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Post by showgirl on Apr 14, 2016 4:02:56 GMT
Don'r recall any advance notice of this from the NT or any mention here, but following on from the other post about booking fees (which the NT did publicise in advance but to mailing list members), I've just noticed that the website itself has been revamped.
Was only looking for something short-notice for Saturday evening, but interesting and helpful to note that you can now see instantly all the productions on any day (as before) but with the addition of ticket availability and price. This is just a summary but enables you to decide whether to look further in the appropriate section.
What's annoying, however, is yet another of those intrusive messages about cookies (Hampstead does this, too), where your only options are "Accept and close" or to see more info - what about "No, I won't accept cookies and don't show me this message again, please?"
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2016 6:40:42 GMT
I stumbled across it last night and I think it looks awful. Maybe it's partly because I was viewing on a tablet - though I assume they'd have optimised it - but the 'book a ticket' info at the bottom of the page looked squished and wasn't always readable. I much preferred having an overview of all the booking dates too, rather than 'here's an ugly representation of the rest of the dates this month, or choose a date from the dropdown'.
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Post by viserys on Apr 14, 2016 7:55:29 GMT
What's annoying, however, is yet another of those intrusive messages about cookies (Hampstead does this, too), where your only options are "Accept and close" or to see more info - what about "No, I won't accept cookies and don't show me this message again, please?" The cookie thing is immensely annoying all over the internet, but unfortunaely it's the EU Cookie Law: www.cookielaw.org/the-cookie-law/ Might have us Germans to blame for that one, as people here are absolutely hysterical about what they consider their privacy and "not wanting to be spied on". There are browser extensions available to avoid the messages now. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2016 8:39:12 GMT
The point behind the cookie law was to discourage sites from tracking visitors unless it was actually necessary for the site to function. Unfortunately there's no money to be made in respecting people's privacy, so sites just complied with the law by carrying on tracking us anyway while telling us that if we didn't like it we'd just have to suck it up.
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Post by rumbledoll on Apr 14, 2016 9:25:35 GMT
I was shocked to see their new design. Dreadful! Coludn't fins anything.. Their web page was one of the best out there I don't understand why they would want to change it...
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Post by DuchessConstance on Apr 14, 2016 11:27:41 GMT
Noo! They've always had the best website.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2016 11:48:33 GMT
I like the new seating plan selection page, when you can find it, but the list of performance date thing, and the overall feel of the new site is really cluttered, isn't it. I've started working more in UX recently, but if this is what happens when you ask users what they want, count me out! ;-) To be fair, I should play around with it more. Maybe after a little while I'd get all protective of the new version if they tried to change it! |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2016 11:58:05 GMT
I like the new seating plan selection page, when you can find it It might just be me - but it seems that if the 'view from seat' seat has already been purchased, you can't see the view from that seat? (Now I know that theoretically that makes sense, but I always found it useful, if I was buying in an area I hadn't sat before - you could at least get a general idea of what the view from a seat two rows further back/over to the left or right might be) |
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Post by showgirl on Apr 14, 2016 14:29:01 GMT
Oh dear: I just happened to look at one part of the site and thought it was an improvement; I hadn't realised that, from the sound of things here, the rest was worse. I know part of it is a matter of familiarity but though it was a bit cluttered for me and not that well laid out, the old site did work and I particularly liked being able to see at once all the dates for any production. Think I'll wait until I actually need to use it before returning - and maybe they will tweak it a little if comments justify this?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2016 14:41:11 GMT
Stuff the website. The issue we should all be outraged by is the decision to stop selling salt and vinegar crisps.
Great decision Rufus.
I hope he gets fired.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2016 17:39:06 GMT
Stuff the website. The issue we should all be outraged by is the decision to stop selling salt and vinegar crisps. Great decision Rufus. I hope he gets fired. Lol, I am reading this while tucking into a packet of deliciously flavoured salt n vinegar crisps before heading to The Suicide. I'm glad I brought my own from home now! |
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Post by kathryn on Apr 14, 2016 17:39:10 GMT
Never mind the crisps, have you tried eating in Kitchen recently?
Absolutely dreadful - horrible overlooked Mac and cheese gnocchi that was just mush, and not even the free cake we were offered to compensate was nice.
