Last.fm Redesigned - What do you think?
On July 17th, Last.fm released a new site design with enhanced features and a fixed width layout. The new design was greeted with a barrage of comments, both positive and negative. In my mind, there are definitely bad changes that go along with the good. Let’s talk about ‘em.
In the short-term, the Last.fm brand has been hurt by the abrupt shift in the way the site functions as well as a new color palette that has taken them away from the glossy pink interface to a “destroyed” red look, which I don’t think is an upgrade. My opinion is that it looks amateurish and dated. I honestly could have seen them go from this design to the old design and it would have been a huge upgrade visually.
However, I think long-term the redesign will prove to be extremely beneficial for users with the addition of core features like syncing your iPod with your listening patterns, browsing your music library, and better browsing of music in general.
Historically, redesigns are almost always greeted with hostility by users. The success or failure of your redesign typically depends on the quality of the user experience. During a redesign the user experience and functionality will bring success or failure. If you’ve got a great web product, the visual appearance rarely will make or break you. MySpace is a perfect example of this. The UI for MySpace was awful before they redesigned. Just horrible. But MySpace had a great product and users couldn’t justify leaving the platform just because it was ugly.
The redesign for Last.fm, while it was a jarring disruption of the Last.fm brand, will ultimately be a step forward for the online music giant, even if the initial user response is distaste. The new features and enhanced user experience will keep users hooked on a great service.
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