A Look at The New York Times’ Website Redesign
The New York Times recently launched their newly redesigned website, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished by the Grey Lady since 2006, an era markedly preceding the birth of the iPad and iPhone.
The redesign, featuring a cleaner look with ample white space, reader-friendly articles with more options for interaction, and native advertising space, has been widely well-received.
The one thing, however, that piqued my interest was the focus by The New York Times’ web developers on a user-friendly design for people looking at their site on a tablet or a smartphone. Because their previous design was created before there was even a need for a responsive layout, their adherence to a mobile-friendly option speaks volumes to business owners everywhere.
The New York Times Asked Me…
Naturally, I pulled out my iPhone and typed in the URL nytimes.com to see just how easy-to-use their site was on my smartphone. Sure enough, I could read every word without the annoying finger maneuvering to zoom, the menu was customized for my view and quite easy to navigate, and unnecessary features were removed so the load times were comparable to my desktop. I was pleased. What’s more, a small box prompting me to take a survey popped up and I obliged, for research purposes, of course. A few of the questions went like this:
- What type of device are you using to access nytimes.com? (Smartphone, tablet, desktop, etc.)
- How long do you spend on nytimes.com while on this device?
- What characteristics are most important to you when viewing the nytimes.com on this device?
- Easy to use
- Visually appealing
- Does not crash
- Interactive features
With this survey, The New York Times captured the most critical aspect a business needs regarding their online presence – an ear bent toward the consumer’s needs. In preparation for the rollout of their redesign they must have been asking the following questions we need to ask ourselves:
Is the information on our website clearly organized?
Do our viewers have a difficult time viewing our site on their phones and tablets?
Is our website alluring people to spend more time there?
Does our design look clean and fresh?
I appreciate a website that accommodates my busy, smartphone-in-hand lifestyle. If you’re thinking that your website could use a refresh or a complete makeover, we’d love to help.