Blog Focus: MSN Homepage Redesign
The run to minimalism in design on the webs continues with the forthcoming release of MSN's homepage (scheduled to begin rolling out by the time you're reading this), the first major overhaul in a decade as Kara Swisher at BoomTown notes. Not only is Apple's famous design aesthetic heavily referenced by bloggy reactions, but so is integration of search engine Bing and Hotmail and, perhaps most interestingly, inclusion of Twitter and Facebook feeds when you're logged in.
• Beyond Binary: Microsoft is also trying to tap into the popularity of social networks, adding a column on the right-hand side that lets users peek at their Windows Live, Twitter, and Facebook feeds, and even update their status or post a tweet. As before, users can also see a preview of their Hotmail in-box.
• ReadWriteWeb: To make the site less busy, Microsoft has reduced the number of links by 50%. In the old design, the categories were organized in dozens of boxes. This gave the page a very busy look. Microsoft now uses tabs that give the site a more modern look and which also reduce clutter.
• TechFlash: The arrangements are an extension of agreements that Bing recently announced with Facebook and Twitter. They're also a major nod to the rise of social networking sites — which have replaced traditional portals such as MSN as a starting point for some Internet users.
• More from BoomTown: The new MSN homepage will begin rolling out now, eventually reaching about 10 percent of users until early next year. After that, it is expected to become widely available to U.S. customers and then worldwide.
Follow Technorati