Updated with actual link to Rose's post about her experience.
So, one of the cool things about being a blogger that a) occasionally writes entertaining posts and b) doesn't have a solid THEME for her blog, is that you get asked to test a number of interesting and generally unrelated products. One of the recent blogger outreach programs that I participated in was for the DNA Ancestry Project - a product from Vancouver-based Genebase that purports to use DNA as the basis for social networking.
I am predisposed to liking this product, to LOVING this product. Social networking? Rock on. Love social networking. DNA analysis? Who doesn't love DNA analysis? I saw the Colbert Report episode where he found out his Haplogroup ... I'd like to know mine.
Side Rant: I would link to the Colbert Report and the video clip about Stephen's Haplogroup, but apparently Comedy Central has done an evil deal with the Comedy Network in Canada. If you are surfing from a Canadian IP address and you try to go to www.comedycentral.com, you are automatically redirected to the Comedy Network. No choice. Just redirected. EVIL.
So, back to DNA. I am PSYCHED about this product.
The courier arrives and I rip open my box ... it includes a pretty map-poster, a fancy looking swab kit and a CD with software for installation. Ack! It's for Windows (I'm on a Mac). OK, turns out I don't need to use the CD - I can just sign up to the website with the username and password provided in the kit. So, I create my account and fill in some really basic info in the profile page. The website is quite complex and not very easy to use. It also isn't really set up to do "non-traditional" family structures. I can add a husband, but not a wife.
OK, I can understand - this is about genetics, not social mores. So, I do the swab test and send it in. Rose is testing the product too, so she sends in hers at the same time. And we wait.
I forget about it for a few weeks, what with the holiday season, the redesign of One Degree, etc. But I login one day (I saw the pamphlet on my desk - I have yet to receive any email notification) and see a golden key by my name. Ooo ... golden key! Apparently, this means I have results. I figured this out through a lot of trial and error. The problem is, I can't figure out what my results are. I click on a bunch of different things, trying to figure out what my results mean. This website is super complicated and super circular. It's like I'm in voicemail hell, but I'm on a website. And most links lead to "buy another test from us" which is incredibly frustrating because I haven't had any results from my first test.
This website fills me with rage.
After more clicking and comparing with Rose's control panel, it turns out my results are still "pending" (meanwhile Rose is secure in the knowledge of her haplogroup ... you'll have to read her post - I don't want to spoil it for you). She and I sent our tests in at the same time, so I'm not sure why mine is still pending. I didn't swab vigorously enough?
Now, I know that DNA and all the "science" that they are dealing with over at Genebase is tricky and complex. But if you're going to make claims about social networking, it kinda needs to be dead simple. Big pretty buttons labeled "Get your test results!" and friendly statements like "We're still processing your DNA ... in the meantime, check out this article on Marie Antoinette's DNA ancestry". The homepage has pretty buttons and friendly statements ... why doesn't the actual application itself?
I've logged on a couple of times since I first had an inkling they received my buccal sample. Still nothing. And it's been at least 6 weeks. So, I don't know if my sample is bad, they lost it, or perhaps, I really am an alien. In any case, everytime I go on the site, my frustration level goes through the roof. I would really encourage Genebase to spend some time and money on some usability experts and some great copy writers. The actual application is a total disaster. And if the results you get from your DNA tests are so minimal and Genebase is relying on additional features like the family tree and journaling to keep its site sticky - well, there are dozens of applications out there that do it much better .. whether web-based or run on the desktop.
I wish I would have seen this MarketPlace report on DNA kits (called Who's your grand daddy?) first because it reviews this same product. Wendy characterizes the desire of people using these test as looking for their "Oprah moment" - an emotional connection with their genealogical past. Now, I don't even care like some of the folks in this video that I can't find out the exact tribe I'm from. I didn't really have that expectation. But I did expect a positive experience and some interesting piece of trivia about my ancestral DNA that I could whip out at a cocktail party. So far, I haven't even gotten that. I'm not a fan of this product. And I think it's over-priced at $129.
If ancestral DNA testing IS something that you're interested in, I would check out National Geographic's Genographic Project. They seem more reputable; they provide more information about what you can expect from the test; their language and interface are friendlier. Now, I haven't tried an actual kit from National Geographic, so I can't confirm if their control panel and application are actually more usable, but their screen shot gives that impression.
Also, their price point is under $100 which feels more reasonable.
So, that's my rant about Genebase's DNA Ancestry Project. I was predisposed to liking it, but now, just classify it as a huge frustration and lesson in how not to design a social networking application. Though I do like the pretty poster that came with the kit. If I do ever get any results, I will update. Many thanks to Capulet Communications who arranged for us to test this product!
Update - April 6, 2008: I finally received my DNA markers! I've written a follow-up post on my subsequent visit and experience.