Grid Format User Interfaces All The Rage?
Navigating the home page of most newspaper websites stinks. There are literally hundreds of links scattered about with very little thought toward user engagement and ease of use. In the 14 years that most news sites have been in use, it still seems easier to navigate a printed newspaper than a news site.
Personally speaking, I can skim through an entire Wall Street Journal in about 5 minutes before going back and reading entire articles that interest me. Try doing this on a news site and you will quickly realize that there is no seamless way to recreate the speed and effectiveness. The New York Times article skimmer and others below attempt to solve this problem.
The New York Times is working on the new user interface prototype for their content called ‘article skimmer’. Below is a screen shot of their Dining & Wine section in Article Skimmer. It’s a nice clean layout, good for scanning.
