Hello everyone!
It's been a while since there's been an update from the developers, but we've been hard at work on our biggest update so far and we appreciate your patience while we pushed forward with it. There's a lot in this, so let's jump right into the changes.
Theming
Part of the performance update required that we change the way we were storing which theme users wanted. Without getting into specifics, this was one of the first systems that we needed to rewrite so that we could improve performance across the site.
Let's just say there's a reason why even large websites like YouTube don't store your theme preferences on your account 😁
Network Request Overhaul
This was a large part of the work as we had to rewrite the way that we retrieve, store, and access the data across the entire site. Each page now renders right away and then fetches the data it needs, presenting you with what is known as a "skeleton" view during the process.
Community
Currently this will give you a role corresponding to the streak badge that you are at as well as reflect your subscription status in the Discord. We have other plans for how to use this integration moving forward, so please look forward to it 😁
Flashcards
The flashcard updates that you see are a stepping stone in the direction that we are going to be taking NativShark moving forward. While it's clear that our initial approach was heavily inspired by Anki, we found ourselves falling into the trap of trying to figure out a way to provide the customization that Anki provides while also trying to prevent users from adopting destructive habits accidentally. We are adopting new techniques now that exist to benefit users and ultimately help them achieve their educational goals.
Kanji
This was something we wanted to add in time for launch, but unfortunately it slipped out of the launch window and we weren't able to squeeze it in until now. While there is other work that we are doing to the way we teach kanji, we firmly believe that this change makes our current system much more useful for everyone using the system.
Lessons
Progression System
This required rewriting part of our backend system to be able to accommodate the amount of data that is generated by the system and so it took longer than previously expected to fix.
Shadowing System
We are still thinking of ways that we can improve the shadow loops before we start work on the native mobile app, but this groundwork will allow us to make more improvements moving forward.
Stats
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We're only just beginning. This update took longer than we wanted it to because it required us to rewrite most of the system to fix some less than stellar architectural decisions that were made previously in the project. Now that the update is finished, we have a more stable base to work on moving forward. With that said, what are our next plans?
Streak SaverThis is something that is long overdue and so we are finally going to get it in place. Once this is released, it will retro-actively fix any streaks that were dropped due to a missed day.
Extra Credit UpdatesOne of the most requested features is to be able to edit Extra Credit entries or to log them after the fact. We hear you and this is on its way.
Referral ProgramWe aren't ready to discuss exactly what this looks like yet, but we are putting a referral program in place to help grow the community as well as reward those who like NativShark enough to share it.
3-Year PaceWe are going to be adding a 3-year option to the pace slider. You will be able to switch to this when it launches (if you are on the old premium plan or the new plan) and the system will automatically adapt to everything you've done in the past.
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While the team has been relatively quiet recently, we have still been paying close attention to the community, feedback, and requests. What we've mentioned above is just a small portion of what we have in the works and it's something that you'll get access to soon.
This update has a lot of changes and may take some getting used to. As before and as always, we appreciate all feedback that you have and welcome healthy discussions either in our Discord community or on our feedback site.
NativShark was created to help you achieve your education goals and every change we make starts with that as the foundation. We look forward to making you successful and removing the stress of what to do and when. Thank you for being with us up to this point and we hope to continue to provide the best service possible moving forward.