August 16, 2013

CNN announced that q4 it will become rolling out an internet redesign, CNN/Next, to be able to target the company’s growth in mobile.

According to the media company, mobile Web traffic is up 46 percent from last summer and up 70 percent on CNN applications. Mobile currently accounts for 39 percent of CNN’s total traffic, with a majority coming from smartphones.

“From outside the organization, CNN/Next may be simplified as a graceful and innovative Web page redesign,” said KC Estenson, senior vice chairman and general manager of CNN.com, Atlanta, GA. “But it’s much more than that.

“This project will tie our platforms together in ways in which were before impossible and really integrate our programming and ability into CNN’s digital presence,” he said.

Enhanced mobile experience
According to Mr. Estenson, CNN doesn’t currently offer a terrific experience for mobile viewers, which the CNN/Next redesign is geared toward fixing.

The new Website will feature a responsive design so one can comply with screen size on the greater than 20 different platforms that feature CNN content. Ads will appear within the same format across devices.

For smaller screens, the location will show stories in one column, with a lead story on the top and boxes featuring other stories below.

In terms of the aesthetics of the positioning, everything shall be darker and more streamlined. The location will display one big story on the top of the page after which other stories below the fold in a Pinterest-like format of boxes.

The site may even update its colors, using darker shades for less urgent stories and bolder colors for more pressing articles.

According to Mr. Estenson, CNN has seen 38 million downloads of its app and has more Twitter followers and Facebook fans than the other news organization. The impending revamps are geared to preserve the company’s dominance in mobile and digital.

CNN’s responsive design

Streamlined news breaking
Another change that CNN can be making is on the subject of how it actually breaks news.

Currently, a breaking story is posted onto the internet site’s homepage, after which it’s put on mobile and social feeds, often with new headlines. After the revamp, stories would be simultaneously posted across platforms.

The new CNN site should be in private beta until September 30. The corporate expects to disclose an entire site in November.

“I think CNN recognizes that a growing number of in their readers are using multiple screens to get their news,” said Tony Vlismas, senior director of selling and sales development at Polar, Toronto. “And while mobile usage is at a record high, often someone might start a narrative on their desktop but finish it on their tablet while watching TV or on their smartphone while riding the bus home.

Mr. Vlismas is absolutely not linked to CNN. He commented according to his expertise on he subject.

“A consistent user experience across all screens is more imperative now than ever,” he said. “I would also say that with the rise in news competition and aggregated news in the market from social networks and friends using apps like Flipbook, CNN recognizes the necessity to distinguish themselves not just by content, but in addition design and user interface.

“For a corporation as large as CNN to maintain their reader base engaged and coming back to their properties, they wish mobile sites that appear and feel like proper mobile sites. Sooner or later readers will decide who wins according to not on only content, but ease of use and user experience.”

Final Take
Rebecca Borison is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York