WHAT WE DID
A quick look at how and why we redesigned
the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The main goal of the redesign was
to make the paper easier to use for readers, who are spending
less and less time with the paper. We wanted to make the information
as accessible as possible so that readers can get the most out
of the paper in the 10-20 minutes they spend with the paper on
a given day. So here's what we've tried:
Page One as index/news summary
We're striving to use alternative story forms
and fewer jumps to communicate the news. This can mean writing
a story that contains to the cover, writing a summary/news blurb
(these are the blurbs you see so many of on our Sunday and Monday
products) of the story that can refer to related or more extensive
coverage elsewhere in the paper or finding some way other than
a traditional copy-based article to tell the story. We're experimenting
with more graphic-based story forms, which have become known as
"charticles" in the newsroom, that can function as hold-to-the-cover
stories or quick-hit refers to additional coverage inside. (There
are 2 charticles on the sports cover.)
All these hold-to-the-cover elements have the goal
of serving readers in two ways. We're trying to write the hold
to covers so that readers can get through the paper quickly and
feel well informed, but they should also be able to easily locate
in-depth coverage on the topics that interest them.
Ideally, the dual function of the front page
as summary and index serves both the scanner and the traditional
reader.
More Indexing
We rethought and revamped our rails. We used to
use the section rails as a way to give prominence to a story that
didn't quite make the cover. Now, we're using them as a way to
make sure we promote material that appeals to diverse demographics.
Instead of promoting just inside copy, they can refer to different
sections (ex. from Metro to Sports) when it makes sense. Rail
content is discussed by senior editors early in the day. And we've
put a new emphasis on training people to write compelling teasers
(not bland summaries or rehashed leads) in the rail. We redesigned
the section flags to include Skyboxes and a single-line tease.
We anchored our destination pages,
including a revamped entertainment
news page and commuter news page.
Easier Navigation
We built in more white space
with navigation rules and topic labels above headlines. The executive
editor called for a 50/50 ratio between copy and display material,
which has helped promote better play on photos as well as increased
awareness of infographic opportunities.
"In the Know" boxes
We created this umbrella label
for all our breakout boxes. We also created guides for reporters
and editors to help increase the frequency and usefulness of breakout
info with stories. (There are a few of these on
the metro covers.)
HOW WE DID IT
Before we ever started playing with rules
and fonts, 7 committees were formed to evaluate the Star-Telegram's
performance in 7 areas: Ease of Use,
First & Only, Watchdog, Trust, People Like Me, Storytelling
and Usefulness.
The committees, made up 70 staff members (mostly
of editors but also some reporters, photographers, graphic artists
and news editor/designers) met weekly for about three months before
presenting recommendations for improvement in each area.
After the committees made their recommendations,
a core redesign team made up of senior design managers and other
leaders on the design and graphics desks met weekly and worked
on prototypes for about two-and-a-half months. Metro/city editors
came to the weekly meetings early on and helped establish philosophies
for how to treat rails, skyboxes, briefs, hold-to-cover stories,
etc. so that the design team could create useful
tools to meet their needs. The design team continued to meet and
refine prototypes until the August 22 launch. (The launch was
originally scheduled for the 15th, but was pushed back one week
at the request of the marketing department.) Somewhere in there
we wrote a stylebook and trained
everybody, too.
EPILOGUE
The launch went off without any major catastrophes.
We're still tweaking, and learning how to pull this thing off
well. We've gotten some comments, some good, more bad. Here's
what our ombudsman said: "Since Aug. 22, this office has
heard from 198 readers who have shared their views in 105 e-mails,
47 calls to x7692 and 46 calls to the hotline. Still
demographically mixed, a vast majority disapprove of some aspect
of the redesign. Most complain of lost legibility, a "dumbing-down"use
of blurbs, moving the obit list and similarities to either USA
Todayor the Morning News.
Readers who approve typically appreciate a
sense of more information and energetic design that organizes
content better and presents it within an airier format."Our
average daily circulation is about 275,000. So those 198 calls
works out to about .007 percent. As the executive editor said,
we get more calls when we screw up a crossword puzzle.
