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The design of John Edwards’ MySpace page is pretty broken right now. As you’ll see below, page elements are getting pushed to the left and it is generally not looking as intended.
If a campaign website was messed up this bad we’d undoubtedly write something snarky. But, having done battle with MySpace ourselves, we can only feel sympathy for the folks at the Edwards’ campaign. They are fighting a losing battle. (more…)
This morning, Steve pointed to me to the new beta version of the CNN.com website, which is now available for public testing. You can view it here and take a guided tour of the new site here. Following are a few things that jumped out at me: (more…)
Usabilty celebrity Jakob Nielsen has been the go-to authority on everything web-related for some time now. I have seen him in Boston, San Francisco and Amsterdam (I think). I have purchased, and been reimbursed for, several of his books. He’s a funny guy and a lot of laughs at seminars and yet I believe I am done with our friend. I think his principles have all been disbursed. I think, no matter what the future holds for us as web developers, he has said all there is to say on usability. I also can’t take his site anymore.
When I burst onto the web scene many years ago (I made myself laugh right there), Mr. Nielsen was a real help, and I appreciated his simplistic website and even understood his obvious dislike of designers. Websites in ’97 were full of (let’s face it) obvious mistakes, and having a guru to quote helped justify your design choices when dealing with clients. (more…)
I’ve always been an admirer of the concept and execution of the social news site Newsvine. I wrote about it glowingly when it first came out. Conceptually it always seemed like a good compromise between the chaos of sites like Digg and the top down nature of traditional newspaper websites.
With their redesign, they’ve pushed things in a pretty dramatic new direction. Essentially, the site is now a cross between the old Newsvine and an Ajax startup page like Netvibes. The site is beautiful and works wonderfully from a technical perspective.
But despite my admiration for Newsvine, you vote with your feet. And I’ve never really spent much time on the site because I’ve never found the content that compelling. I think there are a couple of reasons why: (more…)
Update 2: They have tweaked the design and it is now less busy and has one big lead graphic. Although they are changing it every few minutes I think.
Update: The McCain campaign has launched their official campaign blog as well.
Original Post
Looks like the McCain team revamped their website in recent days. I think it is better from a usability standpoint.
They abandoned the black and white scheme (which was just a little too foreboding) in favor of some color. They got rid of the little video rollover effects that would surprise and annoy visitors. They are giving people the option to read some text instead of going with a “watch video or go away” approach.
However, it is a little too cluttered for my taste. I’m a fan of sites with one overriding message/graphic as the lead piece everyday (Edwards, Clinton, Obama). Also, McCain’s picture is strangely absent from the top half of the site. We’ve gone from having too many pictures of the candidate to having none at all “above the fold.” I’m sure they’ll work some McCain pictures into the flexible space on the left at some point.
What do you think?
“It’s a big-picture site, for big-picture thinkers” according to Managing Editor Christopher Jones and although I’ve not been guilty of any big-picture thinking lately, I do like a big shiny picture on a web site’s home page as much as the next adult A-D-D sufferer. Portfolio.com has created an online magazine here that actually feels like a magazine. Not a magazine that you would ever have in your home, but an impulse purchase at the airport newsstand. You’re 2 hours early and it was this or Men’s Health again.
The site’s title is curious. Breaking Business News and Opinion is not how I would introduce the site. That moniker seems more suited for the cnn or msnbc crowd. Fair enough I suppose if they are referring to the Top 5 stories, but the traditional news services’ business pages update all day. These 5 stories have been here a day or two.
Now into the design of this thing, which was the point here.
MediaPost reports that USAToday.com's redesign to include many social networking features has paid off. In article, Gavin O'Malley reports:
USA TODAY'S COMMUNITY-CENTRIC MAKEOVER LAST month appears to be paying off in dividends. Indeed, the site has seen a dramatic 380% increase in registrations since the re-launch, while its unique visitor rates have grown 21% from February, according to Nielsen//NetRatings…Sections seeing particularly strong traffic gains include Sports, Money, Travel and Tech, according to Gannett's internal measurements.
This seems to make sense since social networking features can have stickiness potential. Site visitors want to come back and debate a story on the site with others, blog about a variety of subjects, or share their point of view via several different types of media. It is also interesting to note that the sports, money, travel, and tech sections are showing great growth; this is perhaps because people tend to have lasting hobbies and interests in these topics. Further, they could also urge their friends to go on to such sites to see their work.
