We work in environmental law, but we are also web experts. Designing for the internet and it’s wide variety of users is very challenging, no one does it perfectly. That being said, it is becoming indispensable to design websites well. Users have many places to go for information, if you do not design well, they will just click on out of there. The Globe and Mail, Canada’s premier newspaper just redesigned their website and my verdict is: Disaster.

The previous version was not amazing, but this is truly a mess.

Below is a screenshot and here are a few notes. My main complaints, as a web designer and usability professional are:

1. Four!, different ways to navigate the site (see blue lines). More is not better, it is confusing.
2. Hideous banner as the first thing you see. I understand the need for advertising revenue, but this comprimises the entire reader experience – thus reducing readership and advertising. (see red lines)
3. Red headlines and Black headlines – consistency?
4. Red lines to seperate articles – drawing your attention to the lines instead of the articles
5. Confusing search options
6. Over 10 unique colours on the various design elements – 3 or 4 is the maximum.
7. Drop down menus where the top link acts as a link! It should only trigger the drop down or don’t do a drop-down.

I could go on. But, largely, this redesign looks like it was done on a small budget with no high quality designers. The Newspaper industry is dying because of bad design, see our post on saving newspapers through great design.

The best use of the internet to deliver newspapers is the recently released New York Times Reader (not the website). It is a truly well designed software that makes reading online as pleasurable as the print format.

The Globe and Mail is destroying it’s credibility with this low quality production.

Some people say the printed page is on a slow, inexorable, march towards death, we tend to agree. However, there is still hope in the dismal newspaper world. The video below demonstrates how taking a design centered approach to a newspaper can help it beat the technology revolution; the designer in question, Jacek Utko, looks at a newspaper as one complete work – as opposed to a series of articles. He then applies fabulous layout, typography and consistency to produce a product people want to purchase – what a crazy idea! His main point is this, “Any industry, no matter how dull and boring, can be made great. It only takes determination, vision, drive and an understanding that good is not good enough”

We apply this philosophy everyday at Nimonik, constantly improving the technology and content. From our point of view, there is a tremendous opportunity to improve environmental management, it simply takes drive and determination. Take a look at this wonderful, inspirational, 6 minute talk on rising above mediocrity and beating the odds.

Update: Here is an interview with Jacek Utko, where he states that newspapers will die, and jut before death, will be at their finest (design) hour.

We just launched a new topics menu. It makes moving around the site a whole lot faster. Check out the video below to get a demonstration. We hope you enjoy the new menu. (High Quality here)