I retook the Name DNA Quiz today to see how my name style has changed, unaware that updates to the structure of the quiz had been made since I last used it.
I’m not sure if any discussion took place after the updates were made, but I unfortunately found the updates to be far less relevant. They led to a much less accurate result for myself.
Out of 57 questions, I was given duplicate questions many times, including questions that were simply choosing between two names. The frequent non-name questions seemed ineffective in helping narrow down my name style. I think these questions would be more fitting in one of the personality-style quizzes on the main site. They seem less relevant to categorizing & identifying the trends within one’s preferences.
I understand the thought behind making the process perhaps more unique or appealing through more whimsical questions, but it seems to undermine the purpose of the Name DNA feature as a tool.
I’m curious if others have similar thoughts on the current structure of the Name DNA Quiz, and if there are any additional updates in store for it.
No ill intent, just hoping to see how other peoples’ results have changed and if there’s a possibility of another update to the quiz. Thank you for any input!
great point, i feel a similar way! i wonder if there could be a way to bring the old name DNA quiz back, and rebrand this current one into something else, since they’re both fun but seem to serve different purposes: the current name DNA i feel like is more aimed at new & casual users, while the old one could more easily be enjoyed by everyone!
agreed, you put this very well! I think using the current version as a casual quiz for new users would suit it more. I think rebranding it as such while still having the previous version available would be nice!
As someone who has rigourously studied the entire Baby Name DNA thing (out of sheer boredom), I think I may be able to explain a couple of these things:
I believe there’s a bug or something where it shows the first question for a moment then reloads into another question. So basically if you just wait a moment after you start the quiz until after the first question reloads you should be fine and not get any duplicate questions. But I completely agree with you on the fact that Baby Name DNA has WAY too many bugs
I think the questions you screenshotted are mostly relevant to whether you’d like popular/trendy names (red and blue types) or not (orange and green types). For example, the friend/enemy one refers to:
Friend: yayyy we all like Royal!
Enemy: NOOOO ROYAL IS IN THE TOP 1,000!!! (cries) NOW I CAN’T NAME MY KID ROYAL ANYMORE!!! THERE’S GONNA BE 5 IN THEIR CLASS!!! NOOOO!!! (sorry Berries)
I’m not 100% sure I can attest to whether the quiz is now less accurate but I do think there have been a ton of bugs and stuff since the update that made Baby Name DNA… not as great tbh
thank you! it being one or multiple bugs at once makes perfect sense!
I can see that. I tend to interpret things literally, and the more subjective questions seem to throw me off!
I reckon my perspective is that the previous method of narrowing down name styles by asking clean-cut name preference questions is a more logical path to an accurate result. The vagueness some of the questions seem to leave more room for inaccurate results, if that makes sense?
unfortunately I think this is the case I also must agree with the cry to bring Namehunter back; it was easily my most used feature on the site at the time. I try to mimic it by going down rabbitholes on the “similar names” sections on name entries now!
[name_m]Hi[/name_m] everyone – The questions on [name_u]Baby[/name_u] Name DNA were devised by me to get at deeper preferences, tastes and values behind your choice of names. The idea is that people SAY they want a unique name, for instance, but in fact, they may not truly be comfortable with a name that’s rare or unconventional.
I added the non-name questions on the idea that people’s name preferences are based on more than their, uh, name preferences. I wanted to address the namer’s whole personality more holistically and expand it beyond the literal Name 1 or Name 2 format it took originally.
As to the test being less accurate than it was before, there’s no scientific basis for that. The more names you like or don’t like, the more accurate your suggestions will become. So the first or third list of suggestions you get might feel too general to be accurate, but the more you tell the program about yourself and your taste, the better it gets to know you and the more “accurate” the results become.
On bringing back Namehunter, tbh I would like to do that too. But the tech side considerations do not support it right now.
I know if you’re on this board and talking about it, you care about Nameberry’s truth and accuracy. I’m also sure you appreciate what running a site of this size and scope involves in terms of time and money for a small, individual, non-corporate, non-hedge-fund-supported team.
We wish we could do everything that we and you wanted, but then we wouldn’t be Nameberry.
gotcha! my personal preference for quiz format aside, thank you for the explanation! It’s helpful to know the reasoning behind those changes.
of course! the continuous labor of love from all sides of the staff is much appreciated. it’s always been encouraging to see the team’s dedication to engaging with the community and taking comments to heart, even the more candid ones . the site as a whole is a massive project for sure, I completely get the the efforts to continuously improve it. (/gen)
thank you for the transparency of your response, I have a better understanding now
I can see that. I tend to interpret things literally, and the more subjective questions seem to throw me off!
The vagueness some of the questions seem to leave more room for inaccurate results, if that makes sense?
I also must agree with the cry to bring Namehunter back; it was easily my most used feature on the site at the time. I try to mimic it by going down rabbitholes on the “similar names” sections on name entries now!