I really like Flickr, but I feel the site has become somewhat dated. There’s so much amazing content on Flickr, but the interface is so clunky. Scrolling through pages of small thumbnails is archaic. I’ve tried Cooliris, a plugin that definitely improves the photo browsing experience, but I still think the interface can further be improved. For example, rollover magnification, similar to that seen on the Apple launch dock, is a nice feature that makes a lot of sense when applied to photo browsing. Thumbnails should automatically magnify if you scroll over them.
To be fair, it’s not just Flickr that needs a makeover; Picasa, Smugmug, Lightroom, etc. can all improve their interfaces. My friend at Douzen is developing fast, dynamic user interfaces that incorporate such features into websites, as well as mobile devices.
Flickr designer, Timoni West, recently posted a nice critique of Flickr’s user interface. I really hope Flickr can quickly adapt to the rapidly changing online photography ecosystem. If not, Flickr may become the next Friendster, Myspace, etc. I guess being owned by Yahoo! is probably dragging down Flickr.
