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Posted in New features |

As you’ve probably seen, the website’s been given a mini overhaul. We hope you find it pleasing on the eye and that it allows you to find what you’re looking for quicker.

The enhancements include:

  • a new look and feel for the main pages of the site to make it easier to navigate and find what you want
  • more photographs and graphics to give the website a personal touch
  • a new getting started page with a step-by-step guide
  • redesigned main screens, which will be clearer and easier for everyone to use
  • We very much hope you like the new design, feel free to leave a comment.

    Thanks for all the positive feedback so far. Carol Chapman mailed to say “I love the new web page! Much more appealing, and modern looking”.

    Geoff Lowe says, “I like the new layout of the web-site, much cleaner looking and easy to navigate. Keep up the good work.”

    Good to know you like it!

    20 Responses to “Findmypast.com gets a makeover”

    1. Gillian Mills says:

      I prefer the old design. What is immediately missing
      - being able to move between different censuses without having to re-enter details by selecting sentence for foot not below results. This was my reason to select Findmypast over other sites.
      - where is the search all records?

      This is after only a few minutes use but already a little frustrated, I hope the print outs have not changed!

    2. Mary says:

      Really don’t like that big “getting started” banner right across the middle of the page - everything for your existing customers, including the Quick Search is now confined to the edges (the bar across the top plus what is below the edge of the screen).

      Couldn’t you make the “getting started” only half the page width, with the quick search beside it?? As it is, very little of the immediately visible front page is of the slightest use to existing customers.

    3. Phil says:

      Hi

      Am I the only one experiencing massive problems from the new website.

      When I try to access the census images nothing happens.

      When I try to access the census transcripts nothing happens.

      When I try to sign in nothing happens.

      Before the website was changed everything worked fien and I was able to download census images now I can downlaod anything.

    4. Rosie says:

      I also prefer the old design and found the home page much easier to navigate than the oversized new one.

      I have also been experiencing problems since the change

      The site has got so slow it takes forever for census transcript pages & images to open.

      Pages can sometimes appear blank or an error messages saying whoops we seem to have a problem

      Constant timeouts when searching

      I didn’t have any issues before and everying worked fine and I use both Explorer & Mozilla browers

    5. John says:

      Does findmypast have any response to the 100% negative blog response to the site overhaul? Are Carol Chapman and Geoff Lowe real people?

      I agree with all of the previous blog correspondents, particularly regarding slowness and the proportion of space given to new users. The site has become more “clunky” than it was before!

      My biggest gripe is that you are using resources on makeovers when the 1851 Census is STILL incomplete. Despite many requests, you still cannot tell me when 1851 will be fully available. I gather that “Autumn” was the target. But it will be December next week. Yet you still claim in your publicity to have every Census in findmypast.

      It’s not difficult to see why findmypast does badly in ancestry site comparisons.

    6. iantester says:

      @ all - the slowness of the site on occasion recently is unconnected with the design change, but we are making some changes and upgrades to the underlying infrastructure to get the site back up to full speed which should resolve timeouts and slow page loads. We’re really sorry about this as we know it’s frustrating and are working on it round the clock.

      @John - the team used to apply the new design is a separate one from the data team who are finalising the 1851 census. This census is more complex than previous ones as it has been provided from multiple sources including, you will no doubt be glad to know, family history societies in the UK. Hence it takes a little longer to stich together but the remaining pieces should be online very, very shortly. Keep your eyes peeled.

      • John says:

        Ian
        I just took up your challenge.
        I’ve opened the 1851 Census page.
        The note about it being incomplete has gone!
        Derbyshire has appeared in the list of counties now available!!
        (but where is Nottinghamshire?)
        So I try a Derbyshire name…
        and it still ISN”T WORKING!!!
        To avoid misleading users, can I suggest you are honest about these delays and that you reinstate the note for those who won’t realize the 1851 Census is still incomplete?

    7. What has happen to browsing the BMD indexes- the most useful, for quick checks and for searching for a name that does not come up when searched for

    8. Jim Pedersen says:

      I agree with the comment above, why take of the browsing feature on the BMD searches as to search for variant spellings etc you have to keep going back and entering fresh details which then still leaves one having to go back and re-enter to get the next page

      I found the browsing facility exellent and am disappointed that its been removed

    9. Yvonne says:

      Well as a past user who has taken a break over the past 18 months, the above comments have certainly not encouraged me to subscribe again. I will wait awhile, (a long while), until you have the problems sorted. People are paying a high price for this mess!

    10. Magenta says:

      These counties still appear to be missing from the drop down lists, and give zero returns for very common names:
      Isle of Man
      Ships at Sea
      Royal Navy at Sea
      British Ships in Port

      Apparently not quite finished yet…

    11. Magenta says:

      I mean for the 1851 census, reported completed today.

    12. Val says:

      I think the new website is great. the only problem I had was that I could not print copies of the census that I needed. Well done.

    13. Lizzie says:

      I agree with the others, the Browse option to search on BMDs was one of the best things on FMP, now it’s gone. Please, please, please bring this option back again.

      Also the census searches are not what they used to be. I hate having to keep remembering to click on “Redefine current search”, I’m so used to using the arrow at the top of the screen to take me back to a previous page. If I do that now, I can’t alter the information I’ve typed in.

      Why must web designers insist on changing things that are working well and are will received by the users?

      I note on here and on your website you state you have had lots of good feedback and then give quotes from 2 people. What about all the feedback from your unhappy customers. Is anyone listening??

    14. Louise says:

      I cannot stand the flashing adverts on the results pages. They really make it difficult focusing. I would like to be able to turn them off, or hide them. Any chance of being able to do this?

    15. cannot says:

      Also the census searches are not what they used to be. I hate having to keep remembering to click on “Redefine current search”, I’m so used to using the arrow at the top of the screen to take me back to a previous page. If I do that now, I can’t alter the information I’ve typed in.

    16. Ian Everest says:

      I paid a 6 month subscription in October - the site now won’t let me see and census details and says that I need to buy credits or pay a subscription. Is this effecting anyone else??

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