Your Website Feedback Wanted!

[Darcy]

In late December, after the holiday busyness, we embarked on a project to make some big updates to our website. The updates include back-end upgrades that will improve website load speed (yay!!), make the general experience of using the website even better, and while the overall look of the website won’t be changing much, we plan to add a couple of new pages including a web version of the history wall in our Seattle Showroom.

We expect to make the updates live within the next several months. Closer to launch, I'll share a list of what's new and what everyone can expect to change. Note: we've decided to save the next debut until the website updates are done in order to minimize the chance of slow load times during the debut. Plus, that'll give us time to add in a couple more small new designs we've just come up with...

It's been fun for us to dig deep into what we think we could improve to make everyone's experience on the website better, and now we want it to be your turn: give us your wish list of features / functionality for the website, blog, and Forums.

Fine print caveats: the list of upgrades/updates we're already working on is super long and we can't add more to to that list without pushing back our launch date, so your suggestions/ideas would be considered for the next round of updates this summer. And some ideas, as cool as they might be, might not be possible within the framework of the website (we've had to learn this ourselves quite a few times over the years).

So: what do you like about the website the way it is now? What would you like to see change, or be added?

[Kshni]

I like most of how the shopping pages are set up at the moment. I'm a little bonkers with o-rings and trying to read through a wall of text to find out how many o-rings something has can make my vision swim. Perhaps over on the right where the product's stats are, you could add to the already good spec-list how many o-rings the product has. That's about the only improvement I can think of adding to what's already present.

[Darcy]

That's a great idea, Kshni. And it's something simple enough to accomplish that we could add it to this round of updates!

[Vecturist]

Maybe a place to suggest/vote on exterior/interior color combinations for bags? There are a couple combinations I would like to see, but to my knowledge have never appeared - might give you folks at TB some ideas. Similarly, maybe there could be a spot to indicate interest in a certain bag that's been sold-out with particular color combinations so you could make more in the most wanted combinations? I'm thinking of the MB in black dyneema - I don't know if it would be a firm commitment like a pre-order, or just a way to take stock of what is wanted.

[Pokilani]

So if we say nothing, perhaps the debut won't be delayed? Just kidding. I love how customer-oriented you and the Crew are.

One of the issues I've been seeing is the front stock pages of a category will list color combos that are not actually available. Let's take the Smart Alec as an example (because I check that page obsessively). If you click a link like "Backpacks" or "All Bags" the ever so gorgeous Black Dyneema/UV color combo icon will appear under the product, but when you click to go to the product page, only the colors in stock will be listed.

This next one might be a pipe dream, but I would love to search of in-stock bags by color. It doesn't have to be both external and internal simultaneously (though that would be awesome), but one or the other would be fantastic. In other words, let's say I only wanted to see bags available in Aubergine and all the Aubergine bags would magically appear. Or, I only wanted bags with UV lining and there they would be!

[backpack]

I would say an easier way to access the Blog archives. It is a fun and informative way to bring new TB fan, "back from the future" by showing them the evolution of designs.

One of the best example, I think, is the Swift from his floppy self to the breakthrough fabric phase (including Flocculent), to Dyneema to solid, gorgeous, stylish Ballistic timeless and fashionable purse with its matching Side Effect, yet, still down to earth enough to accommodate school/work/conference paperwork, a little grocery shopping, or taking of art supplies sale, and, of course, yarn haul.

[backpack]

So if we say nothing, perhaps the debut won't be delayed? Just kidding. I love how customer-oriented you and the Crew are.

One of the issues I've been seeing is the front stock pages of a category will list color combos that are not actually available. Let's take the Smart Alec as an example (because I check that page obsessively). If you click a link like "Backpacks" or "All Bags" the ever so gorgeous Black Dyneema/UV color combo icon will appear under the product, but when you click to go to the product page, only the colors in stock will be listed.

This next one might be a pipe dream, but I would love to search of in-stock bags by color. It doesn't have to be both external and internal simultaneously (though that would be awesome), but one or the other would be fantastic. In other words, let's say I only wanted to see bags available in Aubergine and all the Aubergine bags would magically appear. Or, I only wanted bags with UV lining and there they would be!

I am going to say ditto, because who wouldn't want to see the whole Aubergine/UV lineup in one page?

Illkyway picture lineup of all her Aubergine beauties has been awe inspiring!

[K9TB]

I don't really understand the difference between the Organize and the Accessorize pages. A lot of items appear on both.

[Darcy]

Maybe a place to suggest/vote on exterior/interior color combinations for bags?

I’ll have to think on this one more. I think it’s a good idea, but I'm not yet sure the best way to implement it. It might end up being a Forum thing rather than a main website thing.

Similarly, maybe there could be a spot to indicate interest in a certain bag that's been sold-out with particular color combinations so you could make more in the most wanted combinations?

This one was on our wish list as well, and I think we’ll be able to make it happen!

