Upcoming iterative improvements to Redesign Deal Details Page, Search Experience/Engine and Homepage

Dear Slickdealers,

I'm Vitaly, I run Deals and Community Operations at Slickdeals, and I'm excited to share some important updates with you.
Some of you may know, some may not, but Slickdeals will turn 25 in November which is a dinosaur age of the internet, having started in 1999. Reaching 25 years is a remarkable milestone for any company. However, with this longevity come challenges, particularly in maintaining and updating our legacy technical infrastructure. We have recognized that our current system limits our ability to rapidly introduce new features without major wholesale changes and provide the best possible user experience in small iterations.
Some of you may have noticed recent updates to our web and mobile web experiences. We received a lot of feedback on them, and deeply appreciate the active participation of so many of you including @Gamerdude369, @clubclock, and @Inbox just to name a few. Your insights, both positive and critical, are invaluable in shaping the functionality of the platform.
Current Challenges

Through conversations with our community and new users, we have identified several challenges in our current product

• Limited deal volume: While we have a good number of daily posted deals by users and staff, many users find them repetitive, in the same/similar shopping categories, and not covering broad shopping needs. The best deals often disappear too fast, and many feel that personalization should be more effective in surfacing relevant deals for them.
• Outdated / Complex user interface: New users find our current design overwhelming and difficult to navigate while many of our tenured users continue to prefer the efficiency of the Classic experience.
• Divergent user needs & preferences in search: While power users leverage search for in-depth price analysis and product research referencing older and expired deals, newer users primarily want to see live offers, as they are shopping in the moment with deals that are actually available to get right now.

Upcoming Improvements

To address these issues, we are working on a new Slickdeals experience that aims to retain core functionalities while also introducing improvements, including:

• Redesigned search experience: Featuring both grid and list views, enhanced filtering options, and the ability to interact with deals directly from search results.
• Enhanced search engine: With a focus on better relevance and prioritization of fresh deals.
• Slickdeals Scout: A new feature that expands our community deal offerings by scanning popular retailers for price drops, with an option to show/hide these results in search.
• Improved Deal Detail page: Focused on quick access to key deal information, and new features like comment threading and Giphy integration.
• New Homepage experience: A clutter-free experience including a feeds-based navigation, featuring the beloved Frontpage (default), Popular Deals, Hot Deals, and a dedicated For You tab with personalized deals

Rollout Plan and Beta Phase

We're implementing these changes gradually over the next couple of months. Here's our rollout plan:

• Improved Deal Detail Page:
  • Rolling out to select Slickdealers starting Monday, September 30, 2024
• Search Experience and Engine:
  • Currently in testing with select users with plans to roll out by the end of October
• Homepage Features and Improvements:
  • Introduced in a phased beta release.
  • Small groups of users will be randomly selected to participate.
  • Gather feedback and refine features before full release.

Your input is crucial during this beta phase, as it will help shape the evolution of these new features.
Temporary Limitations

We recognize that this transition involves some temporary limitations:

• Search filters: We're actively working on porting over existing filters and exploring new ways to help users discover deals.
• Expired deals: We're exploring ways to make this valuable historical data more accessible and understandable for all users.
• Community features: We need to continue to enhance functionality for voting, commenting, and posting deals. This remains a priority for the near-term updates.

Our Commitment to You

As we navigate these changes, we commit to:

• Actively seeking, and valuing and incorporating your feedback
• Striving to preserve and enhance existing functionalities and efficiencies while improving the overall user experience
• Providing regular (monthly) updates on significant changes

We Want Your Feedback

Your feedback is invaluable. Please share your thoughts and experiences:

• Reply in this thread. We are watching
• Use the blue feedback button at the bottom right of the screen
• Email us at [email protected]

Again, we are committed to reviewing all feedback and making decisions that balance the diverse needs of our community. While we may not always get it right immediately, your input guides our improvements.
Thank you for being an integral part of the Slickdeals Community. We're excited to embark on this new chapter with you.
Sincerely,
Vitaly (redsolar)