"Newspaper website design seriously flawed" Author: Outing
Most news websites have been confusing due to excessive links. Almost all news websites are not professional in the processing of photos, the design of the webpage is the same daily, and there is no level, and the connection of the home page is repeated. The design of classified ads is more embarrassed, so that readers can't find the information they need; advertising treatment is also extremely extremely extremely effective.
The above strong response, from a newspaper website designer in Virginia, USA, who is convinced that the network news revolution in the past ten years, although most newspapers have websites, but in the basic design is wrong, now I am thinking about thinking Textboard website design in the next decade.
The designer called Alan Jacobson, he is a minister of Brass Tacks Design, and he is not a person specializing in distraction.
Do a little change every day
Most of many websites are the most significant defects, the daily format is the same. The head version of the newspaper is different from the news, but the homepage of the website has not changed. Jacobson said that they are limited to the framework of the webpage, fill in the news, regardless of news, the title is the same size, the slight is not adjustable to react the news value.
Too easy to find an example, the newspaper of Knight Ridder is an obvious example. Each newspaper website uses the same framework, no matter whether there is a major news, it seems to be similar (such as Miami HERALD's Miami.com and San Jose Mercury's meraurynews.com)
If you agree with Jacobson's ideas, this phenomenon expansion, is the same, from a small website. NYTIMES.com is in place in one of the world's best news websites, but rigid in a fixed frame, the left title, adds a three-inch half photo in the upper right corner. Such a design will only change once when significant impact news.
Jacobson's ideal is that the homepage is different daily, and the news of the news is designed. Of course, the reality of the network publishing is not allowed. The content management system uses a more structured way, accepting the framework-type home page design, allowing minimal fine-tuning per day, almost no content management system can support the newspaper.
Then what do we do? Require content management system operators to build more flexible systems to adapt to newspaper, should be a practice.
Short-term practice is Jacobson's approach to the customer's website, and he supplies more than a dozen framework design to deal with different situations. One is for major news, only one news, with a picture; there are a variety of different frameworks to cope with different situations, the number of titles and pictures is also different.
The use of photos lost focus
Jacobson specially criticized photos, he argued that the fixed framework impossible to handle photos, "Home only one photo" frame is a stupid way, what should I do with three photos? Regardless of the importance of the photo, it can only be placed in a fixed place, it cuts the edited professional judgment.
All on one screen
Jacobson's suggestions, some is from the printing version of the newspaper concert (the network to imitate the printing is not completely bad), and now it is now discussed. According to his views, the ideal homepage should be scope of the computer's picture, yes, do not roll up, the website's internal page is also the case.
Such a design is not very common on the news website, but in the retail market, it is popular (such as eddie bauer). Jacobson believes that such a design is quite attractive, because the picture is now too crowded. . But how can I put too much content on a picture? Simple, use DHTML. Jacobson is convinced that the top page of the crowded news website is about to disappear, and the home page of DHTML skills is used, and the leading guide is hidden at the bottom. Only the mouse is moved to show the next link.
An interesting example is the website of Cjonline, Kansas Topeka City Capital-Journal. This website uses DHTML skills to place a large number of content to be a large-area home page (of course, not only a screen), not only on the side of the left side, the main content area is also the same.
Jacobson pointed out that the application survey made by one of his customers, almost all websites are like to use DHTML to simplify the web page.
But how to simplify the internal page? Nor is innovative, Paris's Interrnational Herald Tribune's website IHT.com, which took the lead in using a picture to report a news, each report in a three-column, if the manuscript is too long To the next page. Jacobson believes this is the best practice, but he doesn't understand why there are not many people.
Follow me: Delete repetition
Dressing is the biggest factor in the homepage of dense Ma Ma. Taking the Washington Post website as an example, there are different links to the same web page. For example, go to the "Entertainment" web page, can be extended from the top of the horizontal strip, the left side, and the title of the lower right corner, three are entered the same place.
Why do you do this? The reasonable explanation is that the home page is too crowded, and it is not homic to being omissible with multiple sites. Newsday.com has the result of the leverand to the picture, on the screen, left, and right, and have a guide.
Jacobson said that the three links on the upper left are weak, and the truly need is a strong connection. Repeated may not be a bad thing, but Jacobson pointed out that the website has turned the home page index, attached the title of each item. He said that the homepage should be truly, it is an attractive directory.
Therefore, delete those repetitive links, hide the internal page link with DHTML, will have more space to handle the picture. This is more attractive than the first page of the link and the title.
Rescue classification advertisement
Jacobson focused on the revenue level of the newspaper website, so pay special attention to classified ads, he believes that you have already guessed, the whole industry is tight, and it is very bad. He said that most newspapers sell the skills in the home page to sell the classified advertisements, it is not appropriate, and the readers push the readers to the category advertisement of the inner page, which is really disappointing.
Classified advertising is an important element of the reward, especially worthy of website designers, so that the designer puts the Flash multimedia to set up a group of people specially designed online classified ads.
He proposed a few special skills. First, in the top of the top page, the main classification advertising items (personnel, automobiles, rooms) are used in the top of the top page, and if no one is classified by the newspaper website, the newspaper website is trapped, and even the entire newspaper In trouble. Second, let the people who want to buy the refrigerator very easy to find the refrigerator, join the classified advertisement to join each web page, is a good skill, let the people who find the refrigerator can find the refrigerator from that page.
Jacobson believes that business advertising and strip Banner advertising also needs to be redesigned, and large advertisements have been jumped out from text. Small advertisements overlap each other, there is no effect, just interference. Have you hope?
Does the newspaper website heard Jacobson? He said that there is a slight progress. Usatoday.com The refreshing point of adjustment, WashingtonPostc.com is originally one of the most connected newspapers homepages, and now reorganizes better. But the action is too slow, this is his big worry. If the industry does not step up the lack of step improvement, save the classified ads, it will be defeated by the opponents of the online advertising (Nai Broadcast).
