The new BBC homepage: A lick of paint.

Richard Titus the head of of User Experience at the BBC is talking about the new BBC homepage, he said that they drew inspiration for the new page from a variety of sources; the widgetization adopted by Facebook, iGoogle and netvibes.

The key features of the homepage are:

• Simple, clean and beautiful design (layout that would be cleaner, more open and more easily readable. There was also a desire to get away from the tired and monotonous blue base colour of the original page.)
  
• Personalization (you can choose the content that interests you by adding and removing the content boxes.The user can also create their own page layout by rearranging the boxes in the layout of their choice.)
  
• Localization (Users can now set their own location, enabling them to access local sites, weather, news, radio and TV schedules.)
  
• Simplicity (the customization is intuitive and includes an interactive demo and tips to guide users through the process. It is also unobtrusive – if the user has no desire to customize their page their experience won't be compromised.)
  
• Search (The site is much easier to read and scan at a glance. At the top of the page there's a search function,and at the bottom a full directory of all BBC sites and a link to the A-Z, allowing users to quickly find what they're looking for.)
  
• Nostalgia (The BBC analogue clock)

In another post Richard Titus mentioned some sites that are similar to, inspired by, or in one case a borderline copy the BBC new design

• http://www.hrt.hr/
• http://www.rtl.hu/
• http://www.littleilford.newham.sch.uk/

read full article from BBC Internet Blog

"Googley" - Google User Experience

Ten principles your design has to achieve a good balance of to be called "Googley"

1. Focus on people – their lives, their work, their dreams. (useful)
2. Every millisecond counts. (fast)
3. Simplicity is powerful. (simple)
4. Engage beginners and attract experts. (engaging)
5. Dare to innovate. (innovative)
6. Design for the world. (universal)
7. Plan for today's and tomorrow's business. (profitable)
8. Delight the eye without distracting the mind. (beautiful)
9. Be worthy of people's trust. (trustworthy)
10. Add a human touch. (personable)

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Why do we buy complexity?

Gerry McGovern is dicussing the reasons that make us buy complexity even when the simple option would be better. He mentioned three reasons:

1. We do judge a book by its cover. If something looks complicated, then we immediately assume that it must be powerful and must have greater value.
2. We love to show off. Complexity lets other people know how clever we are and how rich, because we can afford such complexity.
3. Buying complexity is like buying insurance. We might not need all these fancy features right now, but there might be some time in the future when we will. Buying complexity insures us against future need.

He said that the above conditions do not operate on a Web site for the following reasons:

1. We don't pay for visiting a site with our money; we pay for it with our time. The longer we spend on a Web site, the more we pay, so there is a strong motivation to spend as little time as possible.
2. We can't wear a Web site, drive around in it or show it off at a party. Browsing a site is essentially private behavior.
3. Web sites are about the present, not the future. We have a particular need and we visit the website to meet that particular need.

If people loved complexity on the Web, then everyone would be using advanced search. We may still end up buying complex products on the Web, but our Web behavior will remain relentlessly simple and hugely impatient.

read full article.

The Laws of Simplicity

The Laws of Simplicity is a book by John Maeda. He thinks that technology has made our lives more full, yet at the same time we've become uncomfortably full. Achieving simplicity in the digital age became his personal mission. Through his journey he has discovered that the topic simplicity is really complex. He has reached 10 Laws to keep design, technology, business ans life simple.

1. Law 1: Reduce (The simplest way to achieve simplicity is through thoughtful reduction.)
2. Law 2: Organize (Organization makes a system of many appear fewer.)
3. Law 3: Time (Savings in time feel like simplicity.)
4. Law 4: Learn (Knowledge makes everything simpler.)
5. Law 5: Differences (Simplicity and complexity need each other.)
6. Law 6: Context (What lies in the periphery of simplicity is definitely not peripheral.)
7. Law 7: Emotion (More emotions are better than less.)
8. Law 8: Trust (In simplicity we trust.)
9. Law 9: Failure (Some things can never be made simple.)
10. Law 10: The One (Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious, and adding the meaningful.)
    

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