redesign

Our five favorite redesigns of 2009

A new coat of paint can do a lot for a Web site. In 2009, we saw more of an evolution, than a revolution for big site redesigns, but there were a few standouts. Below are five notables (in no real order), followed by several honorable mentions.

1. Twitter (the home page)

In terms of its core design, Twitter itself didn't change all that much in 2009. But at the end of July, the company unveiled a new home page--you know, the one you see when you haven't logged in yet.

Instead of trying to explain what … Read more

MTV prepares for (iterative) home page redesign

MTV.com announced a new homepage design Tuesday that focuses more on content, rather than aesthetic changes. It will launch Wednesday morning.

MTV.com's basic color scheme will remain the same. The navigation at the top of the site will also remain unchanged. Even the prominent promotional box toward the top of the page, which MTV calls "The Marquee," will maintain its position on the new home page.

The biggest change made to MTV.com comes in the form of a new module, called The Daily Fresh. Placed just below The Marquee, The Daily Fresh will feature … Read more

Apple readying MacBook makeover?

Apple is getting ready to introduce a slimmer, lighter MacBook, according to an Apple blog citing unnamed sources.

Apple's 13-inch notebook in currently undergoing an industrial redesign that will also feature new internal architecture, according to a report on AppleInsider. The redesign, which would be the entry-level machine's first overhaul in three years, is expected to be unveiled in the coming months, the site reported.

At its annual Worldwide Developer's Conference in June, Apple introduced new versions of its 13- and 15-inch notebooks that use the same battery technology found in the 17-inch models. The rebranding of … Read more

Welcome to Crave's new look

If you've visited Crave in the last couple of days, you may have noticed some changes. And no, you're not imagining things. Crave has gotten a little face-lift, and we hope you like the new look as much as we do.

Mostly, the site has taken on a sleeker aesthetic that we think better suits all the cool gadgets we cover. You'll see a new Crave logo, as well as a new What's Hot feature at the top of the main page so you can keep up with our most-followed subjects. Be sure to check out … Read more

FriendFeed updates design, e-mail publishing tools

FriendFeed's new look, which was launched as an optional feature for brave beta testers, is now the default for all. The company flipped the switch on it this afternoon, and like previous redesigns there's no way to revert back to the old version. Going to beta.friendfeed.com simply brings users to the normal site.

Along with the new look, the company has updated its post-by-e-mail tools. Previously users had a special e-mail address they could send items to that went directly to their home feed. Users can still use that one, but there's now a central … Read more

Mixed reactions to FriendFeed overhaul

From what it looks like, the fresh, real-time streaming redesign of social aggregator FriendFeed is getting some accolades from already-avid users--but might not sway the masses.

Among existing FriendFeed loyalists, it doesn't look like there's much dissent about the redesign, which is currently available as a beta test. An "anti-FriendFeed beta version" group hasn't gotten much traction. But on Twitter, which some people see as a FriendFeed complement and others as a competitor, opinions were much more mixed.

"I have (Twitter client) TweetDeck to filter and organize noise. Why then would I still need … Read more

FriendFeed's redesign makes entire site real-time

FriendFeed is releasing a newly redesigned version of its service today (its second major one since launching), and the emphasis is all about viewing both freshly posted items and user discussions as they happen. The service has had a real-time view since October of last year, but this update goes deeper than that, adding it to nearly every facet of the site.

The new look can be accessed at beta.friendfeed.com.

If you've got real-time turned on, any item you're viewing with will refresh with new content as other users interact with it. This includes both likes … Read more

Facebook's redesign: Time to listen to users?

It wouldn't be at all surprising if Facebook's response to the bad vibes elicited its latest redesign were straight out of the 1970 comic war movie "Kelly's Heroes." To wit, we give you just one of the refrains from Donald Sutherland's tanker/proto-hippie character, Oddball:

Why don't you knock it off with them negative waves...Why don't you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?

Hopeful, positive comments from Facebook users have been awfully hard to come by in recent days since the powerhouse social-networking site pushed out a redesign that … Read more

Facebook users hate redesign. Lather, rinse, repeat?

So there's a new Facebook app out there, designed to poll users on the social network's latest redesign. The results? Hundreds of thousands have responded. 94 percent give it a thumbs-down. Ouch.

Comments range from "WHY FIX IT, WHEN IT WASN'T BROKE, you will be SORRYYYYYYYYYYY" to "It feels counterintuitive and less technologically advanced than the last layout."

Now, this is clearly not an official vote. Chances are, you're not going to install a third-party polling application with the sole purpose of voicing an opinion on the new Facebook design unless you'… Read more

Netvibes gets new layouts and OpenSocial support

At Monday's Le Web 3 conference in Paris, Netvibes announced the launch of its latest version which adds support for Google's OpenSocial and Facebook Connect, alongside several new ways to view widgetized content.

The OpenSocial element may be one of the most interesting aspects, as it's now paired with Netvibe's Universal Widget API, allowing developers to create widgets that can pull information from a user's social network. In the example demoed at the conference, Netvibes showed off a weather widget which displayed the user's weather, along with that of their friends. The user didn'… Read more