Welcome to the new msnbc.com

Posted by Jennifer Sizemore on Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:35 AM PT
Though we are in a bit of a remodeling period as we continue through the weekend working to make sure the site works as it should, we have rolled out many of the changes we've been promising all week.
 
We have been working toward this for a long time, and we couldn't be more excited about finally being able to share it with you.
 
Tell us what you think, and what you'd like to see next. We can't wait to keep working to make the site better for you.
 
Update at 11:44 p.m. PT
 
Did we mention that change is hard? We have a couple of days of hard work in front of us. If your favorite thing is missing, it's likely still being perfected. Things you think don't work quite right are still being developed so that they work.
 
Here are some things that you don't see now but will:
 
Near the top of the home page, there will be a section that you can customize for your local news and weather. Many of you are looking for your personalized information -- don't worry, we didn't forget you, it will already be set to your preferences.
 
Your local weather (or whatever ZIP code you choose) will display at the top of the page.
 
In Business, you'll be able to get the latest on the stocks in your portfolio. In Sports, you'll be able to get the scores you care most about.
 
And in the weeks to come, you'll see more of the changes that you've requested.
 
We'll keep you updated as we work through the weekend.
 

Comments

I know that it's standard to hate new designs because we prefer what we knew. That being said, I hate the new design. MSNBC was much easier to navigate before. Things were well laid out and made sense. Now everything is cluttered and it's a struggle to find everything. I know you won't, but please change it back to how it was before.

Richard Kent, Irvine, CA (Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:23 AM)

Rainbow is the new black.  Well done.  Bam!

Mike D., Seattle, WA (Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:23 AM)

Sorry, but I don't care for the new layout. It's a bit too haphazard and non-intuitive. Took me awhile to even locate hotmail.

With this format, your ads are way too overbearing. Good for sponsors, bad for users.

Larry D, Benton, KY (Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:25 AM)

Ah. You've taken the best, easiest to navigate, go-to several times a day news site on the Internet and turned it into all the other sites that I don't frequent. I'm very sad; you've been my home page for many years. Changing things just for the sake of change is never a good idea.

Dee Royston, Richardson Springs, CA (Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:30 AM)

While I like some of the improvements, like the navigational menus, I would prefer my news not change so often - didn't you just change a few months ago?  I don't like what you've done with the layout but I doubt it'll stop me from using msnbc.com.  Only time will tell.  Still, consistency is key.

SL, Redmond, WA (Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:30 AM)

I agree - the new design SUCKS, plain and simple.  If this "new look" stays, MSNBC.com will no longer be my home page.

Bill, Portland, OR (Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:32 AM)

I still get nothing but a blank space when I try to read the Novacek column.  It's been that way for over a month. I have no problems viewing anything else.  Why not fix that?

Mike, Seattle (Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:34 AM)

I hope that you will incorporate the local weather and favorite sports team information on the "home page" of your new layout. Otherwise, I might have to make "Local News" my new start-up page.

K QUINN, OKLAHOMA USA (Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:36 AM)

The new design is TERRIBLE!!! Please go back to the way it was. It wasn't broke so why "fix it"?

SS Morongo Valley CA (Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:37 AM)

Cannot find the Business: Aviation Section, seems to have disapeared. Also my local news link (San Diego) seems to be broken.

Jon, San Diego, CA (Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:38 AM)

Don't like the new layout at all! I too went to your website several times a day, but probably won't anymore. It looks very amateurish and is not easy to navigate at all. The old format was so great. Why in the world would you change it? It seems all the comments so far are negative. Sure hope you change it back.

FM, Albuquerque, NM (Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:38 AM)

Horrible. Just hideous and unusable.
I will finally (after many years) be searching for a new home page.

KMH, Sint Niklaas, Belgium (Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:39 AM)

Love the new layout.I especially like being able to adjust how much content from each category is displayed.Also being able to put content that I never look at on the bottom of the page is great as well.For those of you who find this hard to navigate,try a newspaper,should be right up your alley.Great job MSNBC.com.

Vance Flint MI (Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:55 AM)

I'm not a fan of the new layout neither.  I miss the My MSNBC settings where I could customize the home page to include the features I wanted. I can understand your desire to redesign the headline section at the top of the page.  Couldn't you have stopped there and left the rest of the site alone?

Barb Stevens, Caro, Michigan (Saturday, November 10, 2007 2:56 AM)

I think I'll be won over by the redesign, but it might just take me a little bit of time to get used to it, it does seem pretty haphazard right now.

Of course, if the redesign makes the updates quicker and with less effort, forget about the layout, it's the content that matters more than the presentation sometimes.

Michael, Ann Arbor, MI (Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:02 AM)

HATE it HATE it..Go back to the old design or I'll change home page

Susan Stringer, Phila PA (Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:03 AM)

The new format is terribly disappointing!  There is an old saying, "If it ain't broken, don't fix it."  Someone has certainly complicated what used to be an easy format.

RG, Seattle, WA (Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:05 AM)

I just plain do not like the new layout. Why did you fix something that wasn't broken.