It is also interesting to note that the sports, money, travel, and tech sections are showing great growth; this is perhaps because people tend to have lasting hobbies and interests in these topics.
It is nice to see that USA Today is having some success in social networking.
Click on the left image to see the before and the right to see the after.
Sounds like a stirring movie, but it isn’t, thank God. It’s the title of my design review of John Edwards campaign site update. I was puzzled by the lack of Edward’s face on the last version of this site, and I thought the overall tone was rather grim. Not John McCain grim, but pretty sullen. Since that initial launch, Edwards has gotten a lot of publicity that really has nothing to do with his campaign. The Ann Coulter weirdness and the announcement of his wife’s medical condition took center stage. Upon viewing his site last week, I was pleasantly surprised to see a much more inviting and energetic offering from his camp.
I still have to shoot past that splash page, but only once and I’m going to let that one go since clearly he isn’t. In the main site what was once a duotone wall of healthcare opinions and stats is now a vibrant interface that is only mildly annoying. The main real estate on the page is taken up with a huge scrolling image of: John at a rally, John at a rally again, Global Warming Action Month, a shot of John appearing to preach in a field perhaps and John with Elizabeth saying thanks for the support and concern. Then a few more flags and rallies and a big Stop The War message. Okay, no one but me will have gone through them all, but they’re a big improvement over the static message from the last design effort.
The Action Items (yeah, I said it) are now much easier to get through. The last version held them in tedious fields of solid red and blue, and along with the stagnant nature of the page, they were passed over pretty quickly. The new version just does it better. The colors are brighter, no elements are reversed out, and Spread The Word has been replaced with a Grassroots invite that at least seems more interesting. Not interesting enough for me to click on, but I’m a worst-case scenario.
Below all of this are included more images to break up the content of the page and a link to send John and Elizabeth a note. It’s a nice touch and even I click through. The thank you note that starts the page is elegantly written and thankfully the picture of John lightens the mood as he is orange here for some reason.
Overall the redesign of the site, mild though it is, really works in my opinion and the site is now on par with the better presidential campaign sites.
I got an email from my friend Chuck this morning pointing me to the recent overhaul of the print edition of my hometown paper, the San Antonio Express News.
The Express-News writes about the redesign:
It's hardly breaking news: We're all awash in a flood of information, coming from an ever-growing number of sources. We know our readers are more informed, more wired - and yes, much more busy taking it all in.
So it's time that the Express-News front page reflect that reality. Change comes today with a new format designed around two key goals. First, we are providing readers with a larger menu of items, allowing the front page to be a better window into the rest of the paper. Second, we're doing more to emphasize and develop our best story of the day, focusing as much as possible on local news you won't find anywhere else.
Sounds good. A couple of points here: (more…)
Click on image above to launch Flash Review.
Rollover numbers to view comments.
Well, this is not what I expected to see, or watch, or have my browser crash from.
Restarting browser…
The exploratory site was pretty presentable. Not much to it, but for what it was, I thought the designers did a perfectly acceptable job with it. I’m pretty sure these are not the same designers. This review could get wordy, I fear, so I’ll be mindful of the pile-on mentality of design critiques on blogs and keep it concise.
When I pull up the page my eyes go to the less than inspired Rudy logo and then to the unflattering screen capture of our candidate in mid explanation. Under his image I then read “A Time For Leadership”. That flow was all intentional and it worked just fine. Now what? Behind that inspirational tagline are my options to send an email, turn up the volume and scroll through something, I think. I honestly don’t know, and I do this for a living (I tried to click through and got an error). Awkwardly placed to the left is the button to play the video. While I appreciate that the video doesn’t start automatically, this navigation is just unnecessary in its overall size here. I would have thought that all of this could have been neatly placed under the screen.
Author’s note: At first glance I was sure that this video section layout was an html error, but I am leaning toward the designers again.
Clicking on any of the navigation for the video section, I soon learn, is a browser killer and after I make that mistake a few times, I get control of my OCD and bypass it altogether, instead moving right to the (wait for it) Action Items. Incorporating the highly sophisticated 1,2,3 numerological approach, I am invited to (1) Join, (2) Contribute and finally (3) Get Involved. The Get Involved section really commands my attention with the red on blue seizure-inducing palette. Can you feel the excitement? The most pleasing design element is the link to the RudyStore (beveled edges though? Really?). Sadly, when I click on the link, my browser refuses me and eventually freezes.
