Facebook has slowly been making updates to their site over the past few months. Previously, the most dramatic change was switching to a brand new design template.
Today, they introduced a new home page. The new home page utilizes a new image on the left hand side of the page that shows how Facebook enables you to connect with people across the world. It’s a simple visual, but gets the point across quickly. I like it. On the right hand side of the page are the registration fields for new users. In essence, they’ve split the meat of the page into two sections, but both of those sections work together. The left hand image simply shows what Facebook does and the left hand form fields are there for people to take action. Lastly, header now contains a set of login form fields with a checkbox to keep you logged in.
New Facebook Home Page
The design is minimal, simple, and effective.
My experience working on GoArmy.com while at Leo Burnett was fantastic. I was at Leo when we completely changed the Army’s branding. We even evolved the Army from “Be All You Can Be” to “An Army of One.” That was a big shift in positioning and communication for the Army. I’ve watched the site from afar and love the direction it’s been going. This morning I noticed several new features that really impressed me.
GoArmy.com Home Page
- The site opens with a video intro that isn’t a splash page. The main feature area serves up an entire library of videos, but does so in an easy to digest manner. The videos can even be downloaded for use on your iPod. Very nice.
- I would have liked to have seen predictive search. However, the use of a Tag Cloud in the lower left of the page, to surface the most popular items visitors are searching for is a solid alternative. I’m shocked actually at how progressive and open they are being with the data.
- Right next to the Tag Cloud area is a module that serves up the most recent posts from the discussion board. It’s a nice way to serve up what other people just like YOU are looking for. The only catch is you need to be a registered member to participate in the discussion. It’s a smart move the Army’s part.
- I love the use of the dual navigation. They opted to leverage the top nav for the main sections of the site and the right hand NAV for content that is community driven or personalized. I just wish the login call to action was more prominent.
Many of these ideas aren’t new. Several are ones we recommended to the Army in 2001. However, back then they weren’t ready or able to make the recommendations come to life. Today though, tt looks like they have their eye squarely focused on being progressive. Very cool!
Facebook has been testing their new layout for a while now. I just started playing around with it. As the two screenshots below show, it’s a serious change in direction.
OLD/CURRENT FACEBOOK LAYOUT
NEW FACEBOOK LAYOUT
I really like the fact Facebook is making the new look available to everyone. You can play around with it, provide feedback on it, and even toggle back and forth to the old/current layout. This is so damn smart. Rather than roll out a band new user interface and surprise all of their loyal members, they’ve instead decided to let members ease their way in. It’s really something for all of us to think about when we consider site re-designs.
Head of Social Media at Walgreens. Interactive marketer, innovator, boat rocker, continuous learner, movie lover, risk taker, dad and all around good guy. I'm always up for a spirited conversation. These are my thoughts and ramblings, not those of my employer.
