with no clear and easy way for new people to turn it off, other than to kill sound altogether. Not everyone likes music, and even among those that do like it, tastes vary wildly.
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