In this current blog post, we will look at and examine two websites that I visit frequently. In each, we'll cover why they are effective, principles of design, what draws me back each time, and how they can be improved.
The first...
Vox - http://www.vox.com/
Vox is primarily a "general interest news site." Meaning, its focus is to deliver news, which many organizations do. What sets Vox apart from other online news sources - its claim to fame - doesn't necessarily have to do with its site design, although its pretty unique. Vox's articles always feel a little less like the run of the mill reporting that you see in many news stories found in your local newspaper or even NY Times/CNN/LA Times/etc, and ofttimes void of opinions, simple commentary, and bias present in op-eds, or Salon/Buzzfeed/etc. While it may include these things, the 'products' that it vigorously markets and sticks to are articles that "explain the news," Each article is an academic study in its own right, and are based around data which journalists use to propose interpretations of what the this data means for the subject matter they cover. With this in mind, the marketing of the site definitely lends itself to showcasing these products/articles and letting them speak for themselves.
Design
As the focus being their articles/products, the site is designed with these studies as its central theme and doesn't really have much other "fluff" than this. It goes toward a commitment to simplicity and professionalism that I really appreciate. They even provide a roll down menu for their topics so that it doesn't clutter the heading, but event he roll down menu isn't overly populated. The only thing at the top is the Vox logo. The site as a whole is organized on a grid like most well organized news sites, but at the same time is set apart. While most news sites pack article titles, blurbs, weather and other data into the 'cells' of their grid organization, many of Vox's cells only feature one article. This makes readability easier, reduces the amount of clutter on the site, and gives the impression that each article is important and has an impact in our civic discussions. Additionally, the color scheme is very simple, high contrast, and contributes toward the brands recognition. It owns that yellow, gray, white, and black scheme.
The Hook
The thing that keeps me coming back has a lot to do with how they organize their information. When I go on the site, I get the feel that they know what I'm there for. Its not just to get news or just the headlines but the deeper data and implication of why the headlines are what they are. Vox keeps this in mind and organizes their studies with the analysis of the bigger stories front and center.
Improvements
The site is doing a lot of things right so it's pretty hard to say what they could do better. I'm almost afraid to suggest that they add more elements but I suppose it would be cool to see the site play around more with the color black. There is an opportunity to do this in the breaks between sections as you scroll down the pages as to add a little more drama while you're moving though. I could also see the pros to maybe truncating the amount of articles on the home page so that there is less scrolling.
NPR - http://www.npr.org/
In continuing with displaying my enthusiasm/addiction for news, I also frequent the very popular NPR site a lot. It's site actually feels really similar to Vox in that it hinges on simplicity and their stories are the centerpiece. The difference in delivery has a lot to with their medium being radio and podcasts. Their effectiveness has to be tied in to bringing their listeners to their site to explore more content which it does pretty well. The stories featured on the site have links to further information than what you hear on the radio. Additionally, content is organized into hierarchies by topic that make it easier to expand on the information you can get beyond reporting featured in its sound bites.
Design
If you haven't gotten it before, I'll say again, that I'm a sucker for simplicity. While NPR does have a lot of articles organized into its' site, there we never get the feeling of clutter. They also utilize a neutral color scheme that has that red and blue 'pop' to it. It is also organized on a grid, and like Vox, single articles occupy the cells rather than a cluster of headlines. The theme between articles and pages vary somewhat but are very consistent about keeping to a theme in text (no more than 4 fonts on a page), color scheme, hierarchy, photos, and text blocks.
The Hook
What keeps me coming back to this site is its simplicity and organization which give the impression that the stories are what's important and reminds me that NPR is the name that is giving it to me. It is also very convenient to navigate. There's one menu roll down that connect me to all the topics, one that connects me to all the programs and podcasts, and a widget that recurs on every page where I can click play and listen to the live stream. This is all navigable from the front page.
Improvements
One improvement that I can think of also has to do with scrolling. It would be interesting to have a drop down menu on the first page that can organize the front page by date, so that I can go back to previous big stories. It may also benefit from a high contrast break line between larger sections.
From the last posts, I commented on bloggers:
Tiffany L - http://tiffanylehman365.blogspot.com/
Travis S - http://semi-there.blogspot.com/
Luellen R - http://craftingsocial.blogspot.com/
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