I did a presentation at my art association meeting two months ago about Faco and how I built my sight and maintain it I went to my dashboard on a big screen so the artists could see how user friendly it is. If you see an increase in new artists in the Midwest, you know why.
We have considered it. I’m not sure if it’s something we would build or not. We are working on other things currently that I think artists will enjoy and find helpful but down the road it’s possible.
FASO is the best! I've been with them for years and years. The processes are easy to find and follow, the support team is awesome and the website is beautiful.
Thank you!!! This is awesome! I've looked around at various sites, even the "cheaper" website programs and none of them have what FASO has. You help make marketing a breeze!
FASO has hosted my work for over 20 years now. Even when I first started it was easy to use and professional looking. Over the years it has upgraded and added features which are designed to help all of us display and market our work.
If I ever have any type of problem the FASO team responds in a timely manner and most of the time they kindly either help me do something I should be able to do without them, give me clear and concise directions on how to do what I want to do without them or they make changes on their end when needed.
I have always admired the FASO team and its product.
While they always try to market themselves and the FASO product, I think most of us users encourage others to join in.
I do wonder why they promote Squarespace as an add-on because I can't see what Squarespace does that FASO doesn't do.
Anyway... Thanks for over 20 good years. Hoping for many more.
Thank you so much! We promote Squarespace for artists who don't like FASO. Many of those artists didn't like the interface though and we've fixed that now. FASO and Squarespace work differently. FASO is much better at selling art and it's much easier for adding new art and that statement came from a Squarespace engineer we worked with. Squarespace is more flexible for things an artist might not normally need to do and is better for those artists who want to really control every part of their website design. That control comes at the cost of a much steeper learning curve with Squarespace. We had a lot of artists who wanted that control choose Squarespace over FASO so we thought, "why not become allies with our biggest competitor?" So we did. But honestly, for most use cases FASO is better. We just offer both to keep working with those artists who want Squarespace and they still get access to other FASO features (like the exhibits, the community, etc).
Thank you for your kind words. I think you're going to love the secret project we're working on that this new interface will enable us to build. I'm using the prototype today and I'm blown away but what the team has built. Sorry, I can't say more yet.
Templates are clean and professional. the tech team is awesome (and extremely patient), the general milieux positive. Happy to be aboard. A couple things: 1. I tried the 'new' interface. Found it confusing and "all over the place." IT'S HARD TO FILL OUT. Definitely staying with the original and hope you consider my comments (and those of others) or leave the one we're happy with as an option. 2. I want to change some of the colors on my site, but the color option layouts are "set." An explanation we can refer to would be nice to have. (what color line applies to what "thing" on the site, to change it) Wish I could completely design my own site, but the FASO templates are in good taste. I like that!
You can certainly stay with the old interface. BUt please be aware that the new interface was released to prepare for new features to help artists get better visibility in front of art lovers and sales opportunities and tools. The new features needed a new interface that is more intuitive, better grouped and that worked on mobile. This new UI does all of those things while the old one didn't. I get that it doesn't feel intuitive to you. For new users the feedback is overwhelmingly positive and they build sites almost twice as fast as with the old UI. More new trial users are staying and activating their membership too because we lost so many people though the years because they hated our old user interface. I would implore you to give it a chance. I honestly think once you pass the relatively short learning curve, you'll actually like it far more than the old one.
But, as I say, the old UI remains available and that is certainly an option.
One questions what do you mean by "Hard to fill out?"
On the colors, that's a question that our support team can help with. Regarding the templates, FASO is designed to be easy, not be a web design program. If you want to completely design your own site FASO also sells Squarespace sites and we could switch you over to that. It's our same tech team supporting it. The only thing is Squarespace, in my opinion, has a far steeper learning curve and is not as easy to update with new art. It is very powerful at letting you customize your design though and it remains an option.
thank you for your great feedback and kind words about our tech team!
