Design: Stuctured and in Order

I am a strong believer in good design, partly because I am simply paranoid. I just don't like it when things are not completely straight, balanced and aligned. I like all my information structured and in order. So, I decided to look at the way the recent General Motors story was shown in two different newspaper online sites.

I started with the New York Times online article, "Workers Share in the Pressure on Carmakers." The main thing I like about this page is its simplicity. This is what draws readers to the New York Times, I believe. I also like the use of multimedia and links. First, I noticed the multimedia box with a link to a video of General Motor's new interim CEO. The video does not detract from the text, but is offered for readers who want to see the interim CEO speak. Below the video is a link to an interactive feature box. Readers can see "Milestones in the Caremakers' Crisis" by month, from July 2008 until the present. Graphs, pictures, audio and links are included. I also noticed "Add to Portfolio" box. Readers can add General Motors Company to their portfolio and see the latest stock price, as well as past stock performance. This is great for business readers, who may want to keep track of their GM stock or include the stock in their portfolio for later consideration. The page also includes the typical links to related stories in a side box.

I also looked at a USA Today article, "Ford, GM are latest offering help to those hit by job loss." The main thing I really like about this page is the two lists. I'm a huge fan of lists, because it puts information in order and makes it easier to consume. One of the list sections asks, "Who's doing it now." Various types of businesses are listed under titles of health care, airlines, retailers and business services. The text under the bulleted list shows the businesses and what they have done. I really like the way information is condensed into an easy-to-read section. There is also a small section that offers links to other stories by suggesting different topics covered by, or related to, the story. I like this section better than the typical "Related Stories" section, because it orders information by topics instead of by selected article titles.

In my mind, the most about important thing design is that it puts information in order. Text should be ordered in such a way to make it easy for readers to follow. Design should make complicated things, reasonably simple. Paranoia may actually be a good thing in the editing and design newsroom, because it can help get important information to readers that they will read and comprehend.