Designs we left behind

Chris, Richland, Wash. — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 03:25:18 GMT

Interesting, very interesting. The final product is rather interesting, and the point that many of the oddball nics and nacs are appearing (all lists on top, personality to program pages, etc.) really makes it overall feel pretty good. At this point, it'll be interesting to see how well everything works about two weeks from now

Designs we left behind

H Boyce, Greenville SC — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 03:35:48 GMT

It's a good looking and working site. You did well. it will remain my homepage.

Thanks

Designs we left behind

PGT Seattle, WA — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 03:52:35 GMT

Hi Folks
I like the new look. You will have negative comments, of course, but no change is without some resistance. The look could be debated till the end of time, but onward and thanks.....Good Job.

Designs we left behind

Tim Wilson, Portland, OR — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 04:02:51 GMT

You should have stuck with the one titled "closer", allowed your loyal readers to dump the content they have absolutely no interest in and left clean navigation on the left.

A good business model never forgets what they are selling and why the customer comes to them instead of the competition. The more a customer can customize their content, the more likely they are to be a return client. Taylor your non-intrusive ads around this framework and you'll finally have a winner...

Designs we left behind

Rick McGee, Chapel Hill, NC — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 04:15:58 GMT

First of all, I have done a lot of soul searching to ensure that I am not resisting rational change. I don't think that I am, because I often change the look and feel of my desktop and my windows mobile device, looking for better formats to get the information I want and need. Now that I have satisfied myself that I can accept change, I must say that I like the old design of msnbc.com better. msnbc.com has been my home page for several years, and I go to it many times each day. I love the familiarity which allows me to quickly absorb the latest refresh of information and select links for in-depth information. Yes, I can learn to be familiar with the new design, but it has obstacles for me.

- In the old design, "top stories" was intuitive. A list of several top stories, and one "really top story" with a big picture. My brain can assimilate this rapidly. The new design, however, makes several stories look like "really top stories", with the multiple panes and multiple pictures. Which one do I read first? On the left? The middle? The biggest picture? The biggest headline?

- Too much scrolling. With the new design, I can get less total information on one screen, thus requiring me to scroll or click tabs more often to absorb the same amount of information.

- In the old design, all of the major categories fit down the left side of the first screen. I could use the flyout menus to quickly peruse all of the first and second level links without ever clicking. In the new design, the categories do not fit on the first page. Furthermore, the new flyout design is wasteful of space and covers up too much of the base page. Also, the new flyouts seem to be extra sensitive to mouse positioning, because I am getting more unintended flyouts with the new design, and I am distracted by having to click them away.

- I really like the customization bars for the section headings (business, entertainment, health, etc.). Expand/contract plus move up/down are great. However, this does not make up for the loss of usability in the "top stories" and left side "categories".

- The top banner is far too large. The lower case logo is ok. The multicolor background is ok. The layout of standard links (e.g., Mail) is ok. The banner just wastes way too much space on the first page.

- Suggestions. Shrink the top banner by half. Make the "top stories" area similar to the old design, using only the right 3/4 of the page. Then give me back all of the left side categories on the first page. Also, the old flyout design had the same amount of information in a more compact format that was easier to read quickly.

Summary. The customizable sections are a big improvement. Everything else above and to the left of the sections was better in the old design. This is not about aesthetics or color or customization. It's about usability and getting the most information into my brain with the fewest mouse movements. The old design was better at that. The new design makes my mouse and my eyes move around more in order to obtain the same amount of information. In my opinion, the old design of msnbc.com was far superior to all other major news sites. The new design, while "prettier" in some respects, has regressed the usability of msnbc.com enough that I have begun looking at the other sites again.

Designs we left behind

Dan, Lehi, UT — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 04:36:48 GMT

Wow!! I didnt know Cameron Moll worked on the redesign. Nice work again man!

Designs we left behind

Tanya — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 04:39:10 GMT

I liked the first one the best, "The gentle evolution", nice and simple. The new design is too busy.

