[IxDA Discuss] Any thoughts on the economist.com redesign?

[Andy Edmonds]

On Wed, May 14, 2008 at 9:36 PM, Alvin Woon <alvinwoon at gmail.com> wrote:

> As always, I think it's easier for us standing by the sideline to
> criticize. :).
>

Indeed!  That said, the old design was quite ambituous and a bit more
interesting I think.  Certainly, a lot more colorful.

In fact, I used it to illustrate the CRAP guidelines (consistency,
repetition, proximity, and alignment) with my visual simulator. Here's a pic
of the old design:
http://flickr.com/photos/andyed/2493082595/in/set-72157604740561619/

It was quite colorful and highly optimized for scanning. I also admired the
way they broke the visual grid/alignment in the old design with the banner
ad below the header, called out at
http://flickr.com/photos/andyed/2493902508/in/set-72157604740561619/

I'd have to guess the new top placement will decrease the effectiveness of
the banner, but my hunch is their bounce rate will decrease solidly.

Always fun to armchair UX...  -Andy