My Memrise App just updated on my phone and its new colour scheme is hurtful for long sessions. It also makes it almost impossible to study in a dark environment.
The white background, the yellow accents and the general saturation level of the colours makes studying really unpleasant.
I use this app on a daily basis and I don’t want it to become a tiresome activity due to eye strain.
Please, work with ophthalmologists and optometrists if you’re looking for a new design for your App. Obviously, your last graphic designer is not using your App or he/she would not have chosen those colours.
Please, take the ocular health of your subscribers to heart and resolve this issue.
More screenshots would indeed be helpful, to get a more complete impression of the changes.
That being said, I definitely agree with it looking to be too bright, which will make it very hard to study in a dark room/place. I spend most of my time studying in a dark room, it’s the most comfortable to me, but I can imagine looking at the screen with such a “bright” design will exhaust my eyes and make me lose focus.
My Memrise App was updated too, and I agree. It’s awful. The colors of the different kinds of training are the same. It absolutely spoils the whole idea. The previous look was stylish. But now…
And these colors are really painful for the eyes. I tried a few times to train, but each time get a headache. It was my favorite language app, and now I can’t use it.
I’m really upset by these “improvements”.
Thank you for sharing your feedback about the new design, especially highlighting how it feels when you use it in a dark environment and we’re sorry to hear you find using the new version unpleasant.
We released it to a small group of people in order to understand what needs to be improved before announcing it to everyone. We’re going to discuss your feedback next week and we’ll see what can be changed to improve the experience.
Masha, is there a reason that the feedback in this thread and elsewhere seems to have been entirely ignored? Similar feedback was given during the testing phase on the Google play reviews and responses from memrise staff indicated that feedback would be considered and the design improved, but it seems to have been pushed ahead without any ear at all to the customers’ negative feedback. Will the design ever be fixed? Is there any point in continuing using Memrise?
I absolutely agree with all you said. As I mentioned on another thread on the topic, the new layout makes it surprisingly really difficult for me to navigate. It hurts my eyes as well, and it’s much less user-friendly than it was before. Listen to us, Memrise devs!!
I totally hate the new design, though the previous design was a little childish, it has a sense of journey in learning than this mundane and minimal design. What make it more awful is the color, as everybody said. The cuteness and attractive of the previous app kept me learning… but for this design, I can’t bear its looks.
I’d like to reassure you that your feedback was communicated to the Design team and we recognise your concerns. Changes are being considered, however, we’re unable to act as swiftly as you would like as there are a number of considerations the team need to take into account.
I’m glad to finally hear from someone that changes are being considered. For the most part, it seems that Memrise’s response to user concerns about the new layout has been to ignore and dismiss them. If users were complaining about the harsh colors in beta, it should not have been pushed through. Or at least, users should have been given palette options in the final design.
I do not like the new scheme. It also hurts my eyes and it is very confusing to what is what. I used the app heavily and do not regret it for what I’ve learned. In this screen shot you will see lightning bolts, plants, space ships and hands dropping what look like seeds. There is also a feather? Why? And the general astetic of cut paper serves only to cause me to not focus on anything. Very disorienting. Please listen to the people who will be using the app. The reason I dropped money on this app $100 (most I’ve spent on an app) in the first place was because I truly loved the space theme. It gave me a goal, to get my spaceship into space and evolve my alien. I don’t want that back per-say but something that gives me a purpose beyond earning points and looking like a complete jumbled mess. I’ve been using duolingo because it sticks to a theme doesn’t hurt my eyes and spirit and is free.
@Masha_Ignatova48 just wondering if you could give us any update on progress? Nothing has improved in the new design and it’s still awful to use unless you use a stylish skin to get rid of the worst of it or install older versions of the mobile app. Can you give us any info on what changes are under consideration and how long it might take to see some of the concerns posted here and elsewhere addressed? I’d really like to be able to use the current mobile app but there’s no point trying as it stands.
Apologies to keep you waiting for so long, the project took us longer than expected. We’re planning to release in June several changes, including a new improved tapping and typing test types which will be in a different colour scheme. I’ll keep you posted once it’s available to download.
If only Memrise would understand the old adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
I joined Memrise back in 2011. Back then, the theme of the site was of planting seeds and then plants growing as memories formed. It was simple, clear, and effective. Since then, things have changed again and again, and rarely for the better.
Not only that, but in the Chinese courses, a LOAD of the original and creative mems (many created by Ben Whatley) have just been removed with no explanation. Why is this?? The Mems that are left are of very little help at all and many of them don’t even relate to the learning content.
Those Chinese courses used to be soooooo good in helping me learn Chinese. These days they’re no more use than flashcards.
Thank you for the update Masha. Are you able to tell us if the predominant yellow, which has been identified by many commenters as a big problem, will be adjusted?
So those of us with a subscription, who can’t use the app after the color changes, are just out a half a year of use?
I’m sorry, but that’s just incredibly unfair. I realize you’re just the messenger and I’m not trying to be a jerk. But that subscription was a lot of money. I was upset about the months I lost, but to find out I will lose half a year at least?
I’m sad. I trusted you guys when you said you were working on it as fast as possible, now I can’t even get a refund.