That makes sense. I'm willing to use it if it's the only option, but the page for artwork information is too confusing...it's the layout. It's all over the place! The current "old" one is simple: art at the top, options to its right and a column clearly marked for the artwork's information as you scroll down, comments at the bottom. You just start at the top, move down and fill in the information. The "new" format is truly confusing. ...and confusing takes time. I don't even have enough time to paint with the tools I am exploring for pages, etc. to develop. My only question is: "why is the new layout so illogical to follow (and/or) find what one looks for?
As for designing my site, I'm on board with the FASO options, very happy with my template, but I know some things can be done by the artist. No problem...I'm exploring them. No intention to go to another provider. It is indeed easy and simple to use! It's the "new" art info template that is a chore to use. I can fill out something if I "find" it but figuring out what's where got me confused, and I made mistakes when I tried it, because of the place of the options and their clear "title". Went back to the "original" I will have to see what the new features do. You are talking about building better sites with the new tools. I thought that's what I've been doing. 😏 What am I missing? Thanks for "listening,"
I do plan to do a deep dive with the team on the new artwork editing page. So I will keep your feedback in mind. We've made a couple of revisions on feedback so far and I do think we can make further improvements based on what you've said. Thank you.
PS If I go to the new interface now and find it a chore,
can I return to the old one until I 'de-confuse' myself? aaaaannd.... what are the things that users have found great with the new one. Would help to know. feedback?
Yes, you can return to the old one. New users find it very well organized and intuitive. However, you can stay on the old one for now. The new one might still change a bit as we get feedback and continue to improve it so if you wish, you might consider waiting until it's "settled."
Your feedback is much appreciated. Site updates, OK...you're on it! FASO Team...you're the best. I will be very disappointed if I don't have a chance to meet you one day!
I may be in the minority but I’m finding the new interface incredibly difficult and awkward to manage. The opposite of what it used to be. It’s more complicated to get to the basic things an artist needs to update their webpage. If you all had just stayed simple and improved the few problem areas that hung folks up, that would have been a better thing than adding layers that keep us from getting to the basics (and that many don’t need). It is definitely non-intuitive and cluttered now. On a positive note, your phone support is the best in the business.
I understand that change is difficult. I would suggest it seems difficult and awkward because you're used to something that was old and unchanged since 2010. That's a lot of muscle memory. And that's why we left the option to keep the old interface. The problems were far more reaching than just "improve the few things that hung folks up." What hung folks up is they couldn't figure out how to do things because as we grew things were all over the place! Plus the interface was designed before smartphones and tablets and didn't work on those devices.
Change is difficult for sure. What we're finding though from new customers using it is this: they are raving about how intuitive it is and they are building new sites from start to finish in record time. New customers used to complain (and we lost a lot of new customers because of this) that "your UI is old, clunky, confusing and I can't get things done." Now they're saying, "This is so clear, intuitive and easy"
If artists want FASO to survive and be in their corner, which we are, and we're one of the few who are, we have to be able to grow and this UI is unlocking not only faster navigation for the most common tasks, works on mobile devices, but it also positions us to release new features that are going to help artists sell more art. Features that simply couldn't have been shoehorned into the old UI. When we look at other software out there that people love, the UIs are all similar to what we've landed upon here.
Now, like I said, I'm not trying to minimize the difficulty of a transition, and we are always interested in feedback for improvement, especially specific feedback like "I couldn't figure out how to to X, Y and Z." And the difficulty of a new UI is the reason we've left the option to revert to the old UI. However one thing to keep in mind is that the old UI will not be able to get the new selling features we are working on because as I said, they needed the improved UI to work. IN other words, releasing this new UI was the first step in a whole bunch of huge improvements to what FASO offers artists.
What do you find cluttered and non intuitive now? We have the art, the site, the community separated into three distinct and obvious sections. And with in "My Site" you have clearly marked three functions: "My Art" (to add/edit art, the most common thing), "Marketing" (all faso marketing tools and channel) and "Business" (website, store, sales, revenue, analytics). We also added a "Create" button that lets you quickstart adding: new art, new newsletter, new blog, new exhibition entry all from one button and two clicks. What was it you were trying to do and found non-intuitive?
