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A preview of MSN Local Edition
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Microsoft recently launched a preview of its new homepage, MSN. The redesign comes shortly after Microsoft launched its revitalized Bing search service and aims to help MSN compete with homepage rivals Yahoo! and Google. The main page is cleaner and more relevant than previous iterations, but the real change happens on the Local Edition. Local Edition serves community-relevant data, including weather, news, and traffic, on a per-ZIP code basis.
MSN Local Edition Philadelphia is clean, easy on the eyes, and unmistakably relevant. With stories on the SEPTA strike, recent crimes, and a story about Mayor Nutter, the news is as up-to-date as you would get from any local news site. Nearby gas stations are not as nearby as MSN might be hoping for, but the traffic map is accurate and certainly handy. The basic offerings are rounded out by a directory in the left sidebar of local services and retailers like florists, banks, and government agencies.
Advertisements stand out starkly against the sterile white background of MSN Local Edition Philadelphia, and might bear more centralized placement. As they are now, the ads distract the eyes from the central "track" of content, forcing the line of sight to the right sidebar, which contains the ad on top, and local lottery information below. It's arguably the least-relevant piece of the site, but the most attentionally demanding. Sure, ad revenue is vital, but here's to hoping MSN finds a more subtle way than the current model.
The News Video content in the center of the page, below the headlines, is the most engaging aspect of the redesign. It includes video on current new stories, and lets users select from several videos at any given time. It provides a good one-stop-shop for those who can't catch up with TV news during the day but are looking for a visual update.
If you are a diehard MSN user, Local Edition may be the perfect update for you. Remember, though, that this is only a preview, so Microsoft may (and hopefully will) make further changes before the remove the "preview" tag and start calling their new MSN homepage and the Local Edition finished products.
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