New BBC Website

DeadEyeDuk

Superhero Level Poster
Discuss.

My goto website for checking both the news, but more importantly whether my internet connection is working seems to have self-destructed over the last week into something more akin to someone's A-Level web-design project.

"Discuss" might have been too elaborate word for this, but this week, for a number of reasons, the BBC has just made me sad :(
 

Spuff

Expert
Desktop users suffer for the sake of mobile devices. It seems to be the way of things now.
I've only been to the news site so far. It is nasty on a normal PC screen. It's a bunch of links scattered around and having to scroll 4 screens down to see them all. At least a third of the width is blank because of wasted space to the sides.
 
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DeadEyeDuk

Superhero Level Poster
Agreed Spuff. Just seems all so pointless. They have also ruined the HYS sections (where they do appear). Not only is the design even more backwards than the previous version (which wasn't exactly all singing and dancing), but I also cannot load more than 10 comments! Just return me to the top each time.

How can it possibly be difficult to have a PC version and a mobile version? Lots of other sites cope with that. It just so hard to navigate now, when there didn't seem a need to change it (well not in this way) in the first place :(
 

mantadog

Superhero Level Poster
I too get the news from the BBC site, I even have it as my homepage as I like to keep across what's going on. I tried it when they offered it as a trial and it obviously sucked, they say its to save money so they don't have to run mobile and PC friendly versions of the site but REALLY?

I have only ever played with website building but I would like to think I could do better. The whole thing is just a bit barren looking has a strange layout, I like the mobile site when I use it but I don't want it on my PC. Much like windows works just fine on my phone in metro mode but not on my PC.
 

Tom DWC

Moderator
Moderator
Web stuff is primarily what I do now and I'm normally a big fan of flat design and of websites being responsive.

Not in this case though. I didn't like the comments change in the sports section when they added that first, it's harder to read as they all kind of merge together (and for some reason they removed the link at the top of the article to jump to the comments). New design that forgoes functionality that was there previously always winds me up.

As for the new site design, it's... interesting. I can see what they were going for but again, it's harder to read and nothing really draws me to the content or stands out.

I haven't checked the experience across different devices as I use the app on my phone (the new app I like) and never access the website. Responsive design is a good thing, period, but only when implemented correctly. If it offers a fractured of inferior experience depending on the device then it isn't doing what it's supposed to do. The modern trend of flat design is much more subjective but it's essentially an implementation of minimalism and that's where everything, literally everything, is headed. Again maybe this is a case of that not being done so well.
 

DeadEyeDuk

Superhero Level Poster
The way I look at these design decisions is like our old friend the Console to PC port. At some point companies (mine included btw) decided that mobile/tablet was so much more important than PC/laptop. Therefore, the priority is a responsive site that absolutely 100% must cater and benefit the mobile user. The BBC aren't the only culprit, but they are just so much more obvious due to their visibility and visitor numbers. Tag onto that the awful awful comments sections (and yes, why put the number of comments at the top if there is no link in it), and odd things like the "Read" menu at the side no longer showing ones you have already clicked on (just plain black text now), and you get a disaster!

Granted I didn't take the BBC up on their offer to test the beta of the site, but someone must have! I can't believe the people that accepted the beta for a few weeks all said "yup, this new site is awesome and much better than the current one". I just refuse to believe that many people could be either that deluded or simple :D

Sorry for a further rant, but just really irked with the BBC at the mo :(
 
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