SONOS...don't be silent about V8 backlash

Repeatedly where? Like I asked very clearly, SONOS needs to post their intentions FRONT AND CENTER on the support page or a sticky post on this forum. I am NOT going to read through hundreds of posts to get a few morsels of SONOS response.

Repeatedly on pretty much every relevant thread, including the sticky one announcing the new app:
https://en.community.sonos.com/announcements-228985/now-available-the-new-sonos-app-6791306

There are definite areas for improvement in the new app, mostly not difficult to implement. I'm hoping that the 8.2 app incorporates some of these improvements.

O' this makes me so glad I'm no longer involved in consumer software product management! 🙂

The need to balance the views that a product is 'stale' and 'out of touch with new technology' vs 'It's not as good as the app I know and have used for years' is never easy and it takes a huge amount of effort and time to canvas opinion from many varied sources and plan a product roadmap. Sometimes there are obvious problems and changes in architecture are bound to increase stability issues in the short term but we should all remember that a lot of people are trying to develop a product that everyone will love and that during the delivery of that road map emotions will run high!

Constructive feedback is always good but emotion always clouds peoples responses - the old adage 'Please Respond and not React' comes to mind.

Leaving aside the visuals (and I know they matter), here is what has changed:

1. There is a new navigation bar, which takes you to the key screens from one place. You need a room or rooms, and you need some music. You can Browse for it (i.e. go to a list of sources), Search for it, or go to your personal Favourites and Playlists. If you want non-day-to-day stuff it is on the More button. It seems to me that is logical and easy once you get it
What hasn't helped is not having the bar visible on the Now Playing screen, which has added to the navigation hassle. Strong rumours that will change.
2. This all ties up with the fact that the contents of the old main menu have been split to correspond to those buttons. It all hangs together.
3. Favourites have been split into types. This seems to me to be helpful in principle, but spoiled in practice by the over large icons - but that can be fixed.
4. The 'quick grouping' facility has been added. The main effect of this seems to have been users mistaking it for the proper rooms management screen. This seems to me the source of much confusion and frustration.

I would see these as generally positive changes, currently imperfectly executed, with the better organisation muddied by some visual flaws.

Finally, I am absolutely convinced that 'intuitive' is mostly just 'what I am used to', and this sort of backlash always happens with this sort of change. (Let me say again, that does not mean that I think all the criticisms are invalid.)

That is my attempt at a rational analysis of what has happened. You are free to disagree.

I think John B's comments, just about sums things up.

I also think Sonos may have long term plans for the new interface that we are not yet privvy to. My thoughts are perhaps being able to limit the tabs for use in some kind of party mode, or being able to access your own favourite music tracks and playlists at a friends house, or maybe other locations.... or having multiple accounts available on one controller that gives family members access to their own Favorites and Playlists.

It appears some folk are presently seeing the change to the interface as being unnecessary at this point in time, but they may not be thinking about the 'wider' potential future possibilities.

My thoughts are that the new 'individual' tab screens on the main controller bar, will eventually bring about some further 'innovative' Sonos development. The cosmetic issues that many seem to talk about now, are not really that significant and I’m sure will soon be fixed... it’s what comes after that, that I’m looking forward to.

The last two posts above are like a breath of fresh air; thank you.

I also think Sonos may have long term plans for the new interface that we are not yet privvy to.
Or it might just be that someone decided to cut corners and copycat the apple music player instead of doing proper research. It sure would explain a lot.

I also think Sonos may have long term plans for the new interface that we are not yet privvy to.
Or it might just be that someone decided to cut corners and copycat the apple music player instead of doing proper research. It sure would explain a lot.It would seem strange to copy a music player when the Sonos app is not a music player, but I'm not quite so sanguine as Ken about there being a grand scheme. I would say that 8.0 was beta standard but not labelled beta. No idea what the background to that is, but I do remain optimistic that 8.2 or 8.3 will be what we should have had at 8.0. And as long as it remains Sonos' policy not to give any specifics about their plans, speculation and cynicism will (understandably?) fill the vacuum.