Restarting browser …
Beneath all of this excitement are nestled Special Features and something referred to as Live Feed.
It appears that Special Features for now would be more correctly named Feature. And the feature today is a Photo Album. The designers just had real estate to fill here and they all know it. It happens. They’ll do something creative going forward I trust. The drop shadow on the photos was an unnecessarily homey touch. The Live Feed, it turns out, is really blog entries and press releases. I don’t really understand why there wouldn’t be a section called Blog, and one called Press Releases here, but maybe I’m still goofy from the seizure a few paragraphs back.
The oddest thing about this homepage is the layout. For some reason the page is falling out of the right hand side. All content is within the internal boundary of the site except the action items and the store, which appear to be forced outside by bad coding, but (as noted above) is actually intended. This is such an odd presentation that I have to think it was pushed out the door just a bit before it was ready. Low marks for the Rudy2008 design at this point.
Part 4 of my possibly tiresome campaign site review series finds us staring at the grim, unblinking visage of John McCain! The (mostly) black and white maverick of the campaign design world sure has its share of detractors. The monochromatic palette seems to evoke a love it or hate it vote. I happen to think it does not work, but that the site can look very solid with a few edits.
If the idea of the black and white design is a metaphor for strength of purpose or a stance on an issue (or issues), I understand that, but I think that any of those metaphors can be realized (as much as these design decisions can trigger an emotional response) with a much lighter and better-designed approach. My fix would be to add color to every obvious space within the interior real estate of the site. For example:
My hope when I saw the first version of the site was that the black and white motif would give way to a full-bodied rendering once McCain announced and launched a full site. Dramatic entrance or something. Onward, minus any color remarks.
The structure of the homepage is fine with me and I appreciate the compact design here. The logo is strong and unique for a campaign logo and I assume the attached mark is the Silver Star, which McCain was awarded, and therefore cannot be questioned by a sissy like me. The flag background is pretty muted and therefore doesn’t offend. The universal navigation is easy to locate and use and the Undecided? navigation point is a fairly unique keyhole. Reads better than About John McCain, I guess. One point about the photography that I’ll mention; McCain is a mechanical, unnerving subject to view in some of these shots, and his people should realize that we understand that he’s serious about this. More shots of him smiling and or looking presidential. Less of him appearing as if to ask me my intentions with his daughter.
In conclusion, I think the site is problematic in this rendition because of the black and white template choice, but feel that it could be very strong if edited discreetly.
CNN.com is the main national type of news site I visit on the web. I do so out of habit and because I really dislike the websites of alternatives like MSNBC and Fox News.
But they are starting to lose me due to the way they are using video.
(1) Our office is an open space and so to watch videos I either have to annoy my co-workers or unplug my headphones from my iPod and plug them into my computer. And that's when I don't have my computer muted.
Due to this I really don't watch many videos during the day. I'm going to CNN to read news articles, blog entries and such. For text.
So what's the problem? CNN is now all about video and its hard to find the text. Of the items on the homepage, roughly 50% are web videos (see graphic on right for an example).
I don't mind that they have lots of video. That's great. But I wish it all wasn't so intermingled. Having to scan and discard 50% of the content is not a pleasant user experience. I'll probably switch.
(2) CNN is still displaying videos in Windows Media Player format (which means I've had problems playing them in Firefox). And they are still popping up their videos in controlled windows using javascript. I hate that. Please switch to Flash (which more people can see anyway) and stop using pop up windows. You just shouldn't do that stuff anymore.
CNN isn't the only one making this mistake. The John McCain for President site does as well by devoting pretty much its entire homepage to video clips and surprising users with video on what look like normal buttons/links at the bottom of the page (you are either muted or yelling at my whole office dude).
In summary, I think people are going a bit too far in an effort to embrace the whole web video thing. Video is a great and powerful thing, but not all the time and not in every circumstance. Please remember that sometimes your users just want to read some text and move on. Video should always be opt in.
My third presidential candidate website review is Barack Obama (previous reviews were of Hillary Clinton and John Edwards' sites). My first impression is a positive one, as this site is constructed very solidly and allows for all of my essential user needs to be met in one pass (mostly. I have to scroll a touch to get to the networking/sharing options).