Jay Warnick, Wichia, Ks (Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:06 AM)

Are you kidding?  From best to worst overnight.  MSNBC has been my homepage for years, but you will lose me with these changes.  Too much bling, I had to put on my sunglasses.  What a shame...good-bye.  Please tell me this was just an experiment?

FH, San Francisco, CA (Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:10 AM)

I agree with the others.  I don't like it.  I can't find the crossword puzzle or Sudoku puzzle that I always looked forward to.  There is no link to our local news, our stock information has disappeared, and it's not as easy to navigate.  Sorry, but I think I'm loling for a new home page.

RLH, Etters, PA (Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:12 AM)

how about an easy to find guide for all of us msnbc users to to get used to the new site.....

tyler, laramie, wyoming (Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:22 AM)

Wow, the new site requires a lot of scrolling, which I hate.  Why make it harder on me.  I loved the simple design before.

J McLane (Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:22 AM)

I agree with most of the posters, new site is clunky and lame.  I already removed my bookmark to newsweek for the same lameness.. oh well bye bye msnbc

Tom, Olympia, Wa. (Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:22 AM)

I liked MSNBC because I could see headlines for many categories quickly.
I can't see that anymore and have been using this site for many many years.
Please fix so I don't need to find a new news site.

jason D, dallas texas (Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:28 AM)

Horrible layout. Oriented towards your ads, not your users. I run a technical support and services company. Our last step when setting up a new PC was to set msnbc.com as the user's home page. We will have to reconsider this. A great site diminished I'm afraid.

Michael Carey New York City (Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:28 AM)

Add me to the list of not liking the new look, some things do not need to change but it looks like my home page is about to be changed. Good bye

Bud Gallagher, Alameda, CA (Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:29 AM)

I really like the ability to move the sections up or down. Unfortunately, that's one of the only things I really like so far.

The first thing that strikes me is that there are just too many places to look, and since the pictures and headlines aren't in any visual order, it's impossible to get anything from it without pausing to read each portion. I can't just glance at it and see what stories I want to read or what might be important. Since *everything* is trying to jump out at me, it's difficult for the brain to just pick out important words in headlines.

The boxes and sections are just too bulky, and again, there's too much going on visually. In fact, the main reason I find the ability to switch the sections around so helpful is that I can no longer just sweep through the rest of it to find what I want.

I also agree that the ads seem far more invasive in this new layout. They actually stick out more than the stories do, which is just a huge turn off.

I'm willing to wait and see how you guys tweak and change over the next week or so, but I won't be visiting as often, and I certainly won't keep MSNBC.com as my home page if visual chaos is the new norm.

JLR Tulsa, OK (Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:32 AM)

I've been through relaunches of websites before where "usability studies" justify their work by changing stuff. This has to be the ultimate. It's like the entire MSNBC site threw-up on my screen.

I want national or world news. If I want local or weather I have a site for that which will do better than you. don't try to be everything.

omorgan, Seattle, WA (Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:33 AM)

Let me guess ... a crop of fresh, new college grad computer geeks invaded the MSNBC production rooms and thought that "change" was necessary.  I'll bet your pole shows most "boomers" were quite satisfied with the way things were before.

J. Dean, Sulphur, LA. (Saturday, November 10, 2007 3:34 AM)

Needin' my stock quotes! Won't make a definitive decsion (stay/leave MSNBC as my home page), but I need my stock quotes!  That said: what was wrong with the former design? No, really? What was wrong?

Denny, Alaska (Saturday, November 10, 2007 4:37 AM)

Wow! MSNBC just keeps getting better. Great Job!

MJ, Springfield, Missouri (Saturday, November 10, 2007 5:03 AM)

Please, please bring the big image at top of page back - that really set you out against the opposition.

Matt (Saturday, November 10, 2007 5:17 AM)

I am bummed....I really liked the old website...this site just doesn't flow.  I like my weather on the front page and I find this layout much more disorganized and not as easy to navigate.  Not sure why you felt the need for a change.  I hope I don't have to look for a new homepage.  I have been using msnbc for my homepage for years and I am disapointed.

Arlene, Atlanta, Georgia (Saturday, November 10, 2007 5:26 AM)

Still thinking about it, but for now I DO like the better use of screen width.  

Mark, Audubon, PA (Saturday, November 10, 2007 5:45 AM)

I'm not liking this new setup much either. One of the things I loved about the old design was that I could have all my local interests on the sidebar. Now they're gone. I don't know yet whether to keep this as my home page or find another one.

Maria Fortin, Kernersville, NC (Saturday, November 10, 2007 6:26 AM)

Change is usually a good thing, and the ability to move the sections up and down on the new design is a good thing.  Most of the other changes are not.  However, moving my stock list from the main page and making each section a full page width reduces my ability to quickly scan the information I want.  The two column format was a much better format.  Why not allow users to select the sections to display, rather than just moving them to the bottom, and change the page format, one or two columns?  I have been a loyal reader for many years but I may not be much longer.

