Over the last two months, our entire staff has worked to launch the freshly redesigned OnMilwaukee.com you see before you. If it seems like we just did this, you're right: it was only a year ago we launched the last major redesign.
But really, OnMilwaukee.com is in a constant state of change. We're always tweaking, enhancing and improving upon the software we first built a decade ago. That's agile development, and staying ahead of the curve is part of what makes this digital media company special.
This latest redesign, however, is unique, because it addresses the three biggest concerns we hear from readers and advertisers every day:
- There's too much stuff on your homepage, and I get lost.
- I want to see everything without you deciding for me what's important and what isn't.
- I don't even use your homepage anymore because I hit your site from social media, and I'm missing out on too much of the good stuff.
Imagine the position this puts us in: three clashing design critiques, all of them equally valid. How do we address each without alienating the others?
I think we've figured it out.
I'm calling 2012 the Year of Curation (and you can quote me on that); that is, the art and science of presenting a Web site's point of view. No longer is the newest article, blog or brief the most important piece of content on a homepage, while older content just falls down the page like a waterfall. Some content, even if it's a little older, is more important than the breaking stuff, and we've dedicated the entire left section of the homepage for curated pieces. It'll make more sense as you look at OnMilwaukee.com each day. Now, we're showing you the "good stuff" we want you to consume, even if it's not specifically the newest content we create.
But that means you'll see a shorter, more compact homepage, inevitably leaving some to wonder where everything went. For those readers, the right column shows everything, beginning with a box that literally shows every piece of content published on OnMilwaukee.com in chronological order.
Beneath that you'll see all the other date-sensitive modules you've come to expect, like OnMilwaukee.com Live, NewsWire and top clicks organized by blogger.
The entire layout is more compact, cleaner and more well thought-out. It reminds me of a magazine's table of contents, instead of a long scroll of everything we could cram onto one page.
Interior pages are also designed for the reader who had clicked there directly, without navigating from the homepage. This way, it's easier to see what else might be worthy of reading upon visiting a page of OnMilwaukee.com.
Stylistically, we also paid more attention to colors and fonts, and used the tips and tricks that HTML 5 allows us to. So, load times should be faster, and the entire site should look cleaner, more consistent, easier on the eyes, and in our opinion, more beautiful.
A tech blogger recently said, "Accuracy, search and menu clarity trump a pretty design."
He's right, but I believe we've achieved both. A magazine that sports a stunning, yet understated design, where you'll always find what you need and what you want. All for free, forever.
And now, we've laid the groundwork for some new applications we'll unroll over the next few weeks. Stick with us as we iron out the inevitable rough patches that come with unveiling a new design. We think you'll find it worthwhile.
Until then, play around with the new design and let us know your thoughts. As always, it's a work in progress, but I believe that this is the best look and feel OnMilwaukee.com has ever had. Big kudos to everyone who helped make it a quick reality. Once again, you've raised the bar on quality at Milwaukee's only daily magazine and city guide. Thank you.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
