newspaper design
classified design
web design
online design
newspaper redesign
classified redesign






Hartford Courant

Hartford, CT
250,000 daily circ.

Nancy Stimac, Classified Advertising Director




FOCUS GROUP RESULTS

1. Retain the testimonial panel on the prototype cover, but change its message and position: Change the message to emphasize that ctnow.com classifieds offer more listings than The Hartford Courant's classifieds. Move this panel to the bottom of the page to eliminate the visual conflict with the main banner.

2. Make the phone number and url more prominent.

3. Be prepared for some complaints if you remove the numerical classification system, but feel reasonably safe that these complaints will be minimal.

4. Expect the ultimate usefulness of the main banner page numbering index system to be more apparent on those days when categories are rearranged (as in Wednesday Wheels) or when certain verticals move out of the main classifieds (as in Real Estate).

5. Use the one-column fillers for ctnow.com, emphasizing that ctnow.com offers more.

6. Alpha-sort all classifications and sub-classifications as much as possible.

7. Restore pricing for private-party ads.

8. Promote the redesigned Courant Classifieds as "easier to read " (as a result of the new liner typography) with a new indexing system that makes the redesigned Courant Classifieds "easier to use."