The New WDW Website is a Nightmare Fantasmic

[ProfGoofy]

Has anyone else had trouble navigating the new WDW website? Okay maybe I'm at a disadvantage with my Mac, but according to the WDW it should run on Safari, in fact it recommends Safari and sends you to the Apple site to get it. However, and you can trust me on this, it doesn't run on Safari, I can't even get past the page that says I should update my Safari (sorry guys, I already have the latest version). So I tried using Internet Explorer, have the latest version of that. WDW site says to take full advantage of the site I need Macromedia Flash MX and that my Quicktime is correct (thank goodness for small favors). So I try to download Macromedia Flash MX and the WDW site sends me to a blank page, I go back and now the WDW site says I need to download both Macromedia Flash MX and Quicktime.... Argh!!!. So I decide to use the site without the Macromedia Flash MX and if the Quicktime works, then so be it. Moving from on page to another makes no sense. I was trying to get information on Magical Gatherings and had a hard time finding the information I wanted (and I knew it was there a few days ago before the big site switch). Some pages take you nowhere. Text overlaps text. The eye-candy slows down the pages and I'm using broadband, can't imagine what dial-up is like.

I seem to recall that a few people posted that they were asked to review and critique the WDW website, I believe they were down in Texas. I was asked here in Chicago, but didn't get back to them in time, so they didn't need me. I'm curious, is the new WDW site the result of these surveys? What's next replacing access to the site with Character Caravan?

 

[OnWithTheShow]

It runs, and looks great! One of the best websites I have seen in a LONG LONG time.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

I have a long-time friend who just sent me the following today:

"I just tried to access the Walt Disney World web site. This is what I got:

Disneyworld.com has been redesigned to offer a more interactive, immersive experience. This new site also makes extensive use of rich media to better display the magic of the Walt Disney World® Resort.

The design of this new site has been optimized for specific browser versions. It appears that your current browser version is Netscape 6.x or less, which will not provide an optimal experience. To download a FREE upgrade, simply select the browser version you prefer to use from the list below:

One of the browsers they recommend is Apple Safari, which happens to be the one I am using.

It is also bad practice to design web sites for only specific versions of browsers; someone using Mac OS 9 can't use Netscape 7.0, which means that they can't access the site at all unless they switch to Internet Explorer 5 (another recommended browser), and they may not want to use that browser."

This friend got her first Apple computer about 20 years ago, and for several years was a techie at Apple in Cupertino. She does know what she is talking about.

Of course I'm not sure why anyone would want to go to the Disney web site; most of the fan-run sites are many times better with much more accurate information.

 

[dansyr]

I don't have a Mac so I can't relate to your problems.
However on my system it runs great. I really enjoy the new website. It offers alot more info than the old one

 

[Cricket2]

Originally posted by Cheshire Figment
It is also bad practice to design web sites for only specific versions of browsers; someone using Mac OS 9 can't use Netscape 7.0, which means that they can't access the site at all unless they switch to Internet Explorer 5 (another recommended browser), and they may not want to use that browser.

As common sense as this sounds, it's not how many companies are looking at things anymore. The Internet is no longer a bonus feature trying to get you to visit with infinite backwards compatibility. It is the required norm now and in order to give the experience that they want you to have, they are designing sites for the VAST majority of visitors and not the minority.

I'm not trying to start a IE vs. everyone else debate here at all so please don't think that, but that's just how it is. IE is the norm and the current Flash player (part of my job is Flash design) is almost just as common a requirement.

Even here on this site, we have had numerous problems with off suit browsers including Netscape. I used to design Flash signatures for many of the mods here and they just caused too many lockups even with old Microsoft products. Disney has obviously stepped past that concern and into the present day technology by requiring you to use a compatible viewing tool. Whether we like it or not is apparently irrelevant.

 

[Cricket2]

BTW, I think the new site design ROCKS!

This fully engulfing style was seen about 2 or 3 years ago with the estudio.com site and will slowly become more and more common as developers learn the full Macromedia suite design style.

If you want to see the current site, it's still active under the http://www.blitzds.com URL

It's not quite as impressive now looking at it, but some of the menu animations were truly groundbreaking when they first came out.

JC