Designs we left behind

Nathan A. Luna, Albuquerque, NM — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 04:42:15 GMT

My initial impression of the new layout was "finally!"

I always thought the old layout was confusing and cluttered. Everything was thrown onto one main page that ended up making me dizzy; I wouldn't stay on the site for more than five minutes.

This new layout is exactly what msnbc.com needed. My hat is off to everyone involved with the design!

Designs we left behind

Steve G., Williamsport, PA — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 04:57:08 GMT

Give me a chance to get used to it. I'm still learning my way around - took me a few days to find my personal stuff...weather, news, stocks, etc. So far I'm not unhappy with it I'll let you know better in a few days.

Designs we left behind

Sara Smith — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 05:02:48 GMT

I've got to be honest here, I really don't like the new layout... its harder to navigate and read the "headliners" or sub-headliners.

There isn't enough structure and my eyes don't know where to go.

It was a nice attempt at something different.

Designs we left behind

W. Covington, USMC, USS Kearsarge, Red Sea — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 05:26:40 GMT

I really like the new look. What I don't like is the fact that I have to sacrifice the list of news stories if I want a snapshot of my stocks. I wish the stocks were a sidebar or part of the business section..... I have been reading the comments, this is a popular feature with people. I know have to scroll through my stocks instead of getting a good look at all of them. I know it won't be changed, but I wish it would be.

Designs we left behind

myron stam — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 05:47:28 GMT

I think a few more interesting pictures hilighting the top news stories would be better. Somehow it seems like there's very little information on the main page and now I have to scroll around and search for everything. A little inconvenient and enough to lose my attention really quickly. I like to see many choices on the main screen and pictures always get my attention. I'm glad to see no obnoxious ads dropping down in my face when I open it up... or is it just a matter of time? That will send me packing for sure!

Designs we left behind

Dee Barrett — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 06:15:47 GMT

I like this new design much better than what we've been accustomed to the last few months. Having the abililty to choose what you can scroll to see first, next and last is ideal. I like the interactive political votes and all in all, a much more colorful and interesting site.

Designs we left behind

Sean, Portland, OR — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 07:04:32 GMT

Overall I like it, but the multiple top stories is hard to get used to. I liked how the old one, the "main" story was big and obvious, then there were a few sub-main stories to the side, then the rest of the news below.

The new top area just has too many things trying to grab my attention. With the sub-main stories having pictures, and the fact that the main story is sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right, is just inconsistent and confusing to me, and makes it harder to tell when something has changed. The old site has good consistency and I liked that.

Like I said I think the changes are good for the most part, but the top stories is obviously a very important part of the site, and I don't feel like it's quite right.

Designs we left behind

eric vonderhaar issaquah wa — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 08:33:10 GMT

Change is good if you let it be good and the website looks great. At first, it seemed confusing, all the clickable links, but I realized I can click on the side navigation or scroll down to see stories. It's not so confusing if you spend time learning what everything does and where it can take you. I also greatly appreciate all the local news. I spend a crazy amount of time on this site and will probably spend more. Thanks for the hard work

Designs we left behind

Chris Callahan, Plymouth, MA. — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 13:03:19 GMT

Been a fateful daily msnbc'er since 2000. Really dissapointed in the new headline sroll bar. love everything else, but the headlines are too big and take up too much room. Every "window" opened in each section takes up a lot of unnecessary room.

Keep the fancy stuff, go back to the tried and true for the headline scroll menu.

Thanks again for the great site!!

Designs we left behind

Dan McIsaac, Albany, Ga. — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 13:03:37 GMT

It is like anything new. Change is hard to get use to. I did find it difficult though, after I had clicked on other links, finding how to get back to the opening (msnbc.com) home page. Can you make that area clearer? Keep up the good work.

Designs we left behind

Bill DePaola, Perry Hall, MD — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 13:48:38 GMT

I liked the quick readability of the old design, especially the one recent article for each stock. At this point, I think the new design is too busy. Maybe I'll get used to it...

