If it aint broke, don’t fix it
They say first impressions are everything…but Minnpost.com may need more than just that first impression to keep readers interested. It seems that they’ve decided to forego some “laws” of online website organization and harmony to create their online news website, but did breaking the rules, cause a break down in their online presence?
Take the homepage for example. If you look at the screen grab below, what news article seems to pop out first?
Now that might be trick question because if you’re like me (and the couple of people I’ve asked while completing this evaluation) a news article isn’t the first thing that pop out on this page. Rather it’s the “The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity” advertisement in the upper left corner of the screen that takes the show. Scan the webpage again, and your second glance could be the Coleman V Franken discussion advertisement at the top left. This is a format that seems to be great for advertisers –hey they are getting prime space here, but it doesn’t exactly make sense for a reputable online news site.
The opposite of harmony is discord…and if I had to rank Minnpost as having either harmony or discord….I would probably have to place it towards the latter. Minnpost is known for their reporter caricatures that accompany various news articles:
…but they are also known for publishing drawings,
…and typical news photography
But can this “discord” of caricatures, drawings and news photography lead to confusion or increased interest for the readers? Personally, the various ways to present images spark my interest…it keeps things interesting and relatable. By keeping the readers intrigued and entertained by the still images on the website, Minnpost.com is able to relate their creativity and spark, which can come in hand for a locally based online news site.
But while the images keep the readers entertained, I don’t believe that they single-handily distract the viewer. Granted, minnpost.com isn’t your typical news website…and I don’t think they’re trying to be. Minnpost, because of its local connection and “youthful” vibe, can break some of the rules that bigger websites like NY Times can’t afford to break.
Is the homepage the epitome of simplicity….hardly…but is it distracting….not for its audience. Because it’s a niche site, the lack of uniformity actually tends to creates more cohesion amongst the folks at Minnpost.com and their hip and savvy readers.
So are rules meant to be broken?? Probably not always, and if the site’s not broken now…why bother to “fix” it?
While I agree that the ads can be somewhat distracting and that the eye may move to them first, one thing I do truly appreciate about MinnPost’s design is its simplicity. Sometimes, less is more. But I’m truly on the fence with MinnPost; one time I look and approve of the simplistic design and another time I look and become annoyed by the truly non-traditional format of the page.