Giving the support site a refresh
Keeping WordPress.com’s documentation up to date and accessible is one part of what the Happiness Team works on. We’ve long had lots of documentation, but we realized that the design and flow of the support site spoke more to us Happiness Engineers. How backward is that?
That all changes today. 🙂 Before, you saw a long page filled with lists. Now you see eight content groupings on the homepage.
Before
After!
We looked at a lot of data about where people run into problems with WordPress.com. Using this we redesigned the site by weeding back overgrown lists, eliminating overly complicated jargon, and putting the answers to the questions you’ve asked most front and center.
If those new sections don’t have the answers you seek, we prominently placed a very effective search option at the top right that is perfect for pinpointing an answer to an obscure issue.
There’s more coming too so keep an eye out. We’ll keep working hard to make it even easier to find the information you need.
- August 30, 2011
- Support
WordPress.com News 
This certainly cuts down on all the scrolling you’d initially do. 😛
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Wow! Thanks – what a great improvement!
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You guys really know your web design, eh? 😉
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Much better this way. Thanks.
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I’ve been using the new support page this morning while answering support forum questions. I like the new easy to navigate design layout very much and I’m looking forward to seeing what the next changes will be. Good work!
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Love the new layout! 🙂
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I like the layout you’ve chosen, and I think it is a great idea to eliminate complicated jargon. These changes should be welcomed by WordPress bloggers both old and new!
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Looking forward to giving this a spin. Thank you so much!
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It’s looking good! What a lot of work that must have been, wow!
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Going to check this out. Thanks for thinking outside your box. The tech world needs more of it.
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Ohh it’s about time. The old way was like trying to navigate through uncharted territory with no compass and a blindfold. TY for new design.
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Keep up the good work.
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A wonderful improvement! Very nice new design! I love the new navigation of it. ^_^ Thank you!
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Yay! This sounds great. I’m new and can use all the help I can get 😉
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Thanks. I appreciate you making things easier for us. I, for one, need it!
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THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
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Keep up the good work – this is great!
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Okay, this is easier. Thank you.
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It looks really nice and much easier to navigate for someone new like me. I feel I must ask one question. Where’s the “Information for seniors” button? (section?) A dictionary of terms used that older minds can understand. I’m sorry if this is the wrong place to ask.
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Your efforts are appreciated and the changes are a definite improvment. Thanks!
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Thanks so much! That is extremely helpful. 🙂
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From the science fiction write: much more streamlined! I love it. This will indeed be easier – or at least funner. I usually could find what I was looking for on the support site, but this is much nicer.
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Thank you Happiness Engineers
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Much simpler, smarter! Thank you!
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SO much simpler! Thanks again!
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Thank you for this!
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WP Dearest,
Tis more than a redesign. It’s a rebirth.
I’ve been wanting to migrate to WordPress for some time, and the streamlined help page will make the transition even easier.
Thanks!
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Awesome improvement! This will make troubleshooting so much easier. 🙂
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Awesome – very intuitive.
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BRAVO!!! Much much easier to find things now, and yes a looooooooooooong list was hard to navigate!! Certainly you guys and gals at WordPress deserve KUDOS for a job well done!!
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Thanks for continually trying to improve WordPress.
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Wow: The Happiness Team rocks! 🙂
Thank you for making this FAR simpler…
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It would be nice to be able to directly ask a question to a problem for which we can’t find an answer to from the search.
Thanks for the opportunity to give my opinion.
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That is really helpful. Thank you.
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Thanks guys, looking forward to shorter visits to the support site.
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…wonderful…thanks…
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thank you for this initiative ! more and more 😛
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Looking good! I just spent a whole day wading thru the old stuff. Going back now to enjoy the changes!
IntrepidWoman thanks you!
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there’s nothing quite like taking a load of stuff and organising it – lovely jubbly!
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Thanks guys. Its hard to improve the almost perfect.
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Just starting out so thanks. Already loving what I can do on the site.
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A good move. Should be very helpful.
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Great job of streamlining. Thanks!!
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Make sure that Search Engine Optimization is a 1 category with BOLD LETTERS on top of ALL LISTS!! 😉 that would save me tons of time searching for it…. i hope i didn’t ask for too much 😉 😉
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day by day wordpress is getting better and better, and i m really happy for this, keep up the good work fellows 😀
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As an absolute aging novice I need all the help I can get so thanks sssooo much!
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I love the fact that Happiness Engineers are working away to help in their dark cavens, then suddenly a burst of sunlight of the new support layout, just like the miracle css helpers that just popped up and are completely wonderful
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good stuff!
