New face of TOI.com Do we need it?

Present TOI.com homepage Content has evolved, design has not Caters to original thought: print edition on the net Design decay: Ad/content-led modifications Heavy page weight by international standards

What’s current Homepage main entrypoint, showcases few stories No provision for display of sections on homepage Too many animated banners, hurts surfers’ eyes Nav panel on left very long

Current TOI Page size: 2.5 scrolls Pure pg wt: 440 kb

Benchmarking: Global news websites New York Times Page size: 5.5 scrolls Pure pg wt: 237 kb Navigation: Classifieds on top of bar, with distinct gifs Content hierarchy according to usage pattern No ads in central content area Content: Plenty of white

Benchmarking: Global news websites Washington Post Page size: 3 scrolls Pure pg wt: 330 kb Navigation: Stands out in ‘reverse’ Content hierarchy according to usage pattern All ads on right bar

Benchmarking: Global news websites LA Times Page size: 3.5 scrolls Pure pg wt: 294 kb Navigation: Leads with registration, classifieds, local LA news (Calenderlive) Content hierarchy according to usage Content links on background colour to make them stand out

Benchmarking: Global news websites CNN Page size: 2 scrolls Pure pg wt: 294 kb Navigation: Content hierarchy according to usage Content links on background colour to make them stand out Business and sports links lead to sister sites (cnnmoney/cnnsi) Display of all sections bottom of page

Rationale Interface Structure

What the new design has Neater, more legible, clutter free UI Higher visibility display to paid propositions Clear demarcation of content and ad areas

Prevent Design Decay Set Ad rules: demarcation of slots; guidelines on animated ads; process-flows for creating slots. Ensure that grid is not compromised at any cost. Content must have clearly defined modules.

Rationale Navigation

Task Orientation Top placement of most used links Merging of scarcely used categories into popular ones

Rationale Category Display on Home

Drive Usage Display best in each highly popular category on home Once on a story, devices like “Related Stories” capture user interest. Benchmarks: NYT, CNN, WP etc.

Rationale Masthead Modification

Online Brand

Consistency & Conformity All Indiatimes websites have a left aligned masthead. Times of India Online is the only notable standout at the moment. Left alignment of the masthead would reinforce consistent experience for the user and the advertiser