Designs we left behind

Matt — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 13:48:40 GMT

The TOP news story should always be in the top left corner, and the Breaking News banner should be in bold red color like the old site, not the current pastel red. There is not enough contrast to draw my eyes to the breaking news section. Overall, the new design is good but you should take in the comments from your readers to make it the best and keep loyal fans from switching to other sites.

Designs we left behind

Gregg Johnson, Lincoln, NE — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:12:15 GMT

In the article by Ashley Wells (above) she talks about how she was seated next to a passenger on a plane, who she refers to as Curious George, who made the comment:
"I don't like type on photos."

Where did THAT come from? What incontrovertible authority decided that type on photos is inherently distasteful?

The top of MSNBC's new page is a jumbled mess.
One way to resolve this visual disaster area might be to go back to the practice of picking a lead story, then emphasizing that one lead story with the powerful and distinctive look that was uniquely MSNBC.com...

a powerful photo with type on negative space.

Let's just hope "Curious George" doesn't decide that he doesn't like headlines on stories.

Designs we left behind

Becky Blosser, Winchester, Va — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:24:48 GMT

The new design is very attractive, but I do have issues with the video-heavy aspects of the site.

DSL is not available in our area, so we are still on dialup. Videos and dialup just aren't very compatible. I prefer having print entries/transcripts at times. Just don't have time to wait for videos to load...and sometimes they DON'T load.

Designs we left behind

Char James-Tanny, Lynn, MA — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:25:08 GMT

It's going to take me some time to get used to the new design, but I do like the movable content boxes. So far, MSNBC is still my home page, because much like the move from Office 2003 to Office 2007, I figure I'll get used to it.

However, the site doesn't use valid HTML, and there could be some problems with accessibility. I'm disappointed.

Designs we left behind

Adam R, New Canaan, CT — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:27:34 GMT

I've been using MSNBC as my home page for many many years, and it's always nice to see that you are putting such thought into how to please your readers. I hate to sum it up with a cliche, but sometimes the thought truly does count!

ps - The only thing I find disturbing is that it's going to be 88 degrees in Phoenix, while I have to drive hoem from work in a rainy/icy mix!

Designs we left behind

Sophie Dennis, UK — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:29:43 GMT

I really *was* expecting something that "lived up to your wildest fantasies about online news presentation". Sorry, but... I honestly don't think this is a patch on, for example, the clean simplicity of the new UK Guardian redesign (www.guardian.co.uk).

Design-wise the homepage especially seems to lacks cohesion and balance. The grid seems all over the place, and there are too many different typography styles going on, even just on the headlines at the top.

Some neat features. I liked the ability to 'customise' around your favourite news topics, and the pull-out headlines from the categories on the left. I was honestly just expecting a lot more from the design given the names who've worked on this - all of whom I have great respect for.

Could it be the solid grounding of a traditional newspaper in making text-heavy news content work gives them the advantage over a traditionally "television" organisation? An interesting thought. (I should also leave scope for the concept that The Guardian appeal more to me due to some cultural difference between UK and US readers).

Designs we left behind

Foy Blackmon, Las Vegas, Nevada — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:36:45 GMT

Everything about the new design is better except the main story thing. I want to know what MSNBC thinks is the lead at any given moment. What matters the most right now, this second. This is how I keep up.

Since just after MSNBC came into being, (1996?) I have been capturing the lead photo whenever I first sit at my desk. Now, (many computers later) I have a large file filled with the pic/graphic you chose as the main story. (MSNBC has been my home page since you started) Viewing this file as a slide show is a fun and informative time-line.

I need to know what matters to you so I can decide if it matters to me.

Foy

Designs we left behind

David A Denver CO — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:52:39 GMT

Graphics may be nice but web pages loading like a 56K dialup is not. If there is a way around this please post so all can clearly see.

