Impressive Redesign for AustinChronicle