Website design can be a tricky subject to tackle. Similar to newspaper design there are a number of various elements necessary to create a successful journalistic website. The most important element for news websites and their readers is readability. The website needs to be easily readable or the reader will leave the website. Research suggests that people who use news websites for their daily news have an incredibly short attention span. This means the website needs to follow the same design elements as a print newspaper to maintain readership.
Navigation is another important factor for website design. Most news websites have their navigation bar near the top of the page just below the header. This is an important element because it allows the reader to navigate to a different section of the site quickly. Another aspect I noticed on news websites is that many are trying to maximize advertising without bombarding their readers with obnoxiously large ads. This preserves advertising without eliminating readership.
I noticed that on many websites it’s difficult to find the RSS feed, especially on sites like CNN.com. In terms of website design it is important to make the feed button easy to find and easily accessible. This too helps maintain readership.
The most attractive news website I have seen on the internet is the Huffington Post website. Not only is the most important information on the front page but everything is well spaced out. There isn’t too much clutter. Many news websites make the mistake of trying to cram too many stories and text on the front page which is unnecessary. News websites need to follow the same guidelines that print publications follow. From my observation The Huffington Post is likely the best designed news website on the internet.
One new website I do not care for is the New York Times. Aesthetically the website is poorly laid out. Also, there is far too much text on the front page creating clutter and it can be difficult to tell which text belongs to each story. The Chicago Tribune on the other hand is another website that is well designed. The top stories are clearly identified on the front page. Next to the top stories are links to other stories from the day. To the left of the top stories is a navigation bar that is easy to use and well designed.
Deciding the most important content on a news website should follow the guideline principles established by print publications. The most important headlines of the day should be the largest on the page. This aspect should be clear to each reader who visits the website. An attractive easily usable navigation bar is another feature that all news websites should embrace. This allows the reader to find the information quickly and bypass information they don’t care to read about.
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