New face of TOI.com

Do we need it?

Present TOI.com homepage

Content has evolved, design has not

Caters to original thought: print edition on the net

Design decay: Ad/content-led modifications

Heavy page weight by international standards

What’s current

Homepage main entrypoint, showcases few stories

No provision for display of sections on homepage

Too many animated banners, hurts surfers’ eyes

Nav panel on left very long

Current TOI

Page size: 2.5 scrolls Pure pg wt: 440 kb

Benchmarking: Global news websitesNew York Times

Page size: 5.5 scrolls Pure pg wt: 237 kb

Navigation:

Classifieds on top of bar,

with distinct gifs

Content hierarchy

according to usage pattern

No ads in central content

area

Content: Plenty of white

Benchmarking: Global news websites

Washington Post Page size: 3 scrolls Pure pg wt: 330 kb

Navigation:

Stands out in ‘reverse’

Content hierarchy

according to usage

pattern

All ads on right bar

Benchmarking: Global news websites

LA Times Page size: 3.5 scrolls Pure pg wt: 294 kb

Navigation:

Leads with registration, classifieds, local LA news (Calenderlive)

Content hierarchy according to usage

Content links on background colour to make them stand out

Benchmarking: Global news websitesCNN Page size: 2 scrolls Pure pg wt: 294 kbNavigation:Content hierarchy

according to usageContent links on

background colour to make them stand out

Business and sports links lead to sister sites (cnnmoney/cnnsi)

Display of all sections bottom of page

Rationale

Interface Structure

What the new design has

Neater, more legible, clutter free UI

Higher visibility display to paid propositions

Clear demarcation of content and ad areas

Prevent Design Decay

Set Ad rules: demarcation of slots; guidelines on animated ads; process-flows for creating slots.

Ensure that grid is not compromised at any cost. Content must have clearly defined modules.

Rationale

Navigation

Task Orientation

Top placement of most used links

Merging of scarcely used categories into popular ones

Rationale

Category Display on Home

Drive Usage

Display best in each highly popular category on home

Once on a story, devices like “Related Stories” capture user interest.

Benchmarks: NYT, CNN, WP etc.

Rationale

Masthead Modification

Online Brand

Consistency & Conformity

All Indiatimes websites have a left aligned masthead.

Times of India Online is the only notable standout at the moment.

Left alignment of the masthead would reinforce consistent experience for the user and the advertiser