Dear New York Times web designers:
I know you may feel that your site needed updating. You’ve kept that stodgy old look for, what, five years now? But I have one question for you: WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?
First off, I DON’T WANT MY BROWSER WINDOW TO TAKE UP MY WHOLE SCREEN. Screen size: 1024 pixels. Your page: 971 pixels. Not counting scroll bars. Remember, I’VE GOT OTHER THINGS TO DO BESIDES READ YOUR PAPER.
And second, WHEN I FINISH READING ONE LINE OF TEXT, I’D LIKE TO HAVE SOME CLUE WHERE THE NEXT ONE STARTS. When you make your text columns upwards of 17 words wide, it can be difficult to find the next line. Remember, back when most people read the NY Times in print? You had maybe 6 or 7 words per line, 10 words, tops. BECAUSE IT’S EASIER TO READ WHEN YOU CAN FIND THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT LINE.
Finally, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO READ YOUR HEADLINES WITHOUT A MAGNIFYING GLASS. I don’t want to read six-point type unless I’m looking for a job. And even then I’m not happy about it. Once upon a time, headlines were BIGGER than the actual article font.
Ever since you started charging for some of your content, I’ve been reading your site less and less. Now that you’ve wreaked havoc on the look of the site, you can be assured that trend will continue. Thanks for completing the destruction of what was once one of the best sites on the Web.
Sincerely,
Dave Munger