Introduction
I have been a regular user of bbc.co.uk for some time, and have always been impressed with the vast amount of high-value content the site carries - ranging from news, sports & entertainment, across several formats such as audio and video. So when the REBOOT contest was brought to my attention I thought it was an excellent initiative by the BBC and a definite indication that they wish to continue to meet their users needs and at the same time keep themselves positioned at the vanguard of the internet community by tapping into their audiences views and opinions.
The term "Web 2.0" for me refers to a second generation of services available on the World Wide Web that lets people collaborate and share information online. In contrast to the first generation, Web 2.0 gives users an experience closer to desktop applications than the traditional static Web pages. I didnt see this contest as a invitation to 'spruce' up or 'realign' the beeb homepage alone, but as an opportunity to 'reinvent & rethink' the BBC site from the ground up. Seeing what aspects of the buzz that is Web 2.0 would be of key value to the BBC audience and in doing so come up with a customisable interface to the wealth of information on their servers. Bearing all these important points in mind I then approached the BBC reboot design contest.
Rethinking the BBC
When thinking about my approach to the design there were many things to be considered, How would I layout the new concept from an aesthetic perspective? What would be the best approach to take when tapping into the BBCs vast amount of content? and lastly what exactly does any given user expect from a second generation interface to the BBC site?
I initially thought of the things that I myself would like to see being implemented by the BBC and then I considered what other people might expect from a 'Web 2.0' version of the BBC site. It then struck me - no two people would desire the exact same thing from the site. Sure, there would be large groups of people with a similiar cross section of interests but in an ideal world a user would want to choose exactly what they want to see. Web 2.0 enables websites to give the people a choice, and put the users in control of their information. This would be the fundamental basis of my entry.
Devising the concept
During the design and 'imagineering' of my entry I used an analogy I came up with to keep me on the right
track whenever I was brainstorming which went something like this -
Every sunday morning after I've gone down to my local newsagents and bought the newspaper, I dont usually go home and
lay out all the various supplements side by side across the kitchen floor (unless my dog has had an accident!),
I take the sections I want to read and leave the rest.
I thought that if I could take this analogy and in a way apply it to the BBC site, I would be heading in the right
direction - by allowing the user to make the choice. It was out of this notion that 'My BBC Dashboard' concept was conceived.
My BBC Dashboard
Aesthetically I based my concepts look & feel on a 'dashboard' model, a series of panels or widgets that a beeb user could create and customise to suit their own individual needs. I believe that by allowing a user to logon and easily 'create' a home-page that they wish to see, will result in a home-page with a high 'sticky-factor'- a site that a user will want to use as their starting point online, their 'gateway to the internet' if you will. This way, they can view their own targeted news & information at a glance once they open their browser.
A liquid layout would also employed to exploit the screen real estate of a user, in turn if they are using 800 x 600 the widgets can be arranged to accommodate this using simple click & drag techniques. Likewise a user with a large screen such as an Apple cinema display could utilise their screen to its fullest potential by arranging their widgets on screen. Then on upon logging in they will see a 'dashboard' consisting of all their desired content and well as their personal email alerts, messages from other BBC dashboard users and even their personal calendar, they could also watch & download BBC television & radio shows they've tracked and indeed news feeds of interest. A veritable 'one-stop-shop' for all their online 'needs'.
For my design concept I used an easy to read - light on dark interface, however the color scheme of each users dashboard would be customisable to their own tastes, this personalisation would add more value to each users experience.
The widget based interface will allow
a user to 'manage' their information and see a version of the BBC site tailor-made for themselves, continually modifiable to their own moods and interests, and in turn creating a
potentially strong 'loyalty-factor' amongst their user base.
My BBC Dashboard Functionality
I envisage that a user will be able to create an account on the BBC site, similiar to what they can do at the moment, except doing so will allow them to create their own personal 'dashboard'. Users will be able to simply create widgets and nominate the information they wish it to display. Not entirely disimiliar to the now defunct 'My BBC' except this time around the technology and the community involvement would be equal to such a projects ambition and vision.
Web 2.0 technologies such as social-bookmarking, tagging, dynamic dashboarding can be all be implemented using existing technologies such as AJAX, XML, Javascript, CSS, Flash and server-side scripting. None of the functionality proposed here is 'black magic'. Its already being done on the net, and can be coded in an accessible, degradable manner to allow content access to both the visually impaired and those using mobile devices. If the BBC really what to move with the times and provide a 'killer' service for their users they can learn a lot from looking at the way sites likes Bebo, MySpace, Flickr and delicious operate and use the power of community to create 'to-die-for' web applications..
Collaborative Networks & Sharing Content
The BBC has a wealth of content and I believe that by utilising the social networking aspects of Web 2.0 techonology such as personal tagging, shared bookmarks, content suggestion and clever RSS feeds it will maximise the potential of the site as a whole. The social phenomenon of Web 2.0 refers to an approach to creating and distributing Web content itself, characterized by open communication, freedom to share and re-use. Tapping into this zeitgeist with the Beebs phenominal content would give the site the upper-hand over all potential compeditors.
This collabrative sharing-network will make content more 'findable' and maximise the enormous potential of the BBC site, making the most of what is the beebs key asset - exceptional content.
The Power Of Suggestion & Information Discovery
Strong search features will be available to the user, they will employ the 'intelligence' of previous search results and finds by the user as a guide to offer or 'suggest' other content that they might be interested in. The Creative Archive, Action Network and various other BBC mines of information will be all accessible to the user in a easy to find manner. The Beebs iPlayer will display previously viewed material whilst suggesting similiar content, a user might enjoy - viral browsing if you will.
This environment will make for a more user-friendly search process and in turn make Beeb users feel like they are 'discovering information' from other users with similiar hobbies & interests - such as shared bookmarks and rss feeds, and not just clicking through as list of calculated search results.
This finishes my design concept brief, I hope that some points have interested you and that you have found somes of the ideas expressed and the lines of thinking behind them of value. I have enjoyed the little brainstorming session and will be interested in seeing the exciting steps the BBC have planned around the corner..
Thanks for your time.Darren Geraghty
2006