Chicago Tribune.com Redesign ~ Why I’m not too impressed
Some pretty interesting things going on at the Tribune today as they redesigned the layout of ChicagoTribune.com. Compared to the previous layout, it’s quite different. Lots of white space, lots of easy to read text. Here are the things that I like:
- CSS based layouts - Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! No more table nightmares. Thank you Tribune. Screen readers, search engines, and web designers every where applaud this choice.
- Prominent Search - I like the prominent search box in the upper left hand corner. If I can’t find something within 10 seconds, boom, search.
- Sectioned content - The old tribune page had LOTS of content all over the place and not really in any real organizational manner. This version at least makes an attempt at that.
Here is what I am not that fond of:
- chicagotribune.com - That’s it? That’s the title of the site? No “Chicago News, Sports, and Weather - ChicagoTribune.com”? We’ll see how long that lasts when people start clicking on Paid Listings, Topix links, or CBS2Chicago’s link in search results because they don’t immediately see “Chicago news“. If I were another media company in Chicago, I would be ALL over paid listings to try and drive people over to my site before the Tribune changes this.
UPDATE: So it appears that the Tribune has seen the light and added the “Chicago News, sports, …” back into their page title for the homepage. - Helvetica-ish logo - Really? Pretty first year art school if you ask me. No finesse my friends. Plus, the Chicago Tribune font itself is so classic. Why change a good thing?
- Where’s sports? - The new tabbed navigation is nice in that it allows me to see a few stories with a few clicks, but what if I want to go right to sports. First I click on the Sports tab, then I click on either the story itself or click on the “Go to the Sports Section”. I can also access Sports by scrolling down the left hand side of the page. I understand from a business perspective that Classifieds are a money maker and you are driving people there for a reason, but people use this site for lots of reasons and a newpaper site should display the big sections above the fold immediately and within one click - Local News, Sports, Weather, and Traffic.
- BLUE - Nothing else? Everything is blue. No gradients, no call out color, no subtlety, just white and shades of blue. Kind of boring.
- All text / no icons - On each drill down page, the tribune has provided some easy to use tools to manage each content piece. E-mail, print, single page view (which I really like) and reprints (which I don’t imagine are they important, but ok). The one thing they missed though are easily identifiable iconography. Why not an envelope next to email? Why not a printer next to print? They could also provided the somewhat industry standard “A” and “a” for larger and smaller text instead of an up and down arrow. An up and down arrow indicates movement and not an increase or decrease in text size. Just my opinion.
- Dead space on the top of the page - I understand the need for white balance and white space, but did the header bar need that much space for the logo and a small weather icon?
- Old hat - Didn’t we already do this at least once? USAToday did it better than both, I think.
What else am I missing? Am I completely off base here? Let me know in the comments.
UPDATE: My brother in blogging, Lucas, has pointed out that this has occurred across multiple Tribune properties as well.
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Chicago Tribune Redesign
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Good critique.
I’m irritated by the tagline: Chicago Tribune Web edition
Seriously??? What year is this?? They don’t think people get that by now??
At least they didn’t say, “Chicago Tribune - Now on the Interwebs!”
I am not impressed with your front page.Looks to plan for a major news paper.It looks like the tribune of 100 years ago.Also the metro weather section is harder to read with the smaller print asis some sections of the tempo.
Undistinguished nameplate. Subordinates the brand. Cheesy.
I have what I believe is a very good suggestion for a slight change in the redesign of the Tribune. Anyone that works the Sudoku feels better about working one with enough space to write in the various number possibilities clearly. If the boxes are too small, it can become very confusing and frustrating because it is too easy to make mistakes. Sudoku solvers must at times write in four, five, or even six numbers in a small block. The Jumble does not have to be made very big since solving this puzzle does not require writing possible letters in the blocks. My suggestion is to switch places between the two. Give the Sudoku the space now reserved for the Jumble and vice versa.
I do NOT care for the new design. Suddenly I cannot easily spot the familiar blue banner amongest the sea of bland newspapers on my retailers shelves.
Have to say all of the changes you’ve made to the tribune are really good. Good looking and GOOD for the readers. Great JOB.
BUT - The reason i will not subscribe to the tribune is because YOU CAN’T GET THE PAPER TO THE CUSTOMERS AT A CONSISTANT OR DECENT TIME. The trucks that bring the Main Sheets to the distribution points show up between 2:00am and 5:00am. Most of the time around 4:00am. The Daily Herald is always on my driveway around 3:00am. Long before the tribune even arrives to thier carriers. Your paper is so late getting out to the schaumberg customers that it should have ONE MORE CHANGE. A new MOTTO. “THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE - WE GUARNTEE DELIVERY EVERYDAY BY “SUNDOWN”
GREAT PAPER - LOUSY DELIVERY TIMES.
I find the small print used on the weather page, the sport pages very difficult to read. For a senion citizen small print, even with glasses is difficult. Some of the changes look good but the complaint is the print is too small. and I am afraid it will get smaller when the paper is done-sized. Please bring back the full stock market transaction. Not everybody gets the WSJ
The redesign of the last page of the comic section is worthless. The crossword puzzle did not have to be enlarged. Why discontinue the advice column on that page, it wasn’t that bad. She’s no Ann Landers, but so what. The whole thing was a lot of sound and fury about nothing.
weather page difficult to read.too small
also.sudoku game too small.you made jumble larger and sudoku smaller