Thank you for your comment, your feedback, your support and your kind words about our support team. We are here for you no matter what, and if you prefer the older interface it is still an option.
I like most of the new interface, but especially since Clint and others have always suggested that we tell the "story" behind an artwork, the section to do that is difficult to get to and if we don't save the rest of it first, sometimes we lose what we started out with.
Otherwise, I've gotten used to the changes and don't see them as cumbersome.
We corrected that particular issue about two weeks ago. You don't have to save the story and the rest of the data separately anymore. I leaned hard on the developers to fix that ASAP because it was a major issue.
In the long run we want to change how that story data is saved because the way it's saved now causes some issues for targeting different channels. RIght now it's fine for display only on the artist website but we'd like to be able to use it wherever the artwork appears across the platform or in emails or whatever different places. And we need to develop a new editor to do that and build a complicated migration system. I told them just use the old editor for now because we can't expect artists to do the two-save dance thing and we'll deal with the migration/new editor thing later.
My understanding is that the option for using the old interface is only temporary. Am I incorrect? Anyway, you have made a business decision and I’m sure you know best about that. I won’t belabor the point which is only one person’s opinion. I’m glad others are happy with the new UI. We are all dealing with a lot of change right now so maybe I’m just feeling overwhelmed and it’s just one more thing to deal with. If I can get used to it, great. If not, it looks like you have lots of new happy customers and that’s great for the art world.
I doubt the old interface will last "forever." But we have no need to kill it in the short to mid term. I think more likely most people will want to move to the new interface after two things happen 1. It is more "settled" as we improve it. and 2. When we announce the amazing things we're working on that will help market and sell art, I think people will likely want to take advantage of those features and those can only work in the interface for various reasons.
I did a presentation at my art association meeting two months ago about Faco and how I built my sight and maintain it I went to my dashboard on a big screen so the artists could see how user friendly it is. If you see an increase in new artists in the Midwest, you know why.
Thank you so much! We at FASO truly appreciate your support.
Thank you Jo Ann!
Yes keep it simple , have you considered an auction with Faso....
We have considered it. I’m not sure if it’s something we would build or not. We are working on other things currently that I think artists will enjoy and find helpful but down the road it’s possible.
FASO is the best! I've been with them for years and years. The processes are easy to find and follow, the support team is awesome and the website is beautiful.
Thank you!
Lovely artwork of artists.
Thank you!!! This is awesome! I've looked around at various sites, even the "cheaper" website programs and none of them have what FASO has. You help make marketing a breeze!
Thank you. We appreciate you.
FASO has hosted my work for over 20 years now. Even when I first started it was easy to use and professional looking. Over the years it has upgraded and added features which are designed to help all of us display and market our work.
If I ever have any type of problem the FASO team responds in a timely manner and most of the time they kindly either help me do something I should be able to do without them, give me clear and concise directions on how to do what I want to do without them or they make changes on their end when needed.
I have always admired the FASO team and its product.
While they always try to market themselves and the FASO product, I think most of us users encourage others to join in.
I do wonder why they promote Squarespace as an add-on because I can't see what Squarespace does that FASO doesn't do.
Anyway... Thanks for over 20 good years. Hoping for many more.
Thank you so much! We promote Squarespace for artists who don't like FASO. Many of those artists didn't like the interface though and we've fixed that now. FASO and Squarespace work differently. FASO is much better at selling art and it's much easier for adding new art and that statement came from a Squarespace engineer we worked with. Squarespace is more flexible for things an artist might not normally need to do and is better for those artists who want to really control every part of their website design. That control comes at the cost of a much steeper learning curve with Squarespace. We had a lot of artists who wanted that control choose Squarespace over FASO so we thought, "why not become allies with our biggest competitor?" So we did. But honestly, for most use cases FASO is better. We just offer both to keep working with those artists who want Squarespace and they still get access to other FASO features (like the exhibits, the community, etc).