Designs we left behind

Donald Pettersen — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:56:16 GMT

I honestly didn't mind the "gentle evolution" or "closer" designs myself. Those at least kept the navigation closer to the top of the page for a user to find without needing to unnecessarily scroll. I know you were hoping to find a cutting edge design without shaking things up "too badly", however I think you went a little far on your attempt. People need evolution when it comes to a namebrand site like MSNBC.com, not shock.

Yes, the new site is pretty, but did you ever consult the people you created it for? I am beginning to doubt that in your redesigns. Try usability testing with your users, not with redesign team members.

And I agree, you should lose the obnoxious ads that continually drop down in your face when you open the page...that is plainly ad overkill and is not a service to your users. When you stop focusing on our needs (as users) is when I will change my mind and go back to CNN.com.

Designs we left behind

lmorris, NYC — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:07:32 GMT

I am not thrilled with the new design - it focuses too much on the one top story and makes me have to search for other stories that I might find more relevant. The old one was a bit pedestrian, but at least I got my information quickly and easily.

Designs we left behind

twinheart Long Island, NY — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:50:53 GMT

where are the blog links and the clicked links? I don't see them - otherwise, it will take some getting to used to, but otherwise - not bad - I envy the talent it takes to do this kind of work -

Designs we left behind

Joel Sommers, Albuquerque, New Mexico — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:53:47 GMT

The new design is nice, but seems to sacrifice some of the specificity and prioritization of stories, as some have already (correctly) noted.

What I haven't yet seen discussed, however, but which is no doubt a part of this project, and which has had far more impact on this site's overall usability, is the radical redesign of the video clip selection and player page.

I have had a tough time getting used to it, but after using it for a while now, I might just be able to say I like it better than the old version. Which was (and remains) the best news video site on the web. Still, I'd love to get a blog entry on the evolution of the news video page just like you did here for the home page.

Regardless, you guys are the new kings on online news and media. (Who were the old kings? Yeah... I don't remember either.)

Designs we left behind

Andrew, St. Petersburg, FL — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 15:59:01 GMT

The new design is great, really well done. I have been using MSNBC as my homepage for a while now and the new design with local weather right at the top of the page and top headlines, video, and news shows available right from the page are all good additions.

Designs we left behind

Judy, Port Orchard, Wash — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:06:39 GMT

Not all of your readers are under 40. It is too hard to find what you want to read, so you end up reading a lot of stuff you don't care about. Maybe you should offer a choice--new or old. Let the users decide.

Designs we left behind

wayne, alexandria, va — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:08:41 GMT

Good job! Only one issue: I would like to see both "more news" and "my news" on the front page instead of having to toggle between tabs.

Designs we left behind

Dennis Frey, Santa Barbara, CA — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:18:41 GMT

All of your layouts have the same fault -- WAAAY to much content to load quickly. I removed MSNBC as my default because it takes too long to come up. And..., I refuse to sit still waiting for a comercial to load, no matter how fast.

Designs we left behind

Steph, Jamaica Hills, NY — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:36:46 GMT

MSNBC ...What don't you offer the user a choice of selecting the design of their news format ....

offer the choice of choosing ... Closer, Gentle Evolution, Culture Shock, Sample Platter and etc on MSNBC site ....

Designs we left behind

Michael Edwards, Salt Lake City, Utah — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:49:36 GMT

I miss the old design for all my news needs. I am looking forward to giving the new design a whirl for a few weeks to see if it grows on me at all.

Designs we left behind

Dave in NM — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:56:06 GMT

I get the impression that those who like the new design are those who have taken the time to play with the features, read up on what wasn't finished over the weekend, and set up their pages to their preferences. The naysayers seem, on average, to be reporting first impressions. I'm in the first category, and I'm quite happy with the new design.

Oh - and the people who hate the flyout menus? There's been a "disable" button for those for YEARS now. Me, I love 'em - I can access a HUGE amount of content through a very small amount of screen space - what's not to love?

