I won't take credit for being inspired in writing this post, as that should really go to the Fisherman, but I will just write a note about the new-look Stuff site. You may have already seen it, And you probably already hate it.
I am sure Fairfax went through an "update" a few years ago along much the same lines, and that never took. But now they have tried it again, citing improved features and more white space. I think that the designers have kind of missed the point really - "more white space" = more space and thus more scrolling; "more functions" = more customisation = more time spent fiddling with things you don't want to fiddle with when you were quite happy with things how they were before.
Judging from the comments on the site and around the place, this is a noble yet ultimately futile experiment. While it does "look prettier", I find it almost completely user unfriendly, and of course it takes ages to load properly.
So let me ask the great blogging public - does anyone actually like the new site?
Verdict: Well, what can I say, I really don't like it, and it appears many other people don't either. But the real question is, will Fairfax relent and go back to the way Stuff was? And how much time will tell? Two online papers out of ten.
3 comments:
Still struggling with it. It does look prettier and lighter given the false illusion that it is easier to use. It isn't. I have to dig deeper into the site now to find the stuff I'm looking for. They haven't got it quite right yet.
I don't like it. More generally, I have lots of gripes about companies with pretty websites that are less functional than they should be. Can't wait till the generation that actually uses the internet is in a position to be able to make decisions about corporate websites, instead of baby boomers being blinded by flash.
I hate the new tabloid style picture on the left - with the magazine style headline. It just looks tacky.
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