New BBC website homepage revealed

2456713

Comments

  • henderohendero Posts: 11,773
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    iain wrote: »
    we might be looking at different things - what i'm looking at has about 50% of the page that's mostly filled with news and sport headlines.

    and the most popular section is lower down the hierarchy both in terms of position (its further down the page), and size (its about a third of the size of the main section at the top.)

    so i completely disagree that its more prominent at all.

    I was comparing the "Most popular" stories, 10 of which appear on the bottom third or so of the page, nicely spread out, with a little picture for each article, vs. the Headlines section, which is in the top part of the page, in a small box with three headlines, squished in next to a picture of Jools Holland.

    My own experience is that getting used to new web pages usually takes a few days, but soon one gets used to the new one, normally they are changes for the better, and I imagine this will be the case with the new BBC home page. I just think they need to tinker with the current beta format. Given they are encouraging comments etc. from readers, presumably they will do just that.
  • iainiain Posts: 63,929
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    hendero wrote: »
    I was comparing the "Most popular" stories, 10 of which appear on the bottom third or so of the page, nicely spread out, with a little picture for each article, vs. the Headlines section, which is in the top part of the page, in a small box with three headlines, squished in next to a picture of Jools Holland.

    by default, the page only displays 5 of the most popular stories, along with what's on now, and the explore section.

    at the top, the headlines are not just restricted to that small part you mention. you've got the top story pretty prominent above it, and the panel/image to the left of that which is even more prominent.

    i'm to sure what the big deal is about showing the most popular stories is anyway, other than todays being entertainment related. and good God, we can't have anything to do with entertainment ever making it onto the homepage.
    My own experience is that getting used to new web pages usually takes a few days, but soon one gets used to the new one, normally they are changes for the better, and I imagine this will be the case with the new BBC home page. I just think they need to tinker with the current beta format. Given they are encouraging comments etc. from readers, presumably they will do just that.

    exactly - IIRC most people here hated the current one when it was new.

    Iain
  • degsyhufcdegsyhufc Posts: 59,251
    Forum Member
    I liked the format two redesigns ago. It might have been plain, boring and simple but that's what I like with a (primarily) news site.
  • lozloz Posts: 4,720
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I don't like it, but I think it is aimed at touch screen world.

    Trying it on my iPad that may be true.

    It doesn't support gestures any more than the current BBC website does. For example, you would hope you can just swipe through that top part of the site, but you can't. You have to press the same buttons as you would with a mouse.
    But effectively turning everything into big buttons makes it a bit easier to navigate.
  • iainiain Posts: 63,929
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    are you using Lion? i don't think that support is down to web develops - with the gestures, you can use 2 finger swipes to move through your history (which i think only works in safari), or 3 finger swipes to use move through your desktops.

    i agree it might be nice to have the option with carousels on web pages, but i imagine that would be difficult to implement due to the technologies used to create them, compared to the browser itself.

    Iain
  • JeliteJelite Posts: 2,755
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    If you want to look at pictures its good, i'd like some information though.
  • mossy2103mossy2103 Posts: 84,307
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Some useful (and informative) background info (detailing the hows and whys):

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2011/09/bbc_online_homepage_beta_producer.html



    It is apparently connected with last year's Strategy Review:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/2011/09/a-beta-version-of-the-bbcs-new-homepage.shtml
  • JeliteJelite Posts: 2,755
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I have 60 visible stories on the current homepage on a 13" screen, on the beta there is 10, useless as a homepage.
  • iainiain Posts: 63,929
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Jelite wrote: »
    If you want to look at pictures its good, i'd like some information though.

    perhaps they should think about adding some links to some more pages with more information.

    Iain
  • PizzatheactionPizzatheaction Posts: 20,157
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    How do I get rid of the big LONDON and its accompanying London weather forecast?
  • iainiain Posts: 63,929
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    that will be customisable, but isn't yet in the current beta.

    Iain
  • PizzatheactionPizzatheaction Posts: 20,157
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    iain wrote: »
    that will be customisable, but isn't yet in the current beta.