Designs we left behind

Jeff, Dayton, OH — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:56:40 GMT

Nice design but something to fix...

There's an annoying drawback to the new design. It's best demonstrated so I'll just describe how to see it for yourself. Often, I have MSNBC open in tabs and sometimes switch back and forth. With a scroll mouse, you can just scroll down with the wheel and your mouse cursor may be anywhere.

However, if you happen to have your mouse cursor all the way at the left hand side of the screen and scroll down to near the Categories Section, and then see a news story under the Explore menu, it is very difficult to get to it. When you drag your mouse from the far left hand side of the screen, as it passes over the Categories menu, a menu pops up of stories for that category preventing you from being able to click on the story under the Explore section. This makes it very hard to try to read a news story under the Explore section. This is annoying because usually, if you click the back button in the browser and then just use a scroll mouse wheel to scroll down, your mouse is automatically at the far left setting you up to be mildly annoyed when you try to read an Explore "other news" story and find your path blocked by the categories pop-up menu.

The only way to avoid this bug is to either move the cursor at lightening speed over the Categories section, or move the cursor up or down around the whole Categories section without passing over it.

Please fix this...I like the new design but this can get annoying when trying to navigate the new website.

Thanks...

Designs we left behind

Cole Huber, Clinton, OK — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 16:58:29 GMT

I prefer the old design better, as it was more user friendly. I could find the articles much easier and just scroll through the rest. The new design is too busy and requires me to search over and over for what I am looking for. I think it LOOKS nice, but the overall user-friendly aspect lacks, but that is just my one opinion in several million.

Designs we left behind

Nathan, NY, NY — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:09:40 GMT

The site runs notably slower with the new style. Also the anchor tags "returning you to where you last viewed the page" are less efficient. I do enjoy the earth-tone color scheme. I am sure you guys are working out the bugs.

Designs we left behind

Diane, Clifton Park, NY — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:14:07 GMT

I don't care for the new look. The top part is confusing, and I don't like all the scrolling. But I'll play around with it, and maybe I'll like it better.

I think I like the "Closer" view the best.

Designs we left behind

Tony Jasinski, San Francisco, CA — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:19:48 GMT

I also vote 'yes' to the final design. Good job, everyone! (I'm a news junkie, and your site is the best for getting the most...)

Designs we left behind

P. Thomas, — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:21:12 GMT

I'm trying to get used to it.....but I still don't think I've transitioned. I thought the old look was boring, but this look is entirely too much stuff at once. It was hard for me to find the categories I normally read.

Designs we left behind

L.L., College Park, MD — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:34:52 GMT

Can I make a suggestion? Move the annoying little red "new" and "updated" tags to the right of the headlines, or come up with another way to show an item as new/updated. I can't quickly scan the headlines if my eyes are constantly being indented by the tags. (This has bothered me since you began the practice in the old layout.)

Designs we left behind

Chris, Chicago, IL — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:44:46 GMT

Overall, I like the design. One major problem - why isn't there a stock ticker on the main page? I've scrolled it three times and either it's not there or it is so well hidden that it might as well not be there.

Designs we left behind

tee cox, Missouri — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:46:28 GMT

Not a fan of the new design - for one thing, it does not work well on older computers or those with dial up. You have alienated a large portion of your readers. I have taken the site off my bookmarks at home and will only check in occasionally from my office, rather than having this be the site I turn to first thing in the morning (I don't do television).

Designs we left behind

Kirk Littell — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:46:55 GMT

The new design is MUCH better. More info, better hierarchy (especially with the sub-section's content), and therefore easier navigation. Nice job!

