MSN Redesign Hits the Web

Today, MSN launched a preview of its new homepage. The first thing I noticed was the color change. The primarily blue background has become a much more soothing white. It also looks cleaner, with a lot less clutter. While the old version has 25 categories up top, along with the Bing search module and links to Hotmail, Messenger, and other Microsoft products, now there are six primary categories, each of which has a drop-down menu. Bing's still there, as are Hotmail and Messenger, but the layout is just more pleasing to the eye.

They are also featuring a link to their local editions up top. When I clicked on it, I got top local news stories, a weather forecast and recent lottery results, among other local features. MSN also decided to more fully embrace social media with their new iteration. Want to see your Facebook news feed? Or what's being tweeted in your Twitter account? You can sign in directly from the new front page and find out, along with being able to log in to Windows Live.

According to CNET's Relevant Results, the redesign has been "in the works for months," and with MSN trailing Yahoo in popularity in the U.S., there's nothing like a little competition to inspire change.

Here's a video of MSN Corporate Vice President Erik Jorgensen and U.S. Executive Producer Scott Moore talking about the "most significant redesign our MSN.com homepage has seen in over a decade," according to Jorgensen:

In my opinion, it's a big step up. Whether I'll change my homepage from Yahoo to MSN ... to be determined.

Logo courtesy of Microsoft