Update via Steve Fuchs, ODDI’s Manager of Design:

New York media design firm Theo and Sebastian has unveiled a detailed design draft of a responsive/adaptive VOA Pangea site.  The new look is a culmination of efforts to design the future of news and represents a 16-month effort spearheaded by ODDI Creative Services–in collaboration with VOA and RFE/RL.

The new look:

- Features a responsive/adaptive content and grid structure (one design adjusts the same content to fit web, tablet, and mobile)

- Leverages Pangea’s “widget-based” structure for easy to produce modules for long-term scalability

- Has a range of scalable modules for all VOA Services’ content needs (there is a widget for everything) and pays special attention to “TV-First” and “Radio-First” language services

- Enables flexible photo presentations (large, small, many, or even no photos will all look good)

- Supports language friendly design conventions (no restrictions on headline lengths, wider columns for lengthy languages)

- Features dedicated advertising and promo spaces

- Improves typography

- Supports program pages with inline players and prominent integration of social media

- Displays indicators of social engagement and popularity

- Is easy way for editors and staff to curate and manage

- Has a personal playlist feature with content saved for reading later

- Supports program pages with inline players and prominent integration of social media

- Displays indicators of social engagement and popularity

- Is easy way for editors and staff to curate and manage

This new design will become a master template for further VOA responsive/adaptive development on Pangea.

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(Thank you to Steve Fuchs for his contributions to this post.  To contact Fuchs: sfuchs at bbg dot gov]

(The foregoing commentary does not constitute endorsement by the US Government, the Broadcasting Board of Governors, VOA, MBN, OCB, RFA, or RFE/RL of the information products or services discussed.)