Thank you for your kind words. I think you're going to love the secret project we're working on that this new interface will enable us to build. I'm using the prototype today and I'm blown away but what the team has built. Sorry, I can't say more yet.
Shhhhhh😉🤫
Templates are clean and professional. the tech team is awesome (and extremely patient), the general milieux positive. Happy to be aboard. A couple things: 1. I tried the 'new' interface. Found it confusing and "all over the place." IT'S HARD TO FILL OUT. Definitely staying with the original and hope you consider my comments (and those of others) or leave the one we're happy with as an option. 2. I want to change some of the colors on my site, but the color option layouts are "set." An explanation we can refer to would be nice to have. (what color line applies to what "thing" on the site, to change it) Wish I could completely design my own site, but the FASO templates are in good taste. I like that!
You can certainly stay with the old interface. BUt please be aware that the new interface was released to prepare for new features to help artists get better visibility in front of art lovers and sales opportunities and tools. The new features needed a new interface that is more intuitive, better grouped and that worked on mobile. This new UI does all of those things while the old one didn't. I get that it doesn't feel intuitive to you. For new users the feedback is overwhelmingly positive and they build sites almost twice as fast as with the old UI. More new trial users are staying and activating their membership too because we lost so many people though the years because they hated our old user interface. I would implore you to give it a chance. I honestly think once you pass the relatively short learning curve, you'll actually like it far more than the old one.
But, as I say, the old UI remains available and that is certainly an option.
One questions what do you mean by "Hard to fill out?"
On the colors, that's a question that our support team can help with. Regarding the templates, FASO is designed to be easy, not be a web design program. If you want to completely design your own site FASO also sells Squarespace sites and we could switch you over to that. It's our same tech team supporting it. The only thing is Squarespace, in my opinion, has a far steeper learning curve and is not as easy to update with new art. It is very powerful at letting you customize your design though and it remains an option.
thank you for your great feedback and kind words about our tech team!
That makes sense. I'm willing to use it if it's the only option, but the page for artwork information is too confusing...it's the layout. It's all over the place! The current "old" one is simple: art at the top, options to its right and a column clearly marked for the artwork's information as you scroll down, comments at the bottom. You just start at the top, move down and fill in the information. The "new" format is truly confusing. ...and confusing takes time. I don't even have enough time to paint with the tools I am exploring for pages, etc. to develop. My only question is: "why is the new layout so illogical to follow (and/or) find what one looks for?
As for designing my site, I'm on board with the FASO options, very happy with my template, but I know some things can be done by the artist. No problem...I'm exploring them. No intention to go to another provider. It is indeed easy and simple to use! It's the "new" art info template that is a chore to use. I can fill out something if I "find" it but figuring out what's where got me confused, and I made mistakes when I tried it, because of the place of the options and their clear "title". Went back to the "original" I will have to see what the new features do. You are talking about building better sites with the new tools. I thought that's what I've been doing. 😏 What am I missing? Thanks for "listening,"
I do plan to do a deep dive with the team on the new artwork editing page. So I will keep your feedback in mind. We've made a couple of revisions on feedback so far and I do think we can make further improvements based on what you've said. Thank you.
PS If I go to the new interface now and find it a chore,
can I return to the old one until I 'de-confuse' myself? aaaaannd.... what are the things that users have found great with the new one. Would help to know. feedback?
Yes, you can return to the old one. New users find it very well organized and intuitive. However, you can stay on the old one for now. The new one might still change a bit as we get feedback and continue to improve it so if you wish, you might consider waiting until it's "settled."
Your feedback is much appreciated. Site updates, OK...you're on it! FASO Team...you're the best. I will be very disappointed if I don't have a chance to meet you one day!
