

BBC Now Has Beautiful Customizable Website - kirubakaran
http://www.bbc.co.uk?beautiful

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bouncingsoul
Sweet tech. Bad design.

1\. The giant module titles are friendly for first timers, but regular users –
for whom all these customizable modules were created – are not served at all
by them, in fact, they detract from the experience by taking up a lot of space
and demanding your focus because they're the LARGEST THINGS on the page.

Check out how Newsvine handles module titles: <http://www.newsvine.com/>

2\. All together the page is a jumble. I understand that they're giving users
the power to move things around and possibly make it look bad, but why have it
jumbled _by default_? Also going from module to module there's little
consistency: they have completely different layouts.

Check out how msnbc's modules have a consistent structure:
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/>

3\. I can't help feeling like there isn't anything on the page: There is _so
much chrome._ And the gray dividers between modules create a lot of noise. I
have to really focus to find the few unordered lists which are the content.

4\. Why can I collapse modules? What problem does that solve? If I don't want
a module, I will uncheck it. If it's something I don't need often I will move
it to the bottom.

I'm sure some will like it, and it's animated (neat!), but I'm not keen on
providing two ways to do one thing.

5\. Nitpick: I hate when the hover state of buttons is the just gradient
reversed: it's lazy and it always throws me because I worry that I
accidentally clicked.

(I know this isn't Design News, but a lot of people here _are_ interface
designers for at least their own apps, so hopefully someone finds my critique
valuable.)

~~~
tel
Agree on 1-4. 5 is probably a non-issue since inverting the gradient is really
increasingly common as a hover state "common design is good design".

My take: the BBC redesign takes 99% of its ideas from _Web Two Point Oh_ and
has never heard of people like, say, Tufte. Thanks, BBC, for updating your
site and making it customizable. No thanks for changing the visual style.

And _why is there a clock_? I already have a clock right there on my screen
and it's _digital_.

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brlewis
It does appear customizable. I don't see what's beautiful about it, though.

~~~
Prrometheus
It’s not pretty, but after spending 30 seconds working with it I am very
impressed by its ease of use and usefulness. Love it!

~~~
kirubakaran
> _very impressed by its ease of use and usefulness_

Yeah, thats the meaning of beauty I meant.

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moog
It should integrate in real time with the rest of the BBC's content.

Where are the recipes when cookery programmes are showing on TV? Where are the
playlists when a DJ is spinning tunes? Where are the transcripts for spoken
radio?

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cdr
Top headline: "EU fines Microsoft record $1.4bn".

I like it already.

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mdaines
It mystifies me to see clocks on news & customizable websites like this -- the
abundance of chrome was mentioned, and I've always thought cute little clocks
fall into the same category. It is perhaps "computer administrative junk" or
whatever Edward Tufte calls it. Who looks at a clock on a web page to tell the
time?

~~~
dcminter
It's certainly chrome, but in the BBC's defense that particular clock has a
special place in the hearts of its viewers. It's the one that used to be used
in the run up to "Programmes for Schools" broadcasts and is therefore very
familiar to everyone of a certain age.

There's also the fact that the BBC is a broadcaster with schedules, so while
you might not care if you know the time, the BBC wants you to know it so that
you don't miss broadcasts.

For these reasons I think it's superfluous but in-offensive.

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rob
It would be better if all of the categories/sections weren't stuffed down in
the footer.

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edu
I like it, but I can not find anyway to register. I don't want to lose my
settings after cleaning the cookies or I would like to have the same options
at my home or at work, or whenever I am. 7/10.

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danw
Works great in Opera too

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redorb
It does look nice, the color scheme is nice.

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JohnN
the only changed the homepage

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Prrometheus
Something’s broken. I set my sports to include “football” and it says nothing
about the NFL draft!

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Prrometheus
Making jokes like this is how I lost half my karma the last time I started
closing in on 100.

~~~
bouncingsoul
I haven't voted you down before, but I've seen some of your jokes. Maybe this
is weird, but I'd rather jokes not be made here.

I don't mean humor in general – which is great if you can include it – but the
one-liners, puns, and feigning ignorance jokes.

I don't know. I guess I'm worried about that scenario that plays out all the
time where someone puts effort into making a good argument hoping for deserved
admiration, but then someone else can come along and crack a simplistic joke
and in one second get promoted right past the first guy.

If that scenario plays out it not only discourages valuable discourse, but it
_encourages_ the opposite. Jokes are easier than thoughtful comments. So if
they're rewarded just as well or better, than people will choose that route.

And a thread full of attempted jokes gets noisy fast.

~~~
benmathes
The parent might be seen as draconian, but is actually talking about a good
example of vote-for-the-community-you-want. Don't let "el oh el" posts go
unmoderated -- If you don't want them here, vote them down. You aren't saying
the poster lacks all virtue, just that you'd prefer a meatier discussion that
doesn't devolve in to puns being the highest ranked posts.

A high signal/noise ratio is very important for some. I'd bet it's very
important for most here. Tokens of information (a post, an article, etc.)
often make it to the top of the heap in many user-driven environments simply
because they are (1) super-easy to digest and (2) appeal to most. I left digg
because that content won out, and then the same with reddit. I don't want to
see a funny picture of cats when I come here (I have rss feeds for that), I
want articles that are difficult, and comments I have to chew on.

