Skip to main content
Community Manager
May 30, 2013
Question

Thoughts on the site re-design from the Kuler team

  • May 30, 2013
  • 47 replies
  • 40262 views

Today we're launching the new site and making Kuler available on the App Store for iOS.  We've worked really hard to make Kuler easier to work with and accessible on all your devices.  And, we have a lot more planned.  So, let us know what you think. 

If you are an active Kuler user, you may notice a few pages and features missing from the new Kuler website.  I’m writing to explain what’s missing, why it’s missing, and what you can expect to see in the coming weeks and months. Here's an overview of what you won't find on the new site:

Create a theme from an image: We know many users really like the “Create from an Image” feature.  Unfortunately, this feature was not ready for the new site launch.  So, rather than launching a buggy or half-baked feature, we decided to take a bit more time to get it right.

We intend to add this feature to the site as soon as it’s ready.  Until then, you can use the free iPhone app to create themes from images.

Color space “slider” controls: We talked to a lot of Kuler users about the slider controls.  Some users like them and others don’t.  The main complaint we heard was that the sliders add unnecessary complexity and take up too much space.

So, we opted to not add the sliders and err on the side of making the creation experience simple.  Though, we decided to keep the “brightness” slider control since some colors spaces don’t have a brightness variable.   We'd love to know what you think.  You can voice your opinion here on the forum.

Change the order of colors: In our research, we found most users did not know you could re-order colors on the old Kuler site.  And, it’s actually quite a bit of work to build this feature.  So, rather than re-building a feature many users don’t know about or use, we wanted to hear from you first.  I created an idea for this feature on the forum.  Please add your vote if you think this feature should be worked on immediately.

Avatar:  Most of the users we talked with about Kuler avatars were indifferent.  In fact, they asked us to focus on other features first.  So, that’s what we’re doing--we're focusing on some of the most requested features first. 

Community spotlight and Pulse:  The Community Spotlight and Pulse were beta features that never really gained any traction.  So, we opted to not continue with these features.

API: We're working to rebuild the Kuler API to offer more robust capababilities.  Until then, we're no longer issuing new API keys.  If you already have a key and are using the API, your service will not be interupted (your key will continue to work).

We’re always looking for feedback and would love to hear what you think about any of these topics—please join the discussion here on the forum.

    This topic has been closed for replies.

    47 replies

    Participant
    July 8, 2013

    This is so bad. Really you launch without the picture ability? Looks like I will be removing this lesson from my syllabi. Adobe- you are seriously dissappointing by dumbing down your software and removing important functions. Agh.

    don't be evil

    don't be stupid

    your market research is awful

    you are pandering to the bottom

    Participant
    June 27, 2013

    This interface makes it really hard to be artistic. Sure, it's great for popping out themes on your phone. And that's fine for some people's needs.

    But color artists are looking for that fine control that allows them to create quality palettes for specific projects, specific customer tastes or for future use.

    Just because a theme pops up from a photo doesn't mean it will translate well to interior design or web design. It is a starting place, but needs to be refined.

    The ability to fine tune a palette is virtually gone with this new interface.

    I am guessing this will drive the artists to other color scheming websites where their artistic touches will have more of a chance to shine.

    megaroeny
    Participant
    June 26, 2013

    My Themes are all gone, after updating my email address... What gives?

    Participant
    June 26, 2013

    Sorry, the new kuler.adobe website ist awful

    - The design is like computers in the 90ths

    - This big ugly color wheel is in the way

    - CMYK and lab is missing

    - its all much to big

    - before it was much easier with more information on less space and...

    ---> is there really no more photo upload???

    I'm really a big fan of Adobe and never complained before but this is so bad!

    you lost 75 % of usability.

    kbtaylor
    Participant
    June 24, 2013

    Thanks for giving Kuler some dev time! 


    I really like that it no longer uses flash and is available on more devices but as primarily a creator i'm struggling with a few of the changes...

    1. The color wheel obscuring the middle of the theme is really distracting for me and is keeping me from making new themes.  I liked to be able to see equal amounts of each color in the theme and against a plain background instead of against portions of the wheel.  Visually it hurts my eyes trying to focus on my theme colors and ignore the interaction of the full saturated edges of the overlapped wheel. 
    2. I miss the rearrange function.  I used it constantly to check each color against each other to make adjustments.  I think the most useful themes have colors which are harmonious in a variety of orders since projects often require more than 2 colors against one another.
    3. I miss the other sliders.  I used them often.  They were so handy for those subtle tweaks.

    thanks for the opportunity for feedback!

    kristi

    Zerflin
    Participating Frequently
    June 20, 2013

    You took away some of the most useful features in Illustrator.

    I want to browse other swatches people have submitted, viewing by popular, etc, like I used to. Forcing us onto the website is such a pain in the butt, especially when you're trying lots of different colour schemes.

    Participant
    June 18, 2013

    The image feature is an important feature. I hope to see it soon as you continue developing. When will you have the iPad version of the Kuler app? And would be nice to be able to Pin to a Pinterest board.

