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Quick impressions.
The new site looks better. Way better.
It's cluttered with all kinds of stuff I have no use or interest for, but it's the same now.
Looks like I'll be arriving to the news page in the future, bypassing the front page.
I question the move to a smaller type when the screen resolutions are on the way up.
The new font is more legible though, so it's no worse than the current situation.
Doesn't look like Maccentral at all, completely Macworld.
Editors' Notes Weblog: All-new Macworld.com open to the public
MultiQuote
#17
leehljp 
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Posted 03 December 2007 - 06:16 PM
The "All Stories" tab will be able to be set as a default, allowing you to see the latest 15 stories posted to the site. Beyond that we'll have a more stories link.
The Problem seems (to me) that the "will be ABLE" is so "PCish" instead of natural. I like the news "in my face" when I log on. Most users and new users will not notice that tab initially and wonder just what happened. MS went this route and dictated to people how they had to set things up and operate. You are offering an option with the "All Stories Tab" but that should be the default!
JMO
The Problem seems (to me) that the "will be ABLE" is so "PCish" instead of natural. I like the news "in my face" when I log on. Most users and new users will not notice that tab initially and wonder just what happened. MS went this route and dictated to people how they had to set things up and operate. You are offering an option with the "All Stories Tab" but that should be the default!
JMO
#18 Guest__*
Posted 03 December 2007 - 06:30 PM
Quote:
I'm still missing MacCentral, the url of which I still use to connect to your site.
I'm still missing MacCentral, the url of which I still use to connect to your site.
I too still use that old url and miss the old "MacCentral" as well. I do not even think of this site as "MacWorld", but as "MacCentral". /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
#19
cpoff
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Posted 03 December 2007 - 06:34 PM
As I mentioned in the article, you'll have the option to set All Stories as the default in the tabbed news window.
You can have it all. Every story we've posted lately in one single tabbed window.
- cp
You can have it all. Every story we've posted lately in one single tabbed window.
- cp
#20
cpoff
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- Group: Administrators
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Posted 03 December 2007 - 06:38 PM
Everything is changing for Macworld. The design, and the back-end software driving it all. Even the forum software package will be changing. So barring a CMS disaster of apocalyptic proportion, the old site will just vanish one day.
That's why we're asking for feedback now, so we can avoid such a disaster.
- cp
That's why we're asking for feedback now, so we can avoid such a disaster.
- cp
#21
icerabbit
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Posted 03 December 2007 - 06:41 PM
Nice fresh look. Has a bit more of a magazine or newspaper look to it with the featured sections.
I second others that in terms of quick access to the latest stories it is a big step backwards. They're at the middle of the page and only a few headlines. Just take a big screen grab. Print it and put them side by side. Maybe there should be a left column with news headlines. Center with features. Right with ads.
Or maybe do two features and then have the headline section under it.
It's also a bit odd in the right column with ads, featured content, ads.
I understand you're going wider because we're all pretty much using widescreen monitors with capabilities in the 1280 1600 etc range. But I do have to point out there's a big trend in portable internet devices with 800x screens. Apple's iPhone itself is limited to 480x. Keeping content to the left and up in a narrow screen width helps.
As you're doing part of this in CSS. Maybe it could be a flexible design option whereby a column shifts down when viewed in a narrow environment.
I second others that in terms of quick access to the latest stories it is a big step backwards. They're at the middle of the page and only a few headlines. Just take a big screen grab. Print it and put them side by side. Maybe there should be a left column with news headlines. Center with features. Right with ads.
Or maybe do two features and then have the headline section under it.
It's also a bit odd in the right column with ads, featured content, ads.
I understand you're going wider because we're all pretty much using widescreen monitors with capabilities in the 1280 1600 etc range. But I do have to point out there's a big trend in portable internet devices with 800x screens. Apple's iPhone itself is limited to 480x. Keeping content to the left and up in a narrow screen width helps.
As you're doing part of this in CSS. Maybe it could be a flexible design option whereby a column shifts down when viewed in a narrow environment.
#24 Guest__*
Posted 03 December 2007 - 06:44 PM
Quote:
Even the forum software package will be changing.
Even the forum software package will be changing.
So we will all end up newbies again like the change from MacCentral where the number of previous posts was zeroed out? This was very disappointing the first time, hope it will not happen twice. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif
#25
Jason Snell
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Posted 03 December 2007 - 07:17 PM
Quote:
The Problem seems (to me) that the "will be ABLE" is so "PCish" instead of natural. I like the news "in my face" when I log on. Most users and new users will not notice that tab initially and wonder just what happened.
The Problem seems (to me) that the "will be ABLE" is so "PCish" instead of natural. I like the news "in my face" when I log on. Most users and new users will not notice that tab initially and wonder just what happened.