I may be in the minority but I’m finding the new interface incredibly difficult and awkward to manage. The opposite of what it used to be. It’s more complicated to get to the basic things an artist needs to update their webpage. If you all had just stayed simple and improved the few problem areas that hung folks up, that would have been a better thing than adding layers that keep us from getting to the basics (and that many don’t need). It is definitely non-intuitive and cluttered now. On a positive note, your phone support is the best in the business.
I understand that change is difficult. I would suggest it seems difficult and awkward because you're used to something that was old and unchanged since 2010. That's a lot of muscle memory. And that's why we left the option to keep the old interface. The problems were far more reaching than just "improve the few things that hung folks up." What hung folks up is they couldn't figure out how to do things because as we grew things were all over the place! Plus the interface was designed before smartphones and tablets and didn't work on those devices.
Change is difficult for sure. What we're finding though from new customers using it is this: they are raving about how intuitive it is and they are building new sites from start to finish in record time. New customers used to complain (and we lost a lot of new customers because of this) that "your UI is old, clunky, confusing and I can't get things done." Now they're saying, "This is so clear, intuitive and easy"
If artists want FASO to survive and be in their corner, which we are, and we're one of the few who are, we have to be able to grow and this UI is unlocking not only faster navigation for the most common tasks, works on mobile devices, but it also positions us to release new features that are going to help artists sell more art. Features that simply couldn't have been shoehorned into the old UI. When we look at other software out there that people love, the UIs are all similar to what we've landed upon here.
Now, like I said, I'm not trying to minimize the difficulty of a transition, and we are always interested in feedback for improvement, especially specific feedback like "I couldn't figure out how to to X, Y and Z." And the difficulty of a new UI is the reason we've left the option to revert to the old UI. However one thing to keep in mind is that the old UI will not be able to get the new selling features we are working on because as I said, they needed the improved UI to work. IN other words, releasing this new UI was the first step in a whole bunch of huge improvements to what FASO offers artists.
What do you find cluttered and non intuitive now? We have the art, the site, the community separated into three distinct and obvious sections. And with in "My Site" you have clearly marked three functions: "My Art" (to add/edit art, the most common thing), "Marketing" (all faso marketing tools and channel) and "Business" (website, store, sales, revenue, analytics). We also added a "Create" button that lets you quickstart adding: new art, new newsletter, new blog, new exhibition entry all from one button and two clicks. What was it you were trying to do and found non-intuitive?
Thank you for your comment, your feedback, your support and your kind words about our support team. We are here for you no matter what, and if you prefer the older interface it is still an option.
I like most of the new interface, but especially since Clint and others have always suggested that we tell the "story" behind an artwork, the section to do that is difficult to get to and if we don't save the rest of it first, sometimes we lose what we started out with.
Otherwise, I've gotten used to the changes and don't see them as cumbersome.
We corrected that particular issue about two weeks ago. You don't have to save the story and the rest of the data separately anymore. I leaned hard on the developers to fix that ASAP because it was a major issue.
In the long run we want to change how that story data is saved because the way it's saved now causes some issues for targeting different channels. RIght now it's fine for display only on the artist website but we'd like to be able to use it wherever the artwork appears across the platform or in emails or whatever different places. And we need to develop a new editor to do that and build a complicated migration system. I told them just use the old editor for now because we can't expect artists to do the two-save dance thing and we'll deal with the migration/new editor thing later.
My understanding is that the option for using the old interface is only temporary. Am I incorrect? Anyway, you have made a business decision and I’m sure you know best about that. I won’t belabor the point which is only one person’s opinion. I’m glad others are happy with the new UI. We are all dealing with a lot of change right now so maybe I’m just feeling overwhelmed and it’s just one more thing to deal with. If I can get used to it, great. If not, it looks like you have lots of new happy customers and that’s great for the art world.
I doubt the old interface will last "forever." But we have no need to kill it in the short to mid term. I think more likely most people will want to move to the new interface after two things happen 1. It is more "settled" as we improve it. and 2. When we announce the amazing things we're working on that will help market and sell art, I think people will likely want to take advantage of those features and those can only work in the interface for various reasons.