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Beauty is more important in computing than anywhere else in technology because software is so complicated. Beauty is the ultimate defense against complexity.

New Channel 4 Homepage

Reading Seth Godin’s latest blog post, Beauty as a signaling strategy, I was reminded of this quote from David Gelernter (from his book Machine Beauty: Elegance and the Heart of Technology). Godin  says:

We treat people and products differently when we think they’re beautiful. The reason people and organizations have invested so much in beauty over the years is that beauty pays off. A website that doesn’t cram ads into every single nook and cranny is more beautiful…

The last sentence resonated with me particularly. Here at Channel 4 we’re just about to launch our new homepage. This is part of a major redesign project that has been going on to update the design, usability and user experience of the site (check out the new TV listings page and programme detail page). The new homepage was designed to be a high impact and beautiful page, which shows off the Channel 4 brand.

From  wireframe to design

We went through quite a number of iterations of wireframes, exploring different ways of presenting video and rich content. As we discussed the different options available to us, we felt that the highest impact would come from a powerful image that really reinforces the Channel 4 brand. As we developed this idea, the wireframe and design of the new homepage came to life.

New Channel 4 Homepage Wireframe

We feel that we have hit the ideal blend of content, usability, interactivity and beauty. Beauty comes from the showcase image and overall design, while the Catch-up/What’s On/Spotlight panel below allows us to show off some of our top rated content to our users, while at the same time as providing users with a quick way of jumping to interesting content.

We tested the usability of the homepage during the course of the project, examining how people reacted to the design and identifying areas that needed tweaking to make sure that the page and content were usable. The interaction of elements on the page was looked at in detail, making sure that animations were fluid and not annoying. The position of the fold (the point at which users need to use the scrollbar to see the rest of the content) was examined, so that the page performed and looked as good in low resolutions as it did in high resolutions.

Channel4 Homepage at time of launch

The use of bold images, lots of space and, pertinently, no advertising was designed to be a showcase of the Channel 4 identity. Bold, brash and not afraid to push the boundaries and do things first. The lack of advertising, as Seth Godin mentions, reinforces this. The page is all about the brand, and not about advertising. I think it’s fantastic and we’re all very proud of it here.

Before you ask, yes, there is advertising on the rest of the site. Channel 4, while having a public remit, is commercially funded – so we need ads!