5 Web Design Tips from the CNN.com Redesign

Image courtesy of Fast Company

Want to know what a $15 million website redesign looks like?  CNN.com is planning to unveil their brand-new website in November, and they've tweaked the homepage, the mobile experience and the back-end of their website all in an effort to redefine readers' experience.

There are a number of tips from their major website overhaul that translate to any website--no matter the budget.

Be Responsive

More people are accessing the web via a mobile device everyday.  With faster phones and data streaming speeds, looking something up on the web is becoming a natural part of daily life.  Whether it's checking in on Facebook or researching area restaurants, mobile customers are a huge source of web traffic.

"Desktop [traffic] is flat. It's aging," KC Estenson, general manager of CNN.com said. "Mobile growth [is] off the chart."

Currently, CNN.com garners about 39% of their total traffic from mobile devices--a figure they expect will only increase.

Takeaway

Check your website stats.  What percent of total traffic is from a mobile device (phones and tablets)?  You may be surprised.  Now, check out your website on a few mobile devices.  What is the experience like?

Update Your Color Scheme

CNN.com is known for using the color red in their logo as making red a major player in their color palette.  The new design will maintain the red logo, but the color scheme will be darker and more dramatic.  Then, as news stories are more pressing and urgent, the colors change to become more urgent--a brighter background with a red headline.

Takeaway

Seriously revisit the colors used on your website.  How long have you been using them?  Is it time to introduce a new feeling or theme using color?  However, be sure to keep the brand consistent (aka - don't mess the logo unless you're looking to update it across the board).

Streamline the Back End

CNN.com is looking to make the process of adding a news story to their website easier and quicker for their contributors.  In addition, the process of publishing a story to the web and mobile devices will be streamlined.  Finally, readers can tag stories and recieve updates and view articles of a similar nature.

Takeaway

What current website features have become cumbersome or unenjoyable?  Is it due to a process that is too clunky or time consuming?  An update to the back end of a website is more costly, but the time, effort and tears saved may make the project entirely worthwhile.  

Big Photos

The new CNN.com will feature more photos.  And, the more pressing the news story, the larger the photos.

Takeaway

Web viewers are becoming more visual with websites like Pinterest capturing much of their time.  Is there an area of your website that could benefit from larger photos?  If your shutter skills are rusty or you rely on your smartphone for website imagery, it may be time to up your game.  Consider hiring a professional or honing your photography skills.  Either way, remember that a picture is worth 1,000 words.

Personalization

The ability to tag news stories is going to be huge.  If visitors to CNN.com tag a human interest story, the website will then suggest other, similar stories in an effort to make the website as personalized as possible.

Takeaway

Are there similar ways you can present a personal experience for your web visitors?  It can be as simple as an email suggesting similar products when a customer completes a purchase or as sophisticated as delivering content based on their viewing preferences.  Another way to personalize your brand is to respond to commenters on social media and blogs.

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No matter the budget, there are a number of lessons appropriate for any website in the $15 million redesign of CNN.com.  What are your thoughts?  We'd love for you to pop over to our Facebook page and fill us in!

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To read more about the CNN.com redesign, check out the following news stories:

Fast Company
Mashable
BrandChannel

Innovate like Marissa Mayer

Marissa Mayer's strategic plan for innovation at Yahoo! has been to acquire 20 start-ups in just over a year.  Sometimes she did this to acquire technology and sometimes it was the people behind the tech that caught her eye.

Your small business may not have the assets that Yahoo! has to "Innovate through Acquisition" but that doesn't mean you should just forget about innovative thinking entirely.  

How can your business innovate like Melissa Mayer?

1.  Acquire New Blood

One way to acquire innovative ideas and skills is to invest in people.  Hiring someone new to be a part of a group that has worked together for a long time may be a great way to raise the bar.  

When looking for someone to add to your staff, set your sights high and look for someone that is driven and creative--no matter if they are a programmer or a customer service rep.  Exceptional people are out there!  You just need to actively find them.

2.  Invest in Your Employees

When was the last time you sprung for the sales team to attend a leadership seminar?  Or funded your IT team to attend a conference?  Nothing gets people fired up more than spending time with innovative thinkers.  When was the last time you made that possible for your team?  

Exceptional conferences and dynamic events are out there!  You need to actively find them!  (noticing a trend?)

3.  Break the Mold

Staff development seems like a running joke.  Team building and trust exercises might be your thing, but your staff probably isn't looking for something along those lines.  How about taking your team to a movie?  Or buying everyone lunch--and then enjoying lunch together as a team.  

Friend your employees on Facebook or follow them on Twitter to see what their interests are and then foster those interests.  Maybe a bunch of them like zombie movies.  Maybe a family picnic is more their style.  Whatever it is, seek out an opportunity to thank your employees for their dedication and hard work.  You'd be surprised how different Monday morning will be.

4.  Become an Active Listener

While you may be the CEO of your small business, your faithful employees probably have valuable ideas of their own.  One of the most difficult things for a business owner to do is to keep their opinions and justifications to themselves while employees are talking about their desires, dreams and visions for your company.  After all, the company is your baby, we get that.  But you're all bringing up baby together.  Often, the best results come from collaboration.  

Ideas, opinions, and dreams can be explored and it doesn't mean your business won't be the same anymore.  Dare to listen to your staff.  The results just may surprise you.

5.  Go Outside

When working on your business and brand is a full-time job, sometimes, it can blur your view of things.  Nothing helps clear vision like an outsider's point of view.  You see the same walls, the same signage, the same processes everyday and may overlook them all.  But, to an outsider, everything is new.  They may help you to see inconsistencies in your product, your service or your brand.  Seek out outsiders and welcome their ideas.

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Marissa Mayer's innovative thinking is really shaking things up for Yahoo!  Innovative thinking can really help your business to succeed.  Are you ready to take the plunge?  We'd love to hear about it on our Facebook page.