Ken, Ft Lauderdale, FL (Saturday, November 10, 2007 6:34 AM)

The new look is GREAT...  Very easy to navigate...

A MUCH needed improvement!!!

Brian, Louisville, KY

bdh@insightbb.com (Saturday, November 10, 2007 6:57 AM)

Great work on the new web design!  What I like about it is the layout. Getting around is easier.

B. Armstrong, Toledo, Ohio (Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:03 AM)

Why has the text size changed such that your entire page width now exceeds the width of my screen? Not only do I have to scroll up & down, but now side-to-side to see all the page items! Go back to the original design!

Mike Eden, Medford, NJ (Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:03 AM)

I peruse several news site daily, this one has gone from near best to unqualified worst.  The layout is distracting, non-intuitive, the tabloid-style huge headlines are visually offensive. The amount of information per screen seems much less and appears to be placed at random.  I am sure that intelligent, capable experts have redesigned the site with some end in mind -- I feel their goals and mine no longer coincide.

I hope that MSNBC doesn't dismiss their reader's negative responses as simply resistance to change.  

H. McKinzey, OKC, OK (Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:04 AM)

Wow, I am surprised by the users who do not like it. My first take is a great job!

F Holzheiser, Minneapolis, MN (Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:07 AM)

I love the new site And for those that don't like change, well it is inevitable and this site now looks top notch!

One suggestion, I loved my personal area.  I don't like having to click to sports then into business.  Will this be consolidated into the personal section once up and running?  As you know, (Web Dvlprs) two clicks fine, more than that…bad…  

Jay Hartford CT (Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:16 AM)

Sorry, you get a F grade on the new site.

This is an information portal, so I'm perplexed as to why you even present it to me (more like force it on me) without customized content.  I want my weather, sports and financial info first think in the morning - and I want it all in the top part of the page so I'm not scrolling around for it.  If I have to wait weeks for that, chances are MSNBC isn't going to be my homepage anymore.  That earns you a D grade.  The fact that there isn't a prominent link at the top to see my old homepage while we're waiting for you to finish development take you to an F!

In terms of presentation, my first reaction is that there is too much content crammed in and one link doesn't stand out well from another.  But, since I have a notebook with 17" screen, I do link the way you use the width of the page effectively.

Charlie Polizzi - Hartford, CT (Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:18 AM)

I love the new home page - clean easy to read - uses the best practices from numerous other sites who have not taken it to this level

Billy-Ball, Brookline, MA (Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:18 AM)

I don't like the new page. I'm still looking for the crossword puzzle and the horoscopes.
Being a tech person, I'll go with our favorite saying 'If it ain't broke - don't fix it'.

JO, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:22 AM)

I love your new design!  Even better than before.  Your site is my default home page and this is a delight to open up in the morning.  What's not to like?  It's all there.

D.Todd, Key West FL (Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:37 AM)

It takes too long to get to the information I could easily access before.  Where are my stock quotes?  Where are my scores?  You were the best.  Why change?  I'm going elsewhere!

Bob Hesselrode, Kennett, MO (Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:37 AM)

Hate it. I used to go to this web site first because it was so EASY to read.It was unique. Now, it is like all the rest. You had the best...now you have regressed.The bottom line is that is HARDER to read.Why change perfection?

Dave Curran,Peabody,Ma (Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:42 AM)

It will indeed take time to get used to the change; people who liked MSNBC the way it was (including me) tend to be "text" people, not "graphic" people. Changing to all this emphasis on pictures, video, etc. is a tad annoying. I understand why you are doing it, but I'm not fond of the new trend in website design.  

On the more specific side, I use IE6, and my text size is set to "medium". Your page does not load correctly unless I reduce that to "small". For example, in the "other top stories" section, I get 7 stories listed, and the 8th just appears as the tops of the letters which I can't really make out at all and cannot click on either. The "send us your first person stories" box does not show at all until I make the text size smaller. Similarly, on your title bar on the bottom of the page, under "categories", the last thing I see is "text&" .. and that's it. "Science" does not show, nor do "travel" and "weather" until I change the font size to "small".

Some regression testing with font sizes.. and various versions of IE would have been helpful. I can't really read small size font (even with glasses), so parts of the new site are not accessible to me at all.

On a related note, in the Newsweek area, I looked for a column that Marc Gellman did in September of this year, and it's disappeared, along with a whole year's worth of his work. There seems to be a collection of columns prior to Sept. 2006, and then starting again this month, but his work over the last year is missing. Could someone please fix that?

Lynn G., Minneapolis, mn (Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:45 AM)

If anything is painfully obvious in contemporary America, it is that things change.  MSNBC has changed.  Perhaps after personalization is visible and useable, I'll like it better.  Change simply for the sake of change is not always better.

Stan Nelson, Dallas, TX (Saturday, November 10, 2007 7:59 AM)

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This is the work and the thoughts of msnbc.com's site design and editorial concepts groups and a place for us all to discuss design, content and the future of news.

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