    Participant
    June 18, 2013

    Also bring back the CMYK values!!!!  My stuff is mostly for PRINT!  I do agree with most comments, the old was not broke, if you are to re-dregin to comply to the new cloud please improve on the awesomeness not degrading what you had. I know this work is often a thankless one but ... look at the bar Steve Jobs set and left behind? Each product they launched was tested and pretty complete when it got to the consumer. People were thought of first. How practical is the tool? How is it used? Deadlines often hinder quality. The accomplishment is to retain the customer, not desolution, nor impede their work flow with a lesser product. I don't use Kuler because it's pretty to look at, I use it because its a tool, because it helps get the job done faster, because we too must be efficient with our time. So focus on US before you focus on a dealine or cloud concept. WE should be your priority.

    Dave ECommunity ManagerAuthor
    Community Manager
    June 18, 2013

    @erdaestr - all the color spaces are still accessible (including CMYK).  Click the little triangle next to RGB to expand and see the full set of color spaces options. 

    Participant
    June 17, 2013

    I am very sad that I cannot create a theme from an Image right now.

    Participant
    June 18, 2013

    I hadn't used Kuler for a while... And it looks like it's gonna stay that way.

    What an absolute mess they have made of it - has it been redesigned for grannies ? Every element on the page is huge, way too big... So big that I can stand 10 feet away and use my AirMouse to create...

    And which bright spark in the 'design' team thought it would be a good idea to overlay the colour wheel on top of the working palette ? Big mistake, it needs to be isolated and not have anything near it, never mind touching it.

    Where is the 'From an image' functionality ? This was Kulers ace in the pack and now it's gone - more than likely never to return

    The old Kuler was a beautiful piece of design work, the new one is a shining example of bad design in my opinion...

    There are people on here asking for the old version to be reinstated... that will never happen, I can tell you that now, they are not going to spend money on a redesign only to scrap it and fall back to the original.

    Anyway, goodbye Kuler, hello COLOURLovers...

    Jon

    Participant
    June 18, 2013

    "Or, is this now Kuler Lite - a free version of Kuler?  Will Adobe soon be announcing Kuler CS7 a new pay-to-play service?  I have no problem with Adobe chasing every coin you folks can get your fingers on, everyone needs to make money.  But please don't torcher us - just let me know what Kuler Pro or Kuler CS7 is going to cost - if it's resonable I'll subscribe."

    Yes, it's highly unlikely that Adobe will go back to the original.  Even if they totally messed up this product launch. But it wouldn't be unprecedented--look at New Coke, Gap, or Tropicana. 

    Let me be absolutely clear: I would HAPPILY pay to use the old Kuler, but I won't use the new version, not even for free.

    Participant
    June 15, 2013

    What the heck?

    If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And it wasn't broke.

    I'm not sure what this is now. There is no way to slide colors around in the palette.

    I used to hover a color over another to see how they "loved" each other.

    Now I need a color picker so I can copy and paste the colors if I want to move them.

    Oh, please give us the color moving capability back again, guys. Pls???

    This new design is probably a compromise to take advantage of cloud computing.

    That's my uneducated guess. A way to streamline the database and reduce the file sizes.

    Or maybe it's that and a switch to HTML 5. I don't know...

    Participant
    June 14, 2013

    Wow, what an awful surprise - I pop in to put together a color scheme from a photo, and not only is that feature unavailable, the weird oversized color wheel that I thought was just some splash page image thing is actually the color wheel, and the whole interface has been dumbed down near to the point of uselessness (I'm one of those weirdos who tinkered around with the sliders for ages - fantastic for making those super subtle adjustments which I obviously can't make anymore).

    What baffles me most is this new heirarchy of functions/layout.  I thought that Kuler was an app for the creation of color schemes.  That's the point, isn't it?  In the old layout, the scheme was front and center because that was what I was making.  The color wheel and sliders and stuff are merely the tools I'd use to make the scheme.  I don't keep my tools on top of my projects while I'm working on them.  In Photoshop, a fine application with good UI and workflow, the tools are off to the side and not perpetually obstructing my canvas.  And if they do cover the canvas too much, it's not like I can't minimize or move them or take the canvas to full screen mode and leave the tools behind completely.  But now, the color wheel is center stage, and seriously, once I use it to select a color, I don't care about it and want it out of the way so I can focus on the scheme itself.

    So yeah... I don't want this giant dumb color wheel obstructing my work.  It's in the way, and having the entirety of the rainbow sitting on top of your colors makes it a lot harder to guage those colors and how they mesh.  It's visually distracting and jarring.   I want to see how these colors work together, and the best way for me to do that is to see the scheme isolated and unobstructed.

    In regards to the missing adjustment sliders, I do understand wanting to streamline the experience, but is including them, even if hidden by default, too much to ask?  Why not have a default Fun With Colors Mode as well as an Advanced Mode For Actual Designers?

    Known Participant
    June 15, 2013

    I so agree. I don't use Kuler anymore, but I do miss it. I guess there's no chance that the old site will be put back online, eh?

    Participant
    June 15, 2013

    If you don't use Kuler anymore - what do you use?  I can't wait for the "pulling a palette from an image" feature to be put back up.  I need to engage in my work now.  Any recommendations?  Someone else suggested colourlovers.com and it's OK.