Wayfarer 3.1 Release Notes: New Criteria + Darkmode

NianticCasey-INGNianticCasey-ING Posts: 538 admin
edited February 2021 in Release Notes

Hello Explorers!

Welcome to Wayfarer 3.1. As noted in the Path to 2021 post, and our recent AMAs, we’ve been working on a big Criteria update, which we’re super excited to introduce to you. With this update, the Help pages for Ingress and Pokemon GO have been superseded and consolidated into a single place here. 

Unlike previous clarifications and small-scale changes, this is a complete overhaul of the criteria and overrides any previous AMA response or clarification here in the forum. The new criteria should be considered the new source of truth.

Here’s are the details:

NEW EVALUATION CRITERIA

As we reflected on all our discussions and debates around the criteria over the past year, we realized we were losing focus on what was really important to us as a community of Explorers. Niantic’s mission is to build products that encourage us to explore the world, exercise and be social with each other, so we’ve reframed the criteria around that. 

As Explorers, we need to consider the cultural context and local meaning of the Wayspot first. This moves us away from discriminating against nominations categorically, and asking us to think more holistically about what we consider as interesting and important to our local communities (note that Wayspots for adult-oriented services like liquor stores and gun shops will still not be allowed).

We know this will introduce more possibilities within categories like ‘generic businesses’, potentially benefiting smaller communities that may only have a generic, but still locally important, business. Or for seemingly common objects like benches or phone booths, which if out of context/rare within it’s landscape, are actually pretty cool objects to explore.

There are four core sections to the way we’ve reframed the Wayfarer Criteria, keep in mind that all four of these are important to consider when evaluating nominations:

  1. Eligibility Criteria: For a nomination to be eligible for consideration by the community, it has to justifiably support Niantic’s mission - be a great place to explore the world, a great place to exercise or a great place to be social. Eligibility does not mean an automatic acceptance. It only means it’s good to be considered by the community.
  2. Acceptance Criteria: Acceptance criteria stipulate specific requirements that the nomination must meet (in whole) in order to be accepted (whether a new Wayspot or Wayspot edit). All acceptance criteria must be met.
  3. Rejection Criteria: Rejection criteria stipulate what the nomination must not meet (in whole), including abuse reasons. If even one of the rejection criteria is met, the nomination must be rejected. These criteria focus on maintaining the quality of the Wayspots. 
  4. Content Guidelines: This section provides additional guidance on how to craft and evaluate nominations (Wayspots and edits). We encourage all submitters to use the supporting photo and text regularly and often to strengthen the case of why a nomination is eligible and meets all acceptance and eligibility criteria. 

And just a final note that personal judgement in the review process is never going to be eliminated, because it’s not the intent of the criteria to tell you what’s interesting and important to your community. So be comfortable with a bit of grey area!

We will be proactively reviewing previously rejected nominations that may have met the updated criteria. In the meantime, if you  have any nominations you would like to reconsider under the new criteria, please update the title, description and supporting text and resubmit.

ALSO NEW: DARKMODE

Woop! We’re introducing darkmode! This will automagically be applied if your browser is already set to display in darkmode, and we’ve provided a toggle for you to control darkmode in Wayfarer specifically. We hope this brings some small comfort to those who struggle visually with bright screens, want to save battery life, or simply prefer a darker way of life :)

Still to come:

  • Updates to the Showcase
  • Updates to the onboarding and training experience
  • Updating the Review page interface
  • More bug quashing (keep the reports coming!)
  • NEW: Releasing some fun videos to shed light into how Niantics review Wayspots
  • NEW: Dropping the submitter level in Pokemon GO from Level 40 to Level 38 before the end of the year (this matches the current Wayfarer review Levels). 

Finally, as always, thank you so much for your commitment to Wayfarer and Niantic’s mission. We really hope you feel like this refresh to the criteria makes it more straightforward to both nominate and review Wayspots and empowers you to share interesting, local spots with your community of players!

If you haven’t submitted your questions or feature requests for the upcoming November AMA, please do so here.  Stay safe!

Post edited by NianticCasey-ING on
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Comments

  • Crownan-INGCrownan-ING Posts: 11 ✭✭✭

    That Criteria page will help me + I missed dark mode alot. Appreciate the update.

  • Nadiwereb-PGONadiwereb-PGO Posts: 1,119 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Wow, you're completely right. To be honest, I forgot that probably as soon as I read it.

    Sorry for the confusion.

  • Gendgi-PGOGendgi-PGO Posts: 3,535 Ambassador

    Must be safe and publicly accessible by pedestrians (indoor or outdoor)

    This seems different from previous clarifications. Is this now an explicit requirement?

