We've rolled out a new design for BlufftonToday.com, visually aligning the website more effectively with the printed newspaper and fixing some usability issues that were identified in the site's first year of operation and through formal testing.
The changes include a number of new functions and features, particularly in the social networking area. User profile pages now include buddylist avatars and guestbooks.
Users can be linked through common interests using a free tag system, and blogs support both free tagging and a tag cloud.
Behind the scenes, there are point-and-click tools allowing any staffer to update the homepage without having to know any HTML, which will further the goal of integrating the web into the newsroom.
The new design is fully implemented on the core site, with Spotted, classifieds, etc., to follow in the next few days.
Usually a redesign results in a round of nasty criticism from disturbed users, but this one is getting very positive reviews. One reason: Key users were involved in the process, both in the formal usability tests (before and after changes) and in informal advance showings of the new design.
We all hope our users will decide our sites belong to them. With a participatory website like Bluffton's, it really happens. So it's imperative that users be part of the redesign process.