We’ve been listening — and we’re so grateful you’ve kept the feedback coming. Since the refreshed NoveList experience launched, you’ve shared what’s working well, what’s been a little bumpy, and what you’d love to see next. In my June post, The Story That Never Ends, I talked about how your insights help shape the future of NoveList. That’s still true — and this series is all about showing you how.
Welcome to the fourth installment of “Your Voices Heard.” If you missed the earlier posts, you can catch up here: Your Voices Heard: On Local Collections, Your Voices Heard: On Curated Lists, and Your Voices Heard: On Story Elements.
Quick Recap: What You’ve Told Us
Here are the five big themes we’ve heard from you:
- Local collections matter, and many of you didn’t know you could connect your library’s holdings to NoveList. We covered that in Your Voices Heard: On Local Collections.
- Curated Lists are a hit, especially our “For Fans Of” lists. You asked for easier browsing, and we’re on it. See Your Voices Heard: On Curated Lists.
- Story Elements are essential, but navigating them in the new layout has been a challenge. We dug into that in Your Voices Heard: On Story Elements.
- Design matters, and while the new look is fresh and mobile-friendly, some features aren’t quite where you’d like them to be. That’s today’s focus, so keep reading!
- Printing and sharing tools are vital, and you’d love more flexibility. We’re working on that.
The Details That Matter
Design is personal. Some people love vibrant colors and bold layouts, while others prefer clean lines and minimalism. And beyond aesthetics, the design of a product like NoveList is about how easily you can get things done.
Our User Design (UX) team puts a lot of thought into making NoveList intuitive and accessible. The refreshed design is rooted in research and user testing, but we know it can always get better. When you tell us what works or doesn’t work, we take it seriously, and we’re making changes based on what you’ve shared.
Here are a few areas we’re actively improving:
Click fatigue
You’ve mentioned that it sometimes feels like it takes too many clicks to reach the good stuff. We’ve already streamlined a few paths and are exploring more. If there’s a specific spot that feels clunky, let us know at novelist@ebsco.com.
Hover, where art thou?
A popular feature in the old design was the ability to hover over our read-alikes and instantly see why they were recommended. That hover function wasn’t accessible, so we had to rethink it. In the current version, you can click a title to open a side panel with all the same “reason why” info. Here’s a quick guide to help you find it. And we’re also thinking about ways to improve what’s there currently.
Where did that thing go?
Some of you asked if we removed story elements, reviews, or our reasoning language. We did move a few things around. If something seems missing, it might just be in a new spot. Our support team (novelist@ebsco.com) is happy to help you find it.
Scroll, scroll, scroll
Yes, there’s definitely more scrolling in the new design, but the new NoveList experience is built on a mobile-friendly platform. Scrolling is a better user experience on phones than multiple columns. We’ve already reduced some white space to help reduce the scrolling, and we’re looking for other tweaks.
Homepage shortcuts
You’ve asked for quicker access to audience levels and genre groups right from the homepage. We hear you on that, and we’re working on it.
Want to Help Us Shape the Future?
We’re always looking for fresh perspectives. If you’d like to attend a short design feedback session with our product team (less than 30 minutes), we’d love to hear from you. Just drop us a line at novelist@ebsco.com.
Thanks for Being Part of the Story
Your feedback is more than helpful; it’s essential. Every comment, suggestion, and idea helps us build a better NoveList for you and for readers everywhere. Whether you’re diving into curated lists, exploring story elements, or just trying to find your next great read, we want the experience to be smooth, inspiring, and joyful.
Thanks for being on this journey with us. We’re listening, learning, and evolving, together.
Until next time, happy exploring.
Danielle Borasky is Vice President of NoveList. She is reading When the Ghosts Come Home by Wiley Cash.