Designs we left behind

Christopher Wood, Cincinnati, OH. — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 17:49:47 GMT

Before I comment on the new design, I'd like to commend you on the production of this Blog. Aspiring designers and experienced professionals alike appreciate when they can see the creative process at work, especially when it involves such talented people. Thank you for this brief chronicle of your efforts. As for the design, I like some parts of it much more than others. I love the new customizable news rows and I also love the new "Explore" box. I don't like that the left-navigation has now been pushed below the fold. I like the new "Top Stories" section at the top of the page, but I think it's overly large and takes up too much screen real estate; pushing the wonderful "Explore" box and left-nav further down the page. All of the news rows can be repositioned, which is fantastic. I think that it would be equally fantastic to make the "Explore" box and the "Top Stories" area function like the other news rows, and allow users to reposition them on the page to fit their preference. That would allow a user to specify which row was at the top of their page. I would keep the "Top Stories" row on top, but another user might place "Business" or "Local" news on top. Other than those points I think it's a fine job. Oh, and bring the left-nav back above the fold. It makes it easier for return customers to hit their sweet-spot a little faster.

Designs we left behind

Laura Aspen, Baltimore, Maryland — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:01:06 GMT

For clarity's sake I'm focusing on the viability of the new design. As a msnbc web viewer, whether or not the design is "better" the the previous one is a moot point. The header takes up too much room. As a result, I didn't realize there was a left sidebar until I scrolled down. Basic rule of thumb: people LOOK and then the mouse FOLLOWS. The layout of the site reverses this natural instinct. It requires a person to first scroll down - without visual motivation - then look, then click.
Other option to use the side bar is not user friendly. In some browsers there is a slight transparency to the flyouts - cute, but not helpfull.
Overall, the "stacked topic blocks" don't stack up. Robots might like the logic of it but humans prefer to browse with their eyes FIRST and then followup with a mouse click.

Designs we left behind

Ronnie Harper, Seattle, WA — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 18:43:01 GMT

I think the new design is a bit busy - there is too much content on the page, and the top news stories aren't as prominent. I really like the way you did the images - not putting text on them is an excellent idea.

Designs we left behind

Robert, Montgomery, Ala. — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:02:10 GMT

Overall, I don't mind the reorganization of information, but the design leaves something to be desired. The colors in the banner are too contrasting. They are actually painful to look at. Also, the "Breaking News" headline portion just below the masthead is WAY, and I do mean WAY to thick! There's no reason to give up a half inch of vertical space to a line of simple text!

Finally, the left navigation menu was more functional and easy to access when it fell alongside the top news stories instead of below them. I can understand wanting to maximize your horizontal space, but dropping the navigation bar down causes it to be seen as a secondary tool instead of the primary method for navigating the site's news stories.

I don't know about other users, but when I visit the site for news, I want to read specific articles from specific sections. I don't want the software to try and interpret what I want to read, I want to choose for myself and I want that choice to be as simple and easy as possible. Before that was possible, but now the navigation bar blends in with the rest of the page and my eyes have to search for it before I can go exploring. Not a good design choice.

Everything else I liked about the original site seems to be there or better off, but these negatives I've pointed out are major negatives that are causing me to reevaluate if I want to go through the trouble of reading MSNBC.com.

Designs we left behind

Mike Biersma, Chicago, Illinois — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:02:57 GMT

I think the new site design is fantastic, and other websites will follow your new lead. I love the colors on the top graphics, and think you've done an excellent job of balancing the news, sections, ads, etc. throughout the entire page. In fact, I haven't seen anyone else do it better. Most people don't understand how insanely difficult it is to balance so many competing elements on a site of this size and scope - job very well done.

Designs we left behind

Lawrence ft. lauderdale — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:03:20 GMT

I love the new look!!! I love change though so I can adapt very easily! I keep it up all day to watch the changing faces of the journalism world throughout the day

Designs we left behind

Sheri Goeser, Seattle, WA — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:08:23 GMT

I really dislike the popups that seem to appear with lists of things I don't want to look at right now -- and although I've edited for the weather etc to change -- even after logging in -- nothing has been saved.

Maybe you launched too early and this design needed to be left behind too.

Designs we left behind

Delah, Palm Desert, CA — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:16:00 GMT

I Love it! Love the subtle colors. Love that I can move the news categories up or down. Love that I can expand or collapse the amount of news articles in a category. Awesome. Great job!!