    Iain
    Thanks, Iain. :)
  • lozloz Posts: 4,720
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    iain wrote: »
    are you using Lion? i don't think that support is down to web develops - with the gestures, you can use 2 finger swipes to move through your history (which i think only works in safari), or 3 finger swipes to use move through your desktops.

    i agree it might be nice to have the option with carousels on web pages, but i imagine that would be difficult to implement due to the technologies used to create them, compared to the browser itself.

    Iain

    A BBC App would be nice - like the BBC News App, but applied to the whole BBC site.
  • sn_22sn_22 Posts: 6,459
    Forum Member
    I'm indifferent on the design. Not much of a fan of the current one which seems cluttered and can be all sorts of garish colours. This is very simple and clean visually - if anything, perhaps too much so. The colour coding on the panels design doesn't make it very obvious what comes from where - though I suppose I'd soon learn where News and Sport are.

    Can sort of understand why they've gone down this 'showcase' route, though. Apparently, the majority of users to, for instance, the News site go there directly, and would navigate to other major sections like Sport or iPlayer via the top bar anyway. So there doesn't seem much point pulling too much of those section's content onto the homepage where you're only going to click through.

    Probably a bit of a loss if you regularly used the customisation option - but the majority clearly didn't.
  • allthingsukallthingsuk Posts: 6,035
    Forum Member
    The BBC don't seem to get the message (and this applies to a lot of things about the BBC) that they shouldn't fix it if it ain't broke.
  • Vast_GirthVast_Girth Posts: 9,793
    Forum Member
    I quite like the functionality of it, but it does look a right old cluttered mess.
  • late8late8 Posts: 7,175
    Forum Member
    http://beta.bbc.co.uk/


    personally don't like it - but didn't they just update the current one early this year?
  • ZenithZenith Posts: 3,868
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    It just looks a complete mess to me. I don't know what to look at first. The old site was simple to navigate (only one page) & neatly laid out. I had customised it to remove the sections I would never read, and alter those that I did (like having F1 as the only sport in that section).

    Looks like I shal have to find a new Home Page.
  • Aaron_ScotlandAaron_Scotland Posts: 8,487
    Forum Member
    Yikes it's awful, Web designer here and there is just too much content in a small area, The greyed out content to the left and right is distracting.

    I miss the dedicated iplayer content, Rather than having the player logo on thumbnails. Another thing, the font is rather large...

    it just screams Windows 8 where everything is walls and squares.. I miss the round curves of 2010, :(:p
  • roger_50roger_50 Posts: 6,895
    Forum Member
    It's messy, muddled, cluttered, totally overcooked, etc.

    No thanks.
  • DelennDelenn Posts: 1,269
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    davidmcn wrote: »
    What is the obsession some sites have with putting a clock on their home page? If I want to know the time it's at the bottom right of my screen anyway.

    The clock is an interesting story. A few updates ago, they had a gap on a beta homepage, so put a flash version of one of the old BBC 1 clocks (1969 - 1985 if you are interested). They always meant to replace it with something else, but they got so many positive comments about it during the beta, they kept it on.

    The next refresh, the beta had it taken off, and they had so many complaints about removing it, they put it back on.

    I am glad to see it is still there, and have emailled them saying so.
  • iainiain Posts: 63,929
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    sn_22 wrote: »
    Can sort of understand why they've gone down this 'showcase' route, though. Apparently, the majority of users to, for instance, the News site go there directly, and would navigate to other major sections like Sport or iPlayer via the top bar anyway. So there doesn't seem much point pulling too much of those section's content onto the homepage where you're only going to click through.

    that's the impression i got too. when the last one came out, it looked interesting with the customisation thing, but i would tend to just go straight to the news section and browse from there.

    this new design definitely seems to be more inviting in terms of flicking through and seeing what sort of stuff might be in other places on the site.

    Iain
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 520
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    It's dreadful.
  • ZenithZenith Posts: 3,868
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Looks like it's gone "live" today.

    Time to find a new home page.
Sign In or Register to comment.