I know NT has always struggled with food but the Kitchen really is awful.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2016 17:41:09 GMT
User eXperience. I know the NT ran at least one session in a testing lab because I had an invite ages ago, but didn't get picked. |
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Post by Phantom of London on Apr 14, 2016 22:50:51 GMT
Probably need time to get used to it and bed in.
But the new Playbill site that has been live for a couple of months is awful.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2016 12:12:25 GMT
Friday Rush seemed to bring the whole National Theatre website grinding to a halt, which was never a problem with the old one!
And its really annoying when you select a date to book tickets, it shows you the seating map but you can't select seats yet - you have to click the seating map to "activate seating map" then you can select tickets. But why would I not want the seating map to be active when I've selected a date to book tickets? Crazy bit of usability failure!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2016 12:27:35 GMT
It's a very odd set-up, this new thing. I just clicked on Friday Rush for Ma Rainey and it eventually let me in after telling me my position in the queue. Then I had to take another step to 'select my own tickets', because if I try clicking on the map it shows what I can only describe as a grey 'cover' and the map isn't clickable.
Once past that step, it's showing me two red blocks which equate to £50 tickets and about 12 seats/square blocks in white (unlike the grey ones next to them, which I assume are already purchased). The white seats don't seem to be clickable. Friday Rush seats aren't £50 are they? Possibly the Friday Rush allocation has gone - which is fair enough. But it would be nice to have a message telling me that. Or some sort of explanation for those weird white blocks, at least...
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Post by TheatreDust on Apr 15, 2016 12:46:01 GMT
I've been trying to book for The Flick on Friday rush for the last 30 minutes. The website is mainly slow and unresponsive, but I eventually got put in a queue for the performance I want - I started in position 9.
When I eventually got out of the queue, I have no option to book any tickets at all. It says 9+ seats are available and offers "let us choose the best available tickets..." and no map.
There's nothing on the page that I can click on to take me any further. I've tried several times and end up in the queue waiting, but when I get to the booking page I can't get any further.
NT have tweeted about technical problems and suggest phoning the box office - which I'm doing. Hold music for 12 minutes and counting...
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Post by TheatreDust on Apr 15, 2016 12:50:20 GMT
...and I eventually got through to someone very helpful who said they are having problems with the new website, but she took the booking and said they are waiving the telephone booking fee because of the problems.
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Post by partytentdown on Apr 15, 2016 12:52:20 GMT
Just jumping in, I have a spare for The Flick on 10 May if anyone's looking for one, please see The Flick thread!
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Post by peggs on Apr 15, 2016 12:58:32 GMT
Did find it rather confusing trying to navigate round last night to have a look and yes noticed that with the seating map, you have to select one of the two options either selecting your own tickets or letting the site do before the map becomes live and as someone else mentioned if the seats you can view from are gone you don't seem able to access the stage view anymore.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2016 14:42:29 GMT
It's also not recognising that you are registered on their Disabled List and letting you book at the discount prices online.
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Post by DuchessConstance on Apr 15, 2016 15:14:52 GMT
It's also not recognising that you are registered on their Disabled List and letting you book at the discount prices online. You have to click on the seat you want, then use the drop down yellow bar thing at the top to change it from full price to disabled. |
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2016 16:05:36 GMT
It's also not recognising that you are registered on their Disabled List and letting you book at the discount prices online. You have to click on the seat you want, then use the drop down yellow bar thing at the top to change it from full price to disabled. Thank you. Really grateful to you for pointing this out. |
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Post by peelee on Apr 15, 2016 16:07:13 GMT
When I turn to the NT website, I get a screen-wide picture (I don't know why that is required) of the bloke in 'The Suicide'. The rest of the screen uses up remaining space to tell the intending-user not that much.
That 'Activate Seating Map' shaded cover is annoying and erratic and seems unnecessary.
I must admit the first few times I called up the website in the last few days, my heart sank at the prospect of using this site.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2016 19:35:11 GMT
Agreed, peelee - the thought of using the current version for something like the first day of public booking is slightly frightening! Looks like they're asking for feedback though, so hopefully they're open to making changes. Vast, sweeping changes, one hopes. ;-)
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