One of the defining characteristics of (overly) large internet companies is that almost invariably someone in the organization will suggest an "improvement" to the website, which ultimately and ironically has the effect of degrading the user experience.

I've previously mentioned other examples of eBay ignorance (notably removing the highly useful pre-1970 filter from watch searches), and here is another.

For a long time now, at least while using laptop or desktop computers, and in gallery mode, watches would appear on eBay three across, and the photos would be large enough to get a good feel for the item without having to click for detail. Recently, no doubt due to the suggestion of some well-paid idiot, at least some searches are returned with watches four abreast, with the images being significantly smaller. Note that the number of images per page remains exactly the same!

In other words, it would be ignorant enough to decrease the thumbnail photo size in order to increase the quantity per page (as if 192 weren't enough), but to decrease the size without any other changes is ignorant to the extreme.

The only possible rationale that I can imagine is if they reduce the image size, some users might feel compelled to click more frequently on items for further detail. And if that's the case, then no one involved in the decision-making process is actually a user of the system.

Idiots.

 

I find this is the case with almost all companies. Once they have a product that works reasonably well, they will go ahead and change it and inevitably make things worse. Windows XP vs Windows 8?

 

Come on Tony, it's only Monday - the week #5 still has a lot of potential

 

Could bandwith not be an issue also?