Also, content wise, like that items are updated and new items posted as regularly as possible. I like MSNBC.com's layout best over ABCnews.com(both before and after the redesign).

Designs we left behind

Tom Payne, St. Peters, MO — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:21:33 GMT

What happened to "BLOGS"? I enjoyed the weekly political cartons.

Designs we left behind

Carl Ricco, Streetsboro OH — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:31:20 GMT

I like the new design - although I think a revamping of the main headline/headlines is needed. But thats just me. Make one main headline - are small co-headlines.

Designs we left behind

Steve — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:31:25 GMT

Liked the old design better, guys-- much easier to find things -- plus it looked fine on i.e. ... which is still the most used browser. My advice-- have ONE central focus for main stories, like you had it before. As it is now, my eyes hurt from trying to look at everything at once... too much going on and I don't know where to look. Sorry, just my opinion. Also, the video I selected didn't work either. Not a good thing, but it is a new release, so I get that.
Ok, well, hope this helps, and sorry if I am too blunt.

Steve

Designs we left behind

Thomas Jones, Denver, CO — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:35:08 GMT

All I can say is - Fantastic! In an era where most content providers seem to have decided that the choice is form or function, you have knocked the ball out of the park and proven that you can in fact have both.

I've now made your site the first one I visit each day. I'm sure many will follow, thanks to your bold and refreshing change!

Designs we left behind

Ben Cahyono, Tallahassee, Florida — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:48:36 GMT

I love the new design...clear, concise, and crisp. Job well done! It may take some time to get used to it, but hey what the heck...it looks good.

Designs we left behind

Ann, New York — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:04:37 GMT

This page takes forever to load, the page is not intuitive, stocks take up too much space. It is very disjointed and hard to navigate. Please bring back the old layout.

Designs we left behind

Jeff — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 20:58:13 GMT

Loading time is much longer... so much so that I can't use it at work. That might be a good thing for my Boss, but I doubt you want people switching away. Please keep in mind that many offices share a network connection and it gets *really* slow at times during the day. (ie; lunch).

Designs we left behind

Rich, Ann Arbor, MI — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 21:55:24 GMT

I don't like the design at all. There's just less news on the page. Your 'Explore' box is the worst of the lot. I have to scroll the frame to read anything, even the few stocks I track, and I can't have the news stories for those stocks and the market in general all on the front page. I have to scroll down inside that frame to see sports scores and other local news in the 'My News' section. Why does that frame even exist? Take all of the stuff in there and make them into the same kind of sections you've made on the rest of the page so I can put all of the stuff I don't want to see at the bottom of the page. Then I have the full width of the window to see what I want.

Looking at the Gentle Evolution design, you have 24 headlines that fit on one screen. That's not really different from the original design. On your new design, on my VERY LARGE screen, I only see 10 including two about this redesign ergo, eight real stories. The first thing I noticed about the redesign was that you're giving me more glitz and less news.

Beat a hasty retreat to the old design and we'll just forget this debacle.

Designs we left behind

Blake, Denver, CO — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:03:29 GMT

LOVE it.. this will be my new home over CNN

Designs we left behind

Ed V, Chandler, AZ — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:16:32 GMT

I don't really like the new format, it requires too much scrolling and the sections are too busy, but those are things one might get used to.

One thing I really, really dislike is the fly-out menus everywhere you point your mouse. For that reason alone, I may have to make cnn or cbsnews.com my main source of news.

Designs we left behind

Don Edds, New Albany, IN — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:23:59 GMT

very nice... I'm ready to make this my home page again...

Designs we left behind

Peter, Dallas — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:29:22 GMT

Let me pick what sections are on the home page. The move up or down option is great but add a remove. Being able to pick a replacement section would be helpful too. I also prefer the Dow and NASDAQ on the home page though. I get news in quick spurts. I dont want to have to dig for the important items like the stock market.

