Discussion: feedback (US orienteering)

I don't know if anyone remembers me, but I used to be an orienteer. I was on the USOF board twice (that's what they called it back then), the US standing team, and my best WRE result was 31st place, which wasn't so bad for someone of my age and ability at the time. I've orienteered on 5 continents, X countries, and Y states. I've been around the orienteering block.

I was probably most remembered for deep-sixing the incredibly stupid ED initiative back in the day, with simple spreadsheets and financial analysis. I make my living reading financial statements, and buying the good ideas, and shorting the bad ideas. OUSA was the easiest short of all time.

My reward for being the messenger who pointed out that the emperor had no clothes was of course to be shot. Even tho I saved the organization from insolvency (at the time, have not looked at financials since). No good deed goes unpunished. How many metaphors/cliches can one work into a paragraph? Of course I had help with the analysis, and of course I had much support both before and after the vote to end that nonsense, and I save every email from that era, but the BS remains.

A year or so ago, I applied for a job with these folks, for which I was over-qualified. Unfortunately, as one of the members of the panel did not like my slaying of their sacred ED cow, I was bounced. Too bad, as I could have run this thing as tight as a whip for next to nothing. Their loss, and not disparaging he or she who got the job; no doubt they are exceeding expectations.

A long-winded way of saying I've really been around the block here, and know this place inside and out. And I was thinking about getting back in. Just to run some races cuz the game is fun, even if the org is not.

But my feedback is this. I looked at both the local club, and a pair of upcoming races in the northeast, and it is just impossible for an outsider to figure out what is going on. I know what is going on, and I could not figure it out, so I will be doing something else.

I get that cliques and jargon are for insiders (yeah, I am a semi-pro linguist among other things), but outsiders have no chance on these web pages written for insiders.

As I said many times, on the BOD and off, just look at a trail running web site. Give me the length of the courses, the location, the fun, and one click registration, all on one screen. Just look at some of your web sites as an outsider. Its impossible. What is Red M35+ and all the rest of it? Then 10 clicks later I might figure the length of the course, if I'm lucky, and I'm a one time insider.

And you are still using the term "rogaine", are you kidding me? The ED could not even fix that? (Tho I imagine so many years have passed by now that minoxidil has been supplanted such that "rogaine" may work for outsiders. Who knows? As someone follicly challenged I certainly would not be attracted to such an event so named).

Whatever. Shoot the messenger. But I've already been shot, so I am the zombie undead coming back to haunt you to tell you your product remains outsider unfriendly. No ED, ED meds, or baldness meds needed. This conclusion is obvious. While my post was intended to be humorous in a dark sort of way, I truly hope y'all consider my feedback seriously. It would be nice to orienteer again, but it is just easier to do other stuff. I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I have actually co-authored an Internet protocol, and can prove it. I know my way around orienteering, and the web, and what you are selling is really obtuse.

Simplify, simplify, simplify. Make it easy for idiots like me.

HTH and good luck going forward

Note: I have a very limited perspective, as I am both young and very far from being well-traveled in the orienteering world, but…

I am curious what your thoughts (or anyone’s) are on the Cascade Orienteering Club site, cascadeoc.org? I have always been very pleased with its accessibility and clean layout, but maybe I’m a bit biased.

When brought to the homepage, if one dives straight for the event links, they will find an abundance of well-organized and visually separated information that caters to the unknowing (eg. the blue question boxes) - and if they are still intimidated by the text, there is a bailout to the right: a vertical bar that is headed with a big question mark and the words “How it works” that will funnel any confused folk into the “Newcomers” page. And, in fact, that would be the longer, scenic route to that wonderfully welcoming page - there is a bold black bar across the home page with a link to it already, which I imagine any “newcomers” would naturally gravitate towards.

Point being, there is at least one club out there that I think has a pretty good start on designing a accessible, newcomer-friendly site.

For the other club sites that I have visited, I agree that they are on average not doing much to help bring clueless newcomers into the sport - many have an early-years-of-the-Internet aesthetic. I won’t go anymore beyond that because I’m very bad at giving negative critique, so this is where my input ends.

Thank you for putting this honesty out here! It’s the only way the sport can improve - and website revamping is probably one of the easier (easiER, website designers don’t come for me) ways to do it.

Zoe, I think your post is unusually thoughtful, constructive and well written for an 18 YO. I suspect additional contributions from you will be well received.

Almost seven years ago to the day Randy’s “ideas post” remains (not surprisingly) very relevant.

https://www.attackpoint.org/discussionthread.jsp/m...

Randy went to Kazakhstan and told us about that place-- way earlier than
Mr. Sagdiyev.