Packed with features, needs ux improvement

  • This plugin is packed with functionality, even in the free version. The volume of features combined is unsurpassable compared to any other paid or free plugins – and I have tried a lot of them. Having used it for sometime, I decided to buy the Pro Bundle.

    Still, there are things missing, such as easy setup of background ads and page peel ads for example.

    But before you ask me Thomas, the reason I give you 3 stars is the dashboard interface. With so many functions and features it’s easy for non developers, such as most clients, to lose it and become overwhelmed. Even for developers, an intuitive and fun interface goes a really long way.

    Coding and maintaining this massive plugin is a huge task by itself. I don’t know if you do this all alone or have any help but I do suggest that you find a usability expert with design skills, who -with a fresh set of eyes and an open mind- will redesign the experience from scratch, in order to make it easier, more intuitive (ie. without needing a manual to use it) and more visual.

    That’s no easy nor cheap task either but if you decide to go for it, it will definitely pay off. I really hope and wish to rate you with 5-stars in the future.

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
  • Plugin Author Thomas Maier

    (@webzunft)

    Hi Mpampirina,

    thank you for your detailed review.

    I absolutely agree that Advanced Ads needs some UI improvements and currently collect ideas for that. The challenge is to make it more user friendly, but not lose the connection with WordPress, like some other plugins do and then they look like aliens in the dashboard.

    What would be the first thing you would improve because you or your client struggled the most with?

    Thanks
    Thomas

    Thread Starter Mpampirina

    (@mpampirina)

    Hello Thomas,
    Thanks for your answer, I’ll come back to you with more suggestions, I hope soon.

    In my client’s website, I have 77 active image banner ads from local businesses, plus a few google ads spots, and more than 50 placements. It’s …a lot to handle. Both for me and for him.

    One example, imagine making changes on the first placement on the list, then having to scroll all the way down to Save. There are inconsistencies when I Quick edit some Ads and Save. (the column data gets mixed up). The expiration date should be available for quick edit. Maybe with a calendar popping up. (An idea to be explored: to associate an email with an advert and inform them their ad is about to expire…) Lots of little things that would be better described with icons than with words – like ad type and screen type. General interface minimization…

    I have so much in my mind, both on rectifying the situation as is and on a new design approach with enhanced features, that I don’t know where to begin. I miss background ads with two links (docked ads don’t really behave and look that good, I’ve tried them), so I have purchased another plugin to serve them. Alien as it may be wordpress-wise, their interface looks much easier to handle, to turn on and off each individual ad, prettier, simpler, more usable, with all advanced options hidden neatly inside each ad, little descriptive icons carefully placed on hover…

    Clients and developers alike, we are already more or less familiar with different interfaces inside the dashboard, such as custom theme panels and the very popular page building plugins among others, so the level of ‘alien’ is kind of subjective. Personally, I would love to see things like the above in Advanced Ads as I believe that a well designed and user-friendly UI would not only make my life easier, but it would also increase exponentially the perceived value of what I offer to my clients.

    Plugin Author Thomas Maier

    (@webzunft)

    Hi Mpampirina,

    thank you for your extended feedback.

    I see a mixture of bugs, feature requests and UI suggestions in here.

    The column data getting mixed up sounds like a bug and I always like to fix those very quickly. However, I either don’t understand it correctly or am looking at the wrong place, but I can’t find a problem on my test site here. Could you please send me a screenshot to the support email?

    The background ads feature is already listed on https://wpadvancedads.com/feature-requests/. This is where we take suggestions and also pick the top rated items one by one.

    I am a fan of icons too, but based on the support requests we receive I am sure that this can also make things more complicated for less experienced users. However, improving the UI is still necessary and I will definitely add your suggestions to our brainstorming board.

    Thanks again for taking the time to write and help me improve Advanced Ads!

    Thomas

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
  • The topic ‘Packed with features, needs ux improvement’ is closed to new replies.