There is also the problem when sharing a Substack Note or Post, the URLs are inconsistent and have different link structures.
Depending on whether you’re sharing from the browser from the app or from the article link.
I find that when I share other people‘s articles via iMessage, the thumbnail is maintained when I try to share my own articles that thumbnail is replaced with a generic one.
On top of that, when you share via iMessage or another app, the thumbnail doesn’t appear, even though Substack generates separate thumbnails for these posts.
This makes you wonder: if they’re already creating thumbnails, why don’t they just include them in the share function?
I like what is on Substack but trying to Navigate it on the app is near impossible. For instance, I was watching video of Jim Acosta and tried to pause it to leave a comment, I got bounced to some other comment thread and became completely lost. The more I use it the worse everything gets. I guaranty you I am seeing this page now but may never be able to find it again. About to give up on it.
Thank you for writing this! I find their UI is completely unintuitive and will hold them back from expanding as a platform. For example, I was just on notes and could not figure out how to go to someone's home page! Then, when I couldn't do that, it showed the substacks that this person was following and it said click to see the rest of the list. But nothing happened! Frustrating!
One defect you do not mention is associated with the Home screen. You get a set of images on the top, and there is a nice x in the top right corner of the image. I thought that the x would mean, 'remove this article, I don't want to see it, I'm not interested'. So I clicked on it, and the article went away, and I thought _great_ just what I wanted. And I do this for several years, and throw away thousands, maybe tens of thousands of things I had zero interest in.
Alas. The X there means *would you like to save this article to read later*. Right now I have
the slowest user experience on mobile because I have so many articles saved for later. And there is no way to get rid of them without reading them from the 'read saved articles' interface, one at a time. And they don't expire if you leave them unread for weeks, months, years. There is no way to say 'delete all my saved articles' or delete all from before a certain date. It's frustrating. If you get traction on improving the interface, please recommend that this gets changed. Thank you.
Yes, I am glad you are promoting this, especially given your past experience and expertise.
Between their pricing model and issues such as this, it makes you wonder just what is the business model that said executives have in mind.
I gather some subset of Substack authors have a substantial following/subscription base (paid and/or unpaid? 10,000 or more?). While most of the rest have a much smaller following, especially if the topic is not political or is aimed at a particular hobby or defineable area, such as nuclear energy, etc.
The real question becomes how can the readers (being presumably more numerous than the writers and the paying customers) get the executive's attention?
Thank you! I thought it was just my old ass brain that couldn’t make it make sense.
As a UX designer, I can say that navigation difficulties are never because of an “old ass brain.”
Technology needs to adapt to human needs.
There is also the problem when sharing a Substack Note or Post, the URLs are inconsistent and have different link structures.
Depending on whether you’re sharing from the browser from the app or from the article link.
I find that when I share other people‘s articles via iMessage, the thumbnail is maintained when I try to share my own articles that thumbnail is replaced with a generic one.
On top of that, when you share via iMessage or another app, the thumbnail doesn’t appear, even though Substack generates separate thumbnails for these posts.
This makes you wonder: if they’re already creating thumbnails, why don’t they just include them in the share function?
And you haven't even touched on the audio interface. Yikes.
I agree. The UI is primitive and chaotic.
I would not go that far. The UI has many good points.
My main problem is with the multiplicity of Home pages and an apparent inability to navigate between them.
I like what is on Substack but trying to Navigate it on the app is near impossible. For instance, I was watching video of Jim Acosta and tried to pause it to leave a comment, I got bounced to some other comment thread and became completely lost. The more I use it the worse everything gets. I guaranty you I am seeing this page now but may never be able to find it again. About to give up on it.
Thank you for writing this! I find their UI is completely unintuitive and will hold them back from expanding as a platform. For example, I was just on notes and could not figure out how to go to someone's home page! Then, when I couldn't do that, it showed the substacks that this person was following and it said click to see the rest of the list. But nothing happened! Frustrating!
One defect you do not mention is associated with the Home screen. You get a set of images on the top, and there is a nice x in the top right corner of the image. I thought that the x would mean, 'remove this article, I don't want to see it, I'm not interested'. So I clicked on it, and the article went away, and I thought _great_ just what I wanted. And I do this for several years, and throw away thousands, maybe tens of thousands of things I had zero interest in.
Alas. The X there means *would you like to save this article to read later*. Right now I have
the slowest user experience on mobile because I have so many articles saved for later. And there is no way to get rid of them without reading them from the 'read saved articles' interface, one at a time. And they don't expire if you leave them unread for weeks, months, years. There is no way to say 'delete all my saved articles' or delete all from before a certain date. It's frustrating. If you get traction on improving the interface, please recommend that this gets changed. Thank you.
Ouch. Yeah, that sounds pretty bad. I have not use that functionality and based on your description, I will not do so any time soon!
Yes, I am glad you are promoting this, especially given your past experience and expertise.
Between their pricing model and issues such as this, it makes you wonder just what is the business model that said executives have in mind.
I gather some subset of Substack authors have a substantial following/subscription base (paid and/or unpaid? 10,000 or more?). While most of the rest have a much smaller following, especially if the topic is not political or is aimed at a particular hobby or defineable area, such as nuclear energy, etc.
The real question becomes how can the readers (being presumably more numerous than the writers and the paying customers) get the executive's attention?