[opensource-dev] The Plan for Snowglobe

[Tateru Nino]

On 11/09/2010 10:25 AM, dilly dobbs wrote:
> Fair enough, but the simple fact is that the interface needs to be 
> changed so that they can reclaim more of the sign ups to the grid. The 
> last numbers i have read on the learning curve is something like 70% 
> of the users that sign up leave because they have troubles with the 
> interface.  And we must also consider that this is a business and LL 
> needs to make good to keep the grid alive.
I'm afraid that figure is no better than flipping a coin. The fact is 
none of us has any  trustworthy figures on why most of the 9000-13000 
new signups each day don't log in the first time, or don't stay.

The fact is that when a new user decides - for whatever reason - that SL 
is not for them, they log out, and none of us are likely to ever find 
out why.

The UI could be responsible for 99% of those, or 1% of those, and we 
don't have any information to indicate how much of a showstopper it is.

When you read various responses to "Hey, have any of you tried this 
Second Life thing?" there's usually quite a number of responses from 
people who did and gave up. Hardly any of them mention the UI as the 
problem that they had with it.

Linden Lab has done studies and focus groups, apparently, so *they* 
might have better data than we do, but saying that the interface needs 
to be changed isn't necessarily any more accurate than suggesting that 
SL needs openid. Might be true. Might not be true. On what data do we 
base it, and if the UI *does* need to be changed, what changes will make 
things better and which ones will make things worse?

The simple fact is that we don't know. If Linden Lab has better data 
that they're willing to share, of course, that would be *awesome*.

-- 
Tateru Nino
http://dwellonit.taterunino.net/