I am really digging the new TrainingPeaks layout. Here’s why:
Graphics – The GUI for trainingpeaks.com has always been good, but not great. This version is a big change that seems to work really well. I love how the calender is unlimited scroll: no setting certain dates and waiting for the application to update. It also makes it easier to read my sometimes verbose workout descriptions.
Planed vs Actual – Before the update, you could easily compare planned duration per week vs actual duration. But what if you used different metrics to determine for goals in the week? What if you wanted to use TSS or KJ’s? The new update does this. I know I will be tracking the TSS daily to know how well I’ve been doing in a certain week.
Faster and Less Buggy - Although I have only been using it for a couple of hours, the GUI seems to be less buggy. In the past, I’ve always been frustrated by frozen screens, wrong data, etc. Especially because I’m paying for the service!! This seems to be taken care of. I’m sure this new GUI roll-out is more than just what you see on the surface… perhaps we will see new metrics in the future?
Zoom Feature on the Workout Data- The zoom feature is much less buggy. I used the old TrainingPeaks for 3+ years and I’m not sure I ever figured out the zoom feature!
What I don’t like – I don’t like how dashboard graphs maximize into their own windows. I really liked in the past how you could make a certain graph bigger but still interact with other graphs in the screen. This is no longer the case, and it kinda sucks.
Where are the customize-able charts and graphs? I know the old version didn’t have this either, but certainly this is possible? I want to be able to plot anything I want on an X-Y axis. An yes, I know WKO+ can do this and most users probably won’t use this feature. But would it really be that hard to implement? I think no.
Question for the TrainingPeaks staff: what is your main group of paying users? Are they novice users that get on <3 times per week? Or are they data driven users that get on more than 5 times per week? If it is the data driven users, match your GUI to us! I don’t need fancy looking stuff that takes up space in the workout view. I want to easily see and interpret data. Period, end of story. If you’re going the new graphical view “EXPANDO” then freaking expand it!! I want to think “BAM there is my DATA” and not squinting my eyes to see if I was doing 250 or 450 watts. Perhaps different views for different types of users? The answer should not be, “well just use WKO+” because this will drive me to stop using your online product.
Overall, I really like the new look. I am so glad TrainingPeaks continues to innovate and work on their product. I give them major props for this, and it shows what a great company they are. Also I can’t wait for WKO4+. So excited…..
Keep up the good work TrainingPeaks!!!!
