I always like to wait some time after a site I frequent undergoes a redesign before expressing my opinions. It’s only fair to give it this time before I’m able to really determine how I feel about it. On Dec. 7 Mashable.com debuted their redesign. While I was impressed with the crispness of the graphical interface, the new layout was a bit jarring at first.
I understand the recent popularity of this very modular, Pinterest-like layout. It’s tablet-friendly, and we know that’s a growing market, but it’s also different enough to distinguish a high content site from a mass of other sites that have large feature areas to the one side with a more narrow column along side of it.
So while I applauded the new design for doing something different, as a user and fan I found myself missing the very linear style of reading on the site that I had grown accustomed to. It fels like I had to do more scanning from left to right, which always makes it seem like I may skip something important. So for a few days, I was prepared to talk about how much I loved the new design, but how it just didn’t work for me as a reader of the site.
But, then I gave it a few more days. Got to know it a little better. Specifically, I paid attention the main labels along the top that align evenly with the column below it — “The New Stuff,” “The Next Big Thing,” and “What’s Hot.” And suddenly the experience felt more comfortable. I realized I could still have the linear experience, but within those three categories.
I just want to take a moment to talk about labeling. When I’m with a client I always refer to labeling as the most overlooked but important element of a website. The problem with news sites in particular is that there is no creativity or thought put into those labels and it ends up being wasted. It’s one of those print habits that found its way to a browser screen. Why label something “LATEST NEWS” on a news site? Is that to distinguish that from…stale news?
Back to Mashable, those labels, while still a bit general are actually very clear guides as to how I should consume this content. “The New Stuff” tells me this is the stuff I SHOULD read. “What’s Hot” tells me this is what I MUST read. And “The Next Big Thing” tells me this is stuff I MAY be interested in. With that information, I can prioritize my own experience.
And if that’s not enough the useful and not overwhelming mega-dropdowns in the “out-of-the-way” navigation give you the common “snapshot” of the top stories for each section of the site, including another cleverly named menu item, “WATERCOOLER,” (carried over from old site, but have always loved it!) where you can find a gem like this that you otherwise would ignore.
I also like the way the advertising is there but doesn’t seem to get in the way or waste valuable content space. Users are so used to ads dominating the right column of a web page that we tend to just ignore anything that general vicinity. It’s as if our eye muscles just know from habit that it’s a waste to expand our scanning experience to that column where advertising is normally found.
Realizing that most of the time users like me arrive at Mashable.com through an RSS feed, an email or social media posts, Mashable’s article pages don’t just feature some highlights from the homepage along with the story, they give you the entire homepage structure under the article. As a result, I find myself spending more time on the site that I did before. In turn, I’m sharing more stories than I used to.
And it all mostly happens from my iPhone, where the labels serve the same function but fittingly are smaller — “NEW,” “RISING,” and “HOT.” I’ve been writing and reading recently about a mobile first approach to planning and designing a digital presence. I wonder if this was an approach taken by the Mashable team. It certainly seems that way.
I remember reading that Apple founder Steve Jobs was not fond of market research to learn about what consumers wanted. “It isn’t the consumers’ job to know what they want,” he said. He believed it was Apple’s job to show consumers what they needed. Market research couldn’t have helped when he was developing the iPod or the iTunes because consumers could not envision even needing these things that have become a fabric of our lifestyles today.
I’m not sure I totally agree with ignoring all consumer research, but I definitely support some flexibility to allow for trying something innovative that users may not know they need, but ultimately will love. I think I’m finding that with the Mashable.com redesign.
I like it. A lot. Without even realizing it I’m getting to the stories I need faster and being engaged by stories I otherwise wouldn’t have looked for or found. That’s a pretty good result from this user.
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