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Sambit Bal
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Editor, ESPNcricinfo
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Coming soon: the new Cricinfo
An introduction to the redesigned site, which goes live next week
May 29, 2009
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Unbeknownst to you, Cricinfo has been changing. Or let me put it another way: for over a year now Cricinfo has been busy trying to make itself worthier of your time and attention.
On the face of it, you could call it a redesign. But it goes much deeper. Perhaps re-engineering would be more appropriate. To us, it's been a process of enrichment and renewal. Design, after all, isn't merely about looking good; it's about what works well.
In my years as a professional journalist and editor, I have watched from close quarters and been involved in the design and redesign of newspapers, magazines and websites. Each is a distinctly unique challenge. Newspaper designs are about the optimal use of space and creating multiple points of interest on a single page; magazines, particularly features magazines, are usually more richly visual, and their design affords the luxury of creativity and experimentation. In scale and complexity, though, nothing comes close to designing a website.
Building a website goes far beyond visual appeal. All design is part art and part science: designing for the web is a synthesis of logic, communication, technological possibilities and visual presentation. It's about creating an architecture that is intricate, interlinked, flexible and robust. The bigger the site, the more complex the challenge. Not for a moment did we underestimate the task of redesigning Cricinfo, but while we were at it, it seemed to grow every day.
The site was last redesigned in 2003, when Wisden acquired it. That was meant to be a holding job, the primary objective of which was to merge Cricinfo and wisden.com. As we focused on enhancing the site's content, a full-fledged redesign kept getting pushed back.
Over the last six years, we have been adding features and sections. Blogs came in 2005; audio in 2006; in 2007 we created a magazine section to showcase our features content; Cricinfo TV came in 2008; and just last month we launched Page 2. Some of these sections acquired their own look and flavour, but we knew we needed a design that reflecting our growth and our ambitions. Also, as part of the ESPN family of sites, we needed a more integrated approach.
It's been a long, arduous, contentious and painstaking process. It has involved hundreds of iterations, many arguments, and hours and hours in meeting rooms and on conference calls. But it's been a rewarding journey. In some ways, it has allowed us to rediscover the site and put us in touch with the fundamentals that make Cricinfo the world's favourite and most trusted cricket website.
We are now ready to share the new Cricinfo with you. Well, almost. As I write this, our production team is busy exterminating pesky bugs that spring up the moment others of their kind are taken care of. The job has been humongous, and there would be something wrong if there weren't a few glitches.
As the countdown to next week's launch begins, we feel a surge of excitement. We also feel a bit of nervousness and panic. If we didn't, it would mean we didn't care.
Sambit Bal is the editor of Cricinfo
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© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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Sambit Bal
Editor Sambit Bal took to journalism at the age of 19 after realising that he wasn't fit for anything else, and to cricket journalism 14 years later when it dawned on him that it provided the perfect excuse to watch cricket in the office. Among other things he has bowled legspin, occasionally landing the ball in front of the batsman; laid out the comics page of a newspaper; covered crime, urban development and politics; and edited Gentleman, a monthly features magazine. He joined Wisden in 2001 and edited Wisden Asia Cricket and Cricinfo Magazine. He still spends his spare time watching cricket.
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This new design looks too flashy and as said by some other users copy of other sport sites. I like it simple as it is now. It is simple and fast. Please don't change the current design. If you want to make changes, make it gradual and on trial basis. Then make it temporary if readers agree to it. I respect the amount of time and labor put by the designers but all that is of no use if readers don't like it.
Posted by supnay on (May 30 2009, 19:25 PM GMT)Please do not change. The current design is very very easy to read.
Posted by kingofspain on (May 30 2009, 18:38 PM GMT)Cricinfo is currently, in my opinion, the best website on the internet. Yes, the entire internet. It serves its purpose better than any site I've ever been on.
Posted by vishx on (May 30 2009, 17:48 PM GMT)I was one of the many who donated money for the first Cricinfo server back in the 90s. I have been a regular visitor to Cricinfo since then (long before Cricinfo became a for-profit operation). I don't want to judge the new site without seeing it, but change for the sake of change serves no purpose. I like the simplicity of the current site. If you are going to create more user interaction, some changes to the current site may be necessary. I am not convinced that it calls for a complete redesign. It looks like ESPN wants to put its stamp on the site. Cricinfo is a great brand. I hope the brand's stewards realize that and don't tamper with it too much.
Posted by Seaking_alpha on (May 30 2009, 17:32 PM GMT)I really dont fancy the mee toooo design of the new site. Looks too same old same old. I think the current design which allows front page access to all the current news is much better. Plus the current site loads beautifully in my Opera Mini. I wonder if the new Java and Flash heavy site will open in my mobile
Posted by idontknowidontcare on (May 30 2009, 17:00 PM GMT)A minor issue I have with the redesigned site is that I may have to reconfigure my Ad Blocker to get rid of those ads. I have already got rid of that annoying Cricinfo logo which is so big and right up there at the top, getting in the way of the content that I want to see. Now, in addition to that I have to get rid of that annoying and utterly useless ESPN logo. Why did you have to put that silly thing. Are you going to rename the site as espncricinfo.com also? In any case, the timing of launching your so-called "reengineered" (since when is copy-pasting called reengineering) is very convenient for me. I am going to change my OS next week, so I would have to reconfigure my Ad Blocker anyway. I do not expect the so-called moderators to publish this comment, but if they read it that is enough for me. Cricinfo should have rather gone bankrupt than selling its conscience to ESPN. Get a life moderators, and a better job.
Posted by RedNeckRicky on (May 30 2009, 16:57 PM GMT)Please please Samit. Don't change the interface. I love the interface!!! DON'T SELL OUT MAN ... cricinfo is great as it is!!! I'd like to the same interface everymorning!!! Cheers, RedNeck Ricky
Posted by saifp on (May 30 2009, 14:14 PM GMT)nooo please dont go with that flaahy black. i always loved the print feel to the website. it gave it some just real feel to it.
Posted by Transcendence on (May 30 2009, 12:00 PM GMT)I advise Cricinfo to press on with the changes. I agree that cricket has its own identity but it also needs an injection of energy and freshness (and this is a view from a traditionalist like myself). Change is uncomfortable but often rewarding. Looking at the new proposed layout I see no reason whatsoever to complain. It retains its simplicity and utilises my favourite layout style in that it is layed out in neat boxes. The picture is a bit more prominent without being overpowering. I see nothing to suggest that content is being deemphasised. These things are a step in the right direction. The game's owners and stakeholders must think beyond the "old stagers" and seek to grow the game in every respect and I think that Cricinfo is moving in the right direction and playing its part. This is not to imply that comments or criticisms should not be duly considered.
Posted by dgel on (May 30 2009, 10:08 AM GMT)As the designer of the very first web interface for CricInfo, back in 1995, I'm interested in seeing what this actually looks like. I hope that it will not compromise the basic principles that we started with- fast loading, easy to read (dark text on light background), with content as the focus, not design.. That first graphical interface can be seen at http://bluwiki.com/go/CricInfo_History#The_Web if people are interested..