    Unlike previous clarifications and small-scale changes, this is a complete overhaul of the criteria and overrides any previous AMA response or clarification here in the forum. The new criteria should be considered the new source of truth

    @NianticCasey-ING, does this supersede your own clarifications? Should we take clarifications you and other Niantic staff provide in the forum as criteria?

  • WheelTrekker-INGWheelTrekker-ING Posts: 3,388 ✭✭✭✭✭

    NEW: Dropping the submitter level in Pokemon GO from Level 40 to Level 38 before the end of the year (this matches the current Wayfarer review Levels).

    It seems that someone was in a rush yesterday 😂

  • Gendgi-PGOGendgi-PGO Posts: 3,535 Ambassador

    [...] With this update, the Help pages for Ingress and Pokemon GO have been superseded and consolidated into a single place here. 

    @NianticCasey-ING does this include the "Help" page that is still active on the Wayfarer website?

  • Garfieldfreakje-INGGarfieldfreakje-ING Posts: 213 ✭✭✭

    I didn't saw anything about religious things for example churches chapels in the new guidelines or did i misread it?

  • JSteve0-INGJSteve0-ING Posts: 516 ✭✭✭✭

    Under "A Great Place for Exploration" they included "Public places of worship".

  • Aún tiene errores y no deja enviar las revisiones deberían checar eso niantic

  • p4ck3tl0ss-PGOp4ck3tl0ss-PGO Posts: 8 ✭✭

    After reviewing the criteria page and the way spot eligibility section, I only have one question so far, do parks/trails/gardens/forests/docks/natural features/etc still need official signage?

  • Fiercepancake-INGFiercepancake-ING Posts: 34 ✭✭
    edited November 2020

    With these new guidelines, if an existing wayspot meets one or more rejection criteria is that a valid consideration for a removal appeal or are they still protected by some grandfather clause?

  • XK150-INGXK150-ING Posts: 167 ✭✭✭

    We know this will introduce more possibilities within categories like ‘generic businesses’, potentially benefiting smaller communities that may only have a generic, but still locally important, business. Or for seemingly common objects like benches or phone booths, which if out of context/rare within it’s landscape, are actually pretty cool objects to explore.

    Yeah, that's probably not going to happen, because the the reviewing will still be dominated by voters from larger communities, and they're not going to take a townie's word that a bench is "out of context."

  • montitcha-INGmontitcha-ING Posts: 12 ✭✭✭

    Open for all abus... 😒

    Please how nice it is to go and see a phone booth or a bench among the benches...

  • Ultimo6419-PGOUltimo6419-PGO Posts: 88 ✭✭✭

    I really appreciate that all criteria are at one place. Some criteria are now clear for me, e.g. hiking trails AND biking trails are mentioned.

    I also appreciate that criteria is easier. An athletic field is Ok, it is now up to me if a swimming pool is athletic or recreational. And a trail is a trail...

    I do hope that the list will be updated if issues are discussed/answered.

    I am a little sceptic about thecriteria being too open to interpretation. I just recall an "empty spot of nothing" nomination that was claimed to be a meeting point. But maybe this is in acceptance criteria "identifiable place".

    I think I will stop reviewing for a day or two and memorize the rules.

    It would be great if the reviewing clusters would match the new cluster eg. Eligibility/Acceptance/.....

  • HateIng-INGHateIng-ING Posts: 24 ✭✭

    I totally agree with your idea. This Niantic's news is just vague. It just means NOTHING.

  • Blaumut-INGBlaumut-ING Posts: 380 ✭✭✭✭

    A great place to be social with others

    • Fountains and water features

    Please could you precise the point about drinking fountain / water fountain / bubbler. According to last AMA this kind of object do not follow the criteria except they are uniques ; unique in the sens of one different from all the other fountains, not the only in a park or garden.

    Most of them are mass produced and the name "fountain" allows poor wayspots.

  • Hydracyan-INGHydracyan-ING Posts: 130 ✭✭✭
    edited November 2020

    Still no specific way to report fake submissions?

    That behavior should have a specific option that end in restrictions to submitter account.

  • NineBerry-INGNineBerry-ING Posts: 3 ✭✭

    Maybe now since the criteria have changed and the onboarding is going to be reworked give people who failed the onboarding test more than two years ago a new chance to try it?

  • Rostwold-INGRostwold-ING Posts: 172 ✭✭✭✭

    The category "Community gardens" seems likely to be stretched to the extreme by submitters wanting more stops or get a couch portal. At what point should reviewers draw the line between a famous formal community garden and 'a few square feet of grass that is maintained by the local authorities'?

    Similarly, 'Plaza' is open to argument at the moment. Where should reviewers draw the line between a large historic town square and 'just a few paving slabs'?

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