Otherwise, I like it.

Designs we left behind

Shawn, Fort Collins, CO — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:49:28 GMT

Regarding the WIDER layout, you say that you've "optimized the user experience for a 10x7 and wider browser experience, which more than 80% of our readers use". Firstly, I have to assume that by "10x7" you mean a 1024x768 (and up) *screen resolution*, since resolution is the only size metric that can be derived from an anonymous browser. With that assumption, please be reminded that a user's screen resolution has NOTHING to do with the size (aspect ratio) of their browser window, which can be resized arbitrarily, completely independent of screen resolution. In other words, if you've assumed from a typical screen resolution of 1024x768 that those users *also* have their browser windows sized to a 10x7 ratio, then you're suffering from a fundamental misunderstanding of browser metrics.

You say that you "needed to catch up with the technology that the vast majority of you are using", but that's tantamount to saying that just because something's possible, it's also a good idea. I find the wider layout very annoying, and the same goes for any of the "wide" news sites you hold up as examples. I hate tabs (they're no improvement over simply clicking the icon for a single browser window in my Windows taskbar), so their advent alone doesn't make a wider layout more acceptable. I usually (as most probably do) have *many* windows open at once, and I like to size them all below full-screen size in order to better navigate my desktop.

Being forced to maximize my browser window in order to scan headlines is, to put it tactfully, VERY ANNOYING. Thanks.

Designs we left behind

Ron Houston, TX — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:38:36 GMT

I agree with the comment from Mr. Harper that the design is too busy. Maybe it is just the comfort level I had with the old format and the ease of navigating it, but I am not yet convinced this is an improvement, particularly since I cannot easily spot the weather and stock symbols I had.

Designs we left behind

Greg Storey — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 17:24:51 GMT

It was a fun project. And let's not forget Ethan Marcotte's involvement. Ethan provided the initial web standards based code for the templates.

Designs we left behind

Michael, Pineville, LA — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 02:15:15 GMT

That pinned Explore thing plopped right in the middle is the single worst obstruction. but, the inability to completely rid the page of those lower collapsing sections is almost as bad. with that said, i happily concede the beauty of the wide screen. i just need more non-fluff on the initial screen.

Designs we left behind

Scott G. Boston MA — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 20:43:42 GMT

Way too many popup and drop down menus. Who actually uses those anyways? I know I personally prefer to just click on the "Health" section home page and browse from there.

I dunno, maybe some people are in a super big hurry to read the news and the extra mouseclick would turn them away to FOXNEWS.com.

But cant you guys make them smaller or somehow less intrusive if you should accidentally brush your cursor over one of the several dozen links that will invoke a menu?

Designs we left behind

Ed, Sacramento CA — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 16:03:13 GMT

I like the "Culture Shock" MSNBC header and page format especially "now with more cowbell"! I don't have the time to wander all over god's green earth to find what I am looking for on a website and having everything in one easy tab navigation makes sense. The final format works too but I could do without fly-out (yes, I disable it) and continuous scrolling. Simplicity, please - we aren't designing an evening gown for Project Runway.

Designs we left behind

Shane, New York, NY — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 17:05:07 GMT

WOW, looks great and very nicely organized ;)

I have one issue with the physical size of the page. I know that you've got everything cached.

I'm guessing that 50+ percent of the page is dedicated to flyout menu list items. Seems kind of excessive - resulting in higher bandwidth usage, slower download times and a major decrease in page views.

Designs we left behind

David D, Indiana — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 21:39:28 GMT

Well...there are many things that could be made better. For one, it is super busy. Too much so. Too many things in the top portion of the screen. It doesn’t function at all like the other major news websites out there. I agree change can be good sometimes...but not in this case. The other thing is the functionality of the site has degraded because of the new layout. The designer made some bad decisions when he strayed away from the news website norm. There is a reason most news sites look alike. Same reason newspapers look alike. It's all about usability. It's a shame. Maybe they will do more research and go back to their old design?