How the choice of a font will influence the perception of your brand.

A witty visualisation - have fun.

On March 31^st the BBC launched its new Web site and since then they have received over 1600 comments in their blog. Many users are complaining about the relaunch.

Looking at their new homepage, I noticed three main points regarding usability and branding:

#1 Fast access to information on homepage

The main purpose of visiting a news Web site is usually to quickly learn about what is going on in the world or in the personal field of interest – for example sports. This means users want to be able to quickly scan the site and then pick an article.

It is exactly this which is impossible on the new BBC home page. Counting the visible news (at a 1024 resolution) entries on the home pages of major news sites today:

• BBC: 9 articles (not counting weather)
• CNN: 19 headlines
• NY Times: 18 headlines
• Yahoo: 14 headlines

Most other news sites make it much easier to get a quick overview.

When the user personalizes the homepage he can get up to about 12 visible entries without scrolling. However, studies have shown that usually only a small percentage of users make use of personalising a site. And why can the user not move the big picture on top; the one that is actually taking up most of the space?

Studies have shown that a minimum font size of 12 px and a bigger line spacing leads to the best results in reading efficiency and information transfer. So this is solved nicely on the new homepage. However, especially on the homepage there is too much unused space. For example the weather and blog quote are huge compared to the information they transfer.

#2 Accessing other topics via the homepage

In addition, the user has no chance to quickly access the topics provided by BBC. The user has to scroll to the end of the home page to find these:

These links are provided as a general navigation on almost every other news Web site. They allow easy and convenient access to the user’s field of interest. BBC offers those links also on all its subpages. Why not on the homepage?

For example Yahoo has solved those points on their homepage in a good manner: The navigation to the left with easy access to the main topics and lots of information in the content area.

#3 Visual consistency and branding

While the homepage looks like a clear attempt in trendy design with rounded corners, fading colours and light effects all the subpages have a totally different look and feel. They are flat 2 dimensional design, squared corners, no shading. What does BBC stand for?

Consistent and targeted brand communication in all communication channels strengthens trust in the company and increases the brand’s value.

The more the branding strategy is in accord with the corporate identity, the stronger the brand will be reinforced with the target group in the long run. By focusing on brand essentials, unnecessary wastage can be avoided and a strengthening of the brand image and therefore also of the brand value can be achieved. The total expenditure for branding activities will not be increased though the overall branding impact will be improved.

Trust in the brand
As soon as the communication strategy in all media is built upon the corporate identity, the user receives a consistent image of the company and its products: with each contact, his trust in the brand is reinforced and affirmed.

Information transfer targeted for your audience
Appeal to the intellect of the user by enabling him to find all the necessary information that he seeks about a service or product. Communicate your company’s message using concise language which is based on the user’s level of experience with your products or services; avoid using trade jargon. Make additional information easily accessible.

Emotional communication
The distinct use of colours, fonts, wording, forms, and images creates the desired emotions and virtual experience of your brand, which should always be based on the company’s corporate identity. The resulting corporate design needs to follow the same rules in all media.

Product and web experience
A user’s interactive experience with the website strongly influences his perception of the company. Flaws in usability and branding can therefore easily lead the user to conclude that the services and products are also inadequate. In contrast, ease of use highly influences the brand