The New Look Web 2.0 BBC Beta
Unless you’ve been living in a vacuum (or actually doing work at work) you’ve probably run across the BBC BETA redesign. I wouldn’t be too surprised if much of the visual design of this beta will evolve in response to user feedback so much of my comment will be spent avoiding any criticism of the grey gradients or large Verdana headings.
I’m with Mark Boulton and Jeremy Keith in that I actually love that analogue clock. No, seriously. If you wonder why I might need a clock (after all its not a train station) then ask yourself about the relationship between news and time. The answer should have something to do with the relevency of information. Visually the clock is clean and has a nostalgic BBC connection to memories of watching the original Dr Who and The Goodies in the way back when of the 70′s.
If you consider this beta design a work in development which is obviously looking for feedback then this is a great move forward for the organisation.
My big question is why are there two versions? Firefox 2.0.0.11 shows a visually rich user experience…
… and Internet Explorer 6 shows a significally inferior visual user experience.
Is it really wise to make a second rate experience for the major browser on a site like the BBC? Where is the business case that supports it? Or is it, as I suspect, an idealism which may work on a private weblog but becomes entirely inappropriate on a mass media site.
To open critics of the beta design I’d say to stop picking holes for the sake of making total negatives out of any change to a British institution. Jeremy Keith pointed out the site works without JavaScript and I’d give the team a tick for doing that effectively. I’d also give the team a tick for thinking about interface customisation – thus the Web 2.0 aspect. We need to consider ways to involve users in the experience of our designs.
There are a whole bunch of technical issues which are identified on the Web Standards Group mailing list archive of the BBC in Beta thread. This would be a good starting place for the design team to look at the design’s technical aspects and site accessibility. A solid peeve of my own would be to have them remove as much of that JavaScript and inline CSS into external files as possible.
Do I think the design is a success? Well no. But I see this as a beta seeking user feedback so I see it as a potential success given their obvious commitment to improvement. Let’s see how they go and offer constructive criticism along the way. Let’s see if they continue sub-service for Internet Explorer, for example. Currently above the fold in Firefox I like the visual design (I’d suggest making the colour links below the main image a little subtler in their after effects and perhaps more intuitive somehow).
I’ll finish off by reiterating that I love the analogue clock. I do love the analogue clock. And, just quietly, don’t underestimate my nostalgic connection to the BBC culture. Even though I’m Australian.
Update: I should add that I do think the current beta is visually better than the older version. I do think that with a little honing the user experience will also be an improvement. I just don’t think the design at this stage, if released as it is, would be a success. Partly due to the Internet Explorer experience (regardless of politics) but also because there are still some bugs and usability / accessibility issues to iron out. A little sparkle here and a shine up there and yes I think it looks promising (meaning the Firefox version). Or at least interesting.
