It's difficult to believe that Google News is 15 years old. In that time, ithas been through a number of feature changesand minor redesigns. The last major redesign was in 2010, but today it's getting another one. The idea is to addfeature and content depth but also simplify the layout and navigation. I spoke withAnand Paka, the Google Newsproduct manager. Hesaid the redesign intends to connect users with more quality journalism and to make Google Newsmore accessible to everyone and less of a power user product. By the same token, Paka told me that Google News is adding more facts, perspectives and context. So, in addition to beingsimpler to use, it has more depth. The Google-provided screenshot aboveshows a side by side comparison of the old and new layouts. The formerlayout (left) is very link-dense. The new layout (right) is easier to scan visually. It also offers cleaner navigationand is more personalized.Google is also making video more prominent throughout. The top of the page features new tabs forHeadlines, Local and For You. The Local tab will enable Google to greatly expand the availability oflocal news. Google's Paka said that Local (news) is an anticipated area of growth. BothLocal and For You (by definition) are or can be personalized. Google has also created new story cards that break out and offer a variety of perspectives on a topic. The initial presentation is a summary view, which users can expand in an effort to get more context, perspectives and depth. To assist in thatprocess Google has added directional tags such asLocal Source, Opinion,Fact Checkand others. There's also afull coverage option, which provides many additional sources. Google's Fact Check label indicates whether an article has been fact checked (US only for now). I asked Paka if this was a response to the 2016 election and the fake news debate. He said no and told me that theredesign had been in the works well before the 2016 election. Apple News is a very strong product and Facebook's News Feed has become a primary source of news for many consumers. Compared withthose two products, the old Google News design was getting a bit long in the tooth, as the saying goes. With the redesign, Google is adding more context and depth but seeking to make theproduct more appealing to a casual newsaudience that may only want headlines and high-level information. Google says the changes are rolling out in the coming days. The post Google News gets a cleaner look, new features to make it 'more accessible' appeared first on Search Engine Land.
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