experience matters

Lindsay Renwick | Critical Mass Toronto

Flickr announced a new suite of features last week, including a larger photo display size, navigation upgrades and a slightly altered look and feel. In the immediate aftermath of the announcement, user reaction was  fairly predictable. Some jumped to the beta version weeks ago by clicking the jaunty “Take me to the future!” invitation and never looked back.  Some users avoided the change until the last minute and then seemed both shocked and upset once there was no turning back.

Looking at comments on message boards and on Twitter, it’s fair to say that this upgrade has been a success for Flickr, with encouraging comments outweighing the negativity. User experience experts worldwide must be applauding the fact that one of the world’s largest photo hosting sites has finally added a simple “< previous | next >” link adjacent to the image display, a feature that was conspicuously (and obnoxiously) absent from the previous version. The site is now considerably lighter too – according to CNET, Flickr will double upload speeds.

There are certainly some issues with the product: the navigation requires Javascript, RSS feed changes are making image embedding difficult, and the new map feature has raised genuine security concerns.

Still, after the months of work and despite weeks of user consultation and careful audience preparation it must sting for Flickr’s developers to read messages like these:

“utterly hating the new flickr layout. utt. ter. lee.”

“Crap, @flickr have gone and implemented the new RUBBISH photo page, despite all the protests. #fail”

The fundamental truth is that we are all creatures of habit. Some people have the habit of jumping on each new change as it arises, and some people simply can’t stand it when systems they’ve grown accustomed to get redirected or changed. The only thing that’s new here is the fact that the very social web that powers Flickr’s popularity also provides the second type of person with access to an immediate channel for their frustration. In the coming weeks, the negative commentary will likely die down as users adjust to a new series of clicks. Should the complaints continue and increase in frequency, Flickr may want to collect data on the most prominent problems and adapt accordingly.

The lesson for marketers is that any new announcement heralding a change in your customers’ expectations will always be accompanied by a shower of criticism from social channels. The trick is not to give it more attention than it deserves. Given the balance between critical commentary and positive, for Flickr to step in and earnestly apologize or offer incentives to smooth ruffled feathers would only amplify the negative message and undermine the real advances it has achieved.

It can be very difficult for businesses to show restraint in situations like these, because it goes against decades of received wisdom. Keeping mum in the face of public displeasure feels like a violation of some of the main tenets of the PR playbook and potentially like ignoring an opportunity to turn a customer service problem into a good news story. Those are still valid concerns — when the level of conversation warrants it and when customers are complaining about a specific service failure or violation of trust. But with the unavoidable, vague negativity that accompanies new developments, you’re wisest to treat the messages like smoke signals. Keep them on your horizon, but unless they turn into fire, you’re better off leaving them be.

Lindsay is an Influence Marketing Manager in the Toronto office.