For the first time in five years, ESPN.com will undergo a complete redesign as they look to keep pace with a more mobile-friendly platform. Just how much of a change will sports fans notice?
Constant change is a part of life on the internet. Every time you log into Facebook, it’s different than the time you logged on before. Twitter is looking at making fundamental changes to their home page as well. Major websites go through transformations all the time. And now, the self-proclaimed worldwide leader in sports is the next in line.
According to Mashable, ESPN.com will move to a tri-column look that will be more mobile friendly today. The columns will feature favorites, news, and what’s trending when browsing the website on their phones. Here’s a screenshot below of the desktop version:
An ESPN exec explained the process behind the redesign and what readers can expect:
“Simply put, we set out to build a modern ESPN.com that showcases our expansive content (scores, analysis, highlights videos, and games) beautifully and intuitively across all devices and screen sizes,” he wrote.
“Furthermore, we aimed to create a cohesive aesthetic and experience across the new ESPN.com and our native applications like SportsCenter and Fantasy Football. Over time, you will hopefully notice that our site and our applications feel connected and familiar.”
ESPN.com is just another one of the major sports portals to undergo a transformation in the last year. Fox Sports, Yahoo Sports, and Sports Illustrated have also undergone complete redesigns to their websites.
With more and more internet users browsing on their phones and tablet devices, it’s a smart play to keep up with the times to build websites geared towards those platforms. However, the redesigns at Sports Illustrated, and most specifically Yahoo Sports, were met with much consternation. That’s ultimately the biggest challenge with a dramatic redesign like this. ESPN will be sacrificing their visitors’ comfort and familiarity with a new look. Can those visitors be retrained in finding their way around the new ESPN.com?
As long as readers will still be able to clearly and quickly navigate the site, then the new design should continue to push ESPN.com forward as the leading online sports portal.
[Mashable]
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