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Thank you Happiness Team!
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Thanks wordpress :). You are named happiness engineers for a reason!
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@countessjewels, you can actually do that by clicking Contact Support which can be found at the bottom of the page. (Just below the Hugs part).
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‘Preciate the efforts! Happiness Engineers rock and have historically kept this Fancy Writer Lady quite content!
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Much needed; well done and thank you!
The older version was a bit naff really; I usually ended up having to google the answers I needed…. often that let me find a page in the WordPress documentation I’d never have found using its own internal navigation. 🙂
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Thanks for support
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this seems helpful
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This is great… but you know what would be even better? If there was a way to show (on our blog page) all the subscribers to the blog… you know, a number of how many subscribers there are & little pictures all lined up – sort of like how you’ve got the “xxx bloggers like this post” pictures up above. It’d be great to have that feature. Other blog hosting companies do… Thanks.
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Thank you!
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I’m very thankful my friend told me about WordPress. I’ve been building my site for the last 6 weeks and I think your Support Page has been excellent. Knowing you guys are motivated to continue to improve it is very cool. One suggestion I would have is adding an ability to sort the sidebar on the Dashboard. I’m constantly looking for “All Pages” and would love it if I could move any areas I use a lot to the top of the list. Thanks to all at WordPress who have made it possible for me to be my own “webmaster”! I tell everyone I talk to that if I can do it, they can too.
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Thank you for trying to see things from our point of view! So rare. I continue to recommend WordPress for newbies!
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Bravo! So much easier to read and access. Looks beautiful too.
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wow, what a difference. that is awesome and much appreciated!
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Thank you. Yes, the list was almost becoming a freeway hazard! Appreciate the updates and search functions. Also your ready attention to questions asked.
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Thank you very much, the new support site format will be a breeze to browse through now! Thank you!
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Thanks for your hard work!
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Definitely a much better usability. Well done.
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Thank you! For me, much easier to navigate and pleasing to my eyes.
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Great improvement. Thanks.
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The redesign also puts more focus on the Search box, which I use endlessly. Search results have really improved too, showing both Support docs and forum posts. Kudos on all counts!
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That’s good to know. These improvements would prove really useful. Thanks.
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Thank you!! Awesome service.
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I like this < all what you are doing is of best support to us,
one thing I like to highlight is that, In Arabic the editting is
of some inconvenience,,, any way,
Thaks a lot
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We’d love more specific feedback on things like this. Could you send more details about it at https://wordpress.com/support/contact/ ?
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Thanks for supporting! 😀
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excellent 🙂 hard way or easy way 🙂
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Appreciate your extremely user-friendly changes. It’s definitely going to decrease the time I spend looking for answers, solutions, etc.
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Hmmm, I’ve been using the new site this morning already and find it really easy to navigate.
Excellent work guys and girls.
Thank you.
sev
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Reaally verry useful!
Thank you 🙂
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One of the frustrations with WordPress is the disconnect with vendors who design lovely themes, but the download instructions are so obtuse and require some knowledge of programming. I recently purchased a subscription to Elegant Themes and had chosen The Professional. After hours of trying to choose it as my theme and incorporate it it into the WordPress dashboard, I learned I needed to work through WordPress.org and that the instructions did not facilitate me with how to do it, just more psuedo assistance that wasn’t helpful. I ended up asking for a subscription refund, which Elegant Themes processed immediately. I’ve moved onto Moonfruit. I really liked The Professional. It met all my needs.
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Since WordPress is open source and anyone can contribute, there’s always a chance what you’re describing will happen. But hopefully it won’t happen often, and keep in mind that the WordPress.com support team is around to help you if you have questions!
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We know you love us and care for us. Thank you for every thought and effort to make things better. You are all so greatly appreciated.
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Thank you right back. You are appreciated too!!
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The problem I see with your support site is that it is impossible to get support. I click on support contact form or 24/7 support and am redirected to a seach. I enter things in the search and it goes nowhere. I am constantly redirected and never get support.
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The form shouldn’t constantly redirect. Did you make sure to fill out all of the required fields? I’ve just tested the form to make sure it’s working, and it worked in my test. We’re continuously working to find ways to make support for WordPress.com *completely* awesome, so the form and other support-related things are always getting updated. We love getting good feedback, and we’re always happy to test if you think there’s any trouble.
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Awesome! I love it how WordPress.com staff are continuously working to improve the site. =D
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I look forward to seeing how this Happiness develops. The world can always use more Happiness!
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Still new in WordPress, and liking it here already…
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Awesome! The new looks so much better than the old! You guys are great.
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