User Experience feedback from a new user

Hadn't been able to use Moximity previously since I'm on a Blackberry, but I've been checking out your site this afternoon - looks promising, but is still a little difficult to figure out for a new user. I assume this is more of an issue on the site, then the iPhone app, but I only have the site to go off of.

I am always craving user feedback on the sites and apps that I build, so I figured you guys were the same and thought I'd share some feedback here.

Here are a few of the issues I ran into:

• When I first synced my account with Twitter, I couldn't tell if it had actually worked or not. I ended up hitting the Sync button, thinking that must be the next step, and then was confused when I had to log in again. The button on the Twitter login screen is confusing since it is labeled "Update or Create" - this was especially confusing since I wasn't sure what I was doing. Then, after I hit the Update or Create button, I didn't notice the little flash notification box that appeared and faded away letting me know it had updated my settings - instead, I was left looking at the form again, so I filled it out again. This time I noticed the notification, but I still wasn't sure what it meant. Was I connected to Twitter? Would my posts show up in Twitter now? What would they look like? I think it would help to answer some of those questions and let users know what they are doing.


• The Save button at the bottom of the Social Networks settings page through me off - do I need to hit it? What does it do? When I hit it, it just takes me back to the main settings page. It seems almost unnecessary.


• Sitting on the home page, I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do at first. I could see that the map had correctly plotted my location based on my IP address (I assume) but there was nothing else on the map. I wanted to click on my exact location on the map to set it, but that didn't do anything. Then I figured I was supposed to click the Set My Location button, which made me enter an address. I entered my home address to see what it would do, but I just entered the street address since I figured it already new I was in East Austin. Instead, the map pulled up a map of Titusville, Florida. So then I tried adding a zip code the "Set My Location" box and it plotted my address. But I couldn't tell what I was supposed to do next. Was my location set now? I checked Twitter to see if it had posted there, but it hadn't. So I though - maybe I'm supposed to update my status now that my location is set. But I couldn't find a place to update my status. Then, later, I was at Progress Cafe and I figured I'd try again. This time I noticed the Restaurants > button. I clicked it, but I couldn't find any coffee shops and definitely not Progress. Then I noticed the search box. I typed in Progress Cafe and this time it found it. I clicked on the placemarker for it and had to puzzle for a second before I noticed the (+) button. Once I clicked that things got much easier and I was able to figure out that I was supposed to click Update Status from here and enter my status. I typed it in and hit publish, but nothing happened. Did it work? I checked Twitter and found that it had worked. Success!


• So I went back to Moximity and clicked the logo to get back to the starting screen. I wanted to see a list of my updates, but I couldn't find it. I ended up poking around and found it in the Settings page, which was not were I was expecting to find it.


• Next, I wanted to add Facebook to the application to see how that worked, so I figured I needed to go the account settings page, but I couldn't find the link. I found it a couple seconds later and realized that the reason my eye had passed over it was that it was not connected to the rest of the navigation. That little white break between the nav and the settings button actually made it harder for me to see the button. I'm pretty sure it was separated to make it easier to see, but it had the opposite effect on me. Even knowing where it is now, I still have a hard time seeing it occasionally. Its like my brain is skipping right over it because of the design.


• Once on the settings page, I clicked to add Facebook. I was taken to a Facebook page which made me log in, then told me that there was an error with Moximity and that you guys were still working out the kinks. I clicked to try again and got the error again. So I went back to the Moximity settings page, which said everything was all set up and working - a different story than I was getting from Facebook. So I clicked the Sync button to see what would happen. Sync is a weird word for this by the way - I'm not sure exactly what it is supposed to do when I click that button. What it did do is take me to a Facebook page with a picture of Andy Meadows saying that he was using Moximity. I clicked on his picture and it took me to his Facebook page. So I figured the must be some way to see where he has been in Moximity. I clicked around on his Facebook page and didn't see anything about Moximity. I went back to my home page on Facebook and clicked in to see that apps I had installed. I didn't see Moximity anywhere. So I went back to Moximity and tried to find anything about Andy there - maybe a list of friends or a feed of what my friends have been up to. I couldn't find anything at first, then I noticed the Friends tab on the left. I clicked it and nothing happened. I didn't want to give up though, so I tried clicking By Location and then Everywhere. At first it seemed like nothing had happened. The left column didn't update. The map didn't change. But then I noticed a picture of Andy over on the right saying that he was at Starbucks on October 15th. I clicked and it plotted him on the map, which was kind of cool. I imagine this would be much cooler if I had a bunch of friends on it and they were all posting more frequently.

So - that's all the feedback I have for now. Overall, I think the concept of location-based social connections with public places like restaurants, bars, and coffee shops overlaid is very cool and I can see this growing into a service that is a lot of fun to use.

- Jason