Before I get into the layout of the index page, which I like, let's get this logo figured out. On the plus side, this logo doesn't resemble any other campaign logo that I'm familiar with and that aspect alone scores big with me. The American flag, which is abused/used incorrectly on so many of these logos is pretty muted here and is part of what has to be intended as farmland. The white sunrise is a new day, I'm guessing, and the whole package creates a strong "O" that is sure to be translated to T-shirts and buttons easily. That's a lot of thought into a campaign logo. When I saw this a week ago, I didn't like it. I thought it was too Web 2.0 driven. I was probably wrong. And to the designers who came up with it, thanks for not making the O icon the first letter in his name.
As we enter the site, the Web 2.0 design elements are all there, but not too over the top or distracting. The gradients, the curves, the muted grays all exist here, but within a solid design, work well. The logo isn't reflected. Points there. The red and white flag stripes are in the header though, and that decision lost you some of those points.
The universal navigation across the bottom of the header is clear and the menus are easy to work through. The donate button is pretty obvious. I am under the impression now that "donate" must always be rendered with white letters in a red field. I have no idea why.
The main story is where my eyes travel next, and is done in a pretty unassuming way. Just a simple headline, a big image and a click through to its home in the newsroom. My.BarackObama.com feels a little weird to me, and as much as I dislike the term "Action Items", I would have preferred it here. I understand that the campaign is about me, but using the My prefix reads sort of creepy, in my opinion. The section itself is well designed and the icons + keywords look is solid.
BarackTV is where I am drawn next. The layout and navigation are very simple here and the video pulls up quickly enough. When I saw the temporary site, my fear was that users would be inundated with video. I thought that with all the excitement over viral marketing and videos from the mid-term elections that Obama's site would be really saturated with that experience. It isn't.
The site seems to fit in Upcoming Events and In The News headlines as an afterthought, but they are far from hidden. Just not given the importance of the previous sections. No real concerns there.
The page is finished with the networking links that are now part of the campaign site standard.
Overall, pretty high marks.
Click on the screenshot and rollover the numbers for further, but more trivial rumblings.
John McCain launched his new website late last week and plenty of smart folks have already weighed in, so I'll skip a full review and just link out.
I will say that upon seeing the site my first association was with the movie Schindler's List. Like McCain's site, Schindler's List is in black and white with the occasional color thrown in for effect. Schindler's List is a great film, but if I'm the McCain team I'm not sure I'd want my website to remind folks of a movie about the Holocaust.
Here are some other (better) reviews of the site.
Part 2 of my presidential campaign site review series (Hillary was the first) finds us staring into the guts of the Edwards effort. We have clicked through the initial splash page, dodging the listserv sign-up and chose instead to enter the site.
I’m puzzled at the lack of photography on the main page. No John Edwards picture to be found. He’s the pretty boy of the group, and he is notoriously absent. Because of that, my eyes go first, to:
The logo.
Using what has recently been a Republican treatment, the font is sans serif and devoid of anything cute. Wait. Is that swinging star followed by a green trail? I get it. Green means environmental. And the star means…fancy. Even with the unnecessary mark, I like the logo as it works well within this site and has a contemporary feel. It also does not rely on any ponderous emblems or flags (looking at the giant O in the striped farmland, senator…).
The structure of the page is solid, but I am not really pulled in any direction. The big pull here should be the Universal Health Care plan, I’m assuming, but because the palette of the site is very closely adhered to, I pass by the big title image and move horizontally to the right-hand navigation. I do like the way these elements are put together though. Each action item (sorry) is given enough real estate to be seen and considered. The design style/font choice/minimal drop-shadow works well here. I was compelled to click on the One Corps logo thinking it was some type of Marine Corps charity/information. It wasn’t, and it locked up my browser.
The universal navigation across the top of the page is also a little buggy in IE7, but the drop-down menus are succinct and very easy to read and navigate.
Below the fold contents include his latest video, some platform issues highlighted, blog headlines, press headlines, testimonials and quite a few social networking options.
Whether or not users will scroll that deep on the home page is a concern, and I think the design has crammed as much as possible into this first page.
Click on the screen image below and rollover the numbers for further comments.
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