So if we say nothing, perhaps the debut won't be delayed? Just kidding. I love how customer-oriented you and the Crew are.

Hehe! The thing is, it’s going to be a pretty amazing debut. Well, I think so anyway. So we want to make sure the website is up to handling the traffic.

One of the issues I've been seeing is the front stock pages of a category will list color combos that are not actually available.

We’re currently investigating what we can do to solve this issue… stay tuned.

This next one might be a pipe dream, but I would love to search of in-stock bags by color.

This is also on our wish list. We haven’t yet figured out the best way to make it happen. Ideally, it’d be something more automated than manually updated (as manually updated things have a tendency not to get updated during busier times).

I would say an easier way to access the Blog archives. It is a fun and informative way to bring new TB fan, "back from the future" by showing them the evolution of designs.

I totally agree. The next iteration of the blog will have easier-to-browse archives and it will also go back to a more straight-forward chronological format.

I don't really understand the difference between the Organize and the Accessorize pages. A lot of items appear on both.

I think the original intention was to make Organizer Pouches and Cubes easier to find admist the shoulder straps and other non-organizer pouch/cube accessories, but because we have limited space in the header, we only had room for “Organize” as opposed to “Organizer Pouches”.

Does anyone like the Organize category, or is it mostly just confusing to have both it and Accessories?

[jess]

I don't really understand the difference between the Organize and the Accessorize pages. A lot of items appear on both.

This was the first thing I thought of.

[Kirri]

Does anyone like the Organize category, or is it mostly just confusing to have both it and Accessories?

I did find it confusing at first and spent a lot of time going back and forth until I realised that it is best to just search for what I wanted, but by then I had learnt the names of what I wanted to find! :-) So thinking about new visitors to the site, it is confusing but I think still worthwhile to say 'organise' as the section name as that is what the pouches do, whereas 'accessories' sounds like something less necessary.

I would love to see photos of all the bags in a row to get a size comparison. Perhaps all luggage/backpacks, another of messenger bags, another of pouches/spiff/quits, etc. initially I found it very hard to get a sense of what was bigger than what. Of course the great specs section clearly defines that and the forum is amazing for specific size help, but that first few times exploring the site and not knowing if co-pilot is twice the sized the aeronaut45, or a tri-star is a slightly bigger side effect, was confusing. Having a clear line up from 'big' to 'little' would have guided me to which ones to start looking at first. (Like the page of bag images with Litre sizes, but notallhave this.)

Other than that, it is already a great site, I can't wait to see improvements and new designs (!!)

[celtical]

Does anyone like the Organize category, or is it mostly just confusing to have both it and Accessories?[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I have to think what these separate categories represent each time I'm looking for something, then wait for the page to load and then see if I guessed right! Usually not.

Perhaps 'accessories' tab for separate items that hold other things and 'parts' tab for straps, hooks, other enhancers etc? If a dropdown menu under parts listed straps, connectors, pulls, etc, that would give an immediate cue without loading the page and hunting. Similarly 'accessories' drop down - cubes, pouches, slips, minibags etc. I suppose the same could apply to current categories, if dropdowns from the tabs gave menu breakouts before loading.

[dinoshan]

Apart from stating how many o rings there are, I felt that listing out the number of pockets and details on the specs would really help a lot rather than reading through the write up to understand what's in the bag.

I'd also like to have out of stock colors (esp if more will be manufactured in future) to show up on product pages but listed as out of stock of cos. This allows me to know the color combinations available for the bags if this makes sense. I kept having to go into forums to look for photos of bags in the colour I'm interested in that are out of stock and this is really tedious. Maybe this is just me but being new to Tom Bihn i love to see photos on the web especially I'm not in the US


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[K9TB]

Does anyone like the Organize category, or is it mostly just confusing to have both it and Accessories?

I like having the two categories in theory, but it's what gets listed on each page that confuses me. For example, I think of the Freudian Slips as organizers. So I would first go to the Organize page for that, but it's not there. But I agree with Darcy that if you have one page with both categories of things, then that gets to be a big page that gets more cumbersome to look through. My goal would be to put items on only one of the two pages (not both).

In the Accessorize page I would put:
Straps
Parts
Lights
Zipper pulls/tamers
Nikwax/Mirazyme
Glow Wire/Ego Strips
Water Bottles
Luggage Tags
Caches

Everything that's on the Organize page I would leave there, but I would add/move some things from the Accessories page (like the Spiff kits and the Aid pouches and the Freudian Slips)

At the top of the Accessorize page I would put the most fun/universal/"Hey, I didn't even know I needed that" stuff, like the Luggage tags, lights, zipper pulls, water bottles. I think people who want parts often know what they want and will scroll down a little more. Right now, the perfect little gift Luggage Tags are all the way at the bottom of the page.

[K9TB]

I'm a little bonkers with o-rings ...

You are speaking my language. O-rings are a game changer.