Behind the New York Times online business section redesign

Kevin McKenna, the deputy business editor at the New York Times in charge of online, responded to a request for explanation from Talking Biz News about the recently redesigned page for business news on the paper’s coverage.

Here was his response:

“In brief, this re-conception of our presentation of business news online is the fruit of many months of editorial brainstorming, user research and design work. We felt that the front door to our business coverage online did not adequately expose readers to the breadth of the content that we generate throughout the day. We also sought to emphasize the unique insights of Times writers, whether in columns or blogs. We wanted to do an even better job of delivering the most up-to-the-minute news. And we were aiming to make the page easier to navigate, providing a quicker, richer, more focused read.

“All of this is the logical culmination of our online expansion over the last two years in several specific areas of business coverage — the economy, energy and the environment, technology and personal tech, personal finance, small business, media — each of which has included the creation of new blogs and other coverage, while also building on our strong DealBook franchise. At the same time, we’ve been beefing up our print coverage, including the distinguished lineup of business columnists that we’ve assembled, now eight in number.

“Our ambitions for our business readers won’t end with the new section front. We’ll be offering more video and multimedia, and we’ll be focused on better serving our mobile users as well. In the end, of course, it’s not the format or the template that counts, but what you put into it. And it’s the substance of our business coverage that makes us a destination — one that we’re confident will compare favorably with any competitor.”