Why can't anyone design a news website that doesn't suck?
I am not a usability expert and I am definitely not Jakob Nielsen, but I am a news junkie and I know what I want. I know that when I go to a news site, I want the headlines there for me to read. Obviously, breaking news should be displayed prominently when it is appropriate.
With the proliferation of broadband, I would also enjoy being able to watch video clips when the subject of the story cannot properly be conveyed through text. For instance, a story about the wrath of a hurricane would be nice to watch rather than read. I do not, however, want to be bombarded with thumbnails from these video stories. No icon-sized screen capture is going to make me decide to watch a video clip.
Instead of criticizing each available offering, I should tell people exactly what I want. So, here it goes:
1. Quick to load.
2. Broadband content (video/audio) should be voluntary and not mandatory.
3. Display news categories horizontally and not vertically.
4. Keep advertising free of animation or flash.
5. Keep advertising content clearly distinguishable from news content.
6. Feature the blogs.
These are just a few of the things that I think would help shape a great news site. Do you have any others?
No comments:
Post a Comment