The goal is to serve two different audiences -- the people who come every day for the latest news, and the people who come less often. Right now our site serves only the first group. In the new site, the goal is to make it easy for the first group to get what they want -- and set it as a default -- without turning away the second group.
Because let's be honest, if you're someone who comes to Macworld.com once every two weeks or once a month, a list of the items posted in the last six hours isn't very useful or friendly.
#26
Jason Snell
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Posted 03 December 2007 - 07:23 PM
Quote:
So we will all end up newbies again like the change from MacCentral where the number of previous posts was zeroed out?
So we will all end up newbies again like the change from MacCentral where the number of previous posts was zeroed out?
The plan is to migrate all user data, including post count.
#27
flybynight
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Posted 03 December 2007 - 07:27 PM
Quote:
The "All Stories" tab will be able to be set as a default, allowing you to see the latest 15 stories posted to the site. Beyond that we'll have a more stories link.
The "All Stories" tab will be able to be set as a default, allowing you to see the latest 15 stories posted to the site. Beyond that we'll have a more stories link.
I will definately be doing that. After reading some of the other posts, I checked out the "News" button at the top, but that didn't seem to have all of the stories.
I have to say that I REALLY like the light gray text before the headline telling you what category (Editors' Notes, etc) the story is in. Nice touch!
Quote:
Any new design will appear to have ads that are more "in your face," because your brain hasn't adapted to the new design like it has to the previous design. That said, as I pointed out above, Macworld.com is entirely supported by advertising. If we don't run ads, there's no site.
Any new design will appear to have ads that are more "in your face," because your brain hasn't adapted to the new design like it has to the previous design. That said, as I pointed out above, Macworld.com is entirely supported by advertising. If we don't run ads, there's no site.
No, I think it's more "in your face" because it's more prominent that it was in the old layout. And I did acknowledge in my original post that I understand that you need ad revenues. I'm not saying to get rid of them... just don't let them get in the way of what I'm trying to find. Newspapers rely on ad revenue too, but they don't make them stand out more than the front page headlines.
I check your site several times a day (I know, I'm a freak)... so the featured story (or 3) at the top are usually not of interest to me. To me, the most important thing on your home page is a list of the stories that have been posted since I was last slacking off from work. Don't make my employer pay me to slack off AND scroll down! ;^p
#28
wardoggie
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Posted 03 December 2007 - 07:27 PM
I must admit that I rarely look at your home page. I usually get here via Firefox's live bookmarks, so, I'll just say that I like blue more than red and leave it at that. Well, maybe a few more things /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
1. The editorial-to-ad ratio on the home page appears to be skewed toward ads because they're pushing into the center of the main window. So while the actual ratio might be nearly the same, the ads carry greater weight (i.e., they're harder to ignore). And the "editorial" content on the home page was more like what I see in my live bookmarks sidebar: just headlines. So, home page visitors got a lot more content just by glancing at headlines than the single main feature and two secondary features that lie "above the fold". Maybe that's the source of most of the complaints? I dunno.
2. All other things being equal, I like the boombox ad format better than the skyscraper format, so at least that's a small plus IMO.
3. Not sure if I like or dislike the secondary nav bar replacing the drop-down menus, so that's probably a toss-up.
4. One very minor quibble: the text for the Google ads violates the "Ads by Google" area. CSS tweak?
I do like the look of the secondary pages a lot. Since that's usually my first impression, I think the redesign is an upgrade. The narrower text column with more leading is just more appealing to me. I know it means more scrolling to read a long article, but that's why my mouse has a scroll wheel /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
So... you win some and you lose some. Not bad for a major re-design! /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
1. The editorial-to-ad ratio on the home page appears to be skewed toward ads because they're pushing into the center of the main window. So while the actual ratio might be nearly the same, the ads carry greater weight (i.e., they're harder to ignore). And the "editorial" content on the home page was more like what I see in my live bookmarks sidebar: just headlines. So, home page visitors got a lot more content just by glancing at headlines than the single main feature and two secondary features that lie "above the fold". Maybe that's the source of most of the complaints? I dunno.
2. All other things being equal, I like the boombox ad format better than the skyscraper format, so at least that's a small plus IMO.
3. Not sure if I like or dislike the secondary nav bar replacing the drop-down menus, so that's probably a toss-up.
4. One very minor quibble: the text for the Google ads violates the "Ads by Google" area. CSS tweak?
I do like the look of the secondary pages a lot. Since that's usually my first impression, I think the redesign is an upgrade. The narrower text column with more leading is just more appealing to me. I know it means more scrolling to read a long article, but that's why my mouse has a scroll wheel /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
So... you win some and you lose some. Not bad for a major re-design! /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif
