Fox.com
Information Architect
Information Architect
The existing Fox.com was already considered good by most terms: the design was great, the technology was working, and most importantly, it was generating excellent revenue. Yet Fox, like F-i, felt it could still be pushed.
The most challenging aspect of the project was the decision to move Fox’s video player out of the context of Fox.com and to make it part of the individual show sites. This decision also impacted the navigation structure, which was also a challenge: how do you give users global access to Fox without dimishing the branding of shows or moving existing advertisements further down the page? Needless to say, exploration was a vital part of the process with Fox.
The most challenging aspect of the project was the decision to move Fox’s video player out of the context of Fox.com and to make it part of the individual show sites. This decision also impacted the navigation structure, which was also a challenge: how do you give users global access to Fox without dimishing the branding of shows or moving existing advertisements further down the page? Needless to say, exploration was a vital part of the process with Fox.
I will clear this out of the way now: it was not an easy project. In fact, it was perhaps the most mentally draining challenge I had been faced with in the role of an information architect. When every decision, no matter how small or insignificant, is called into question multiple times, defending your work becomes a job unto itself. You doubt yourself. In the end, when a higher-up at a major corporation like Fox tells you that he couldn’t be happier, you can’t help but smile and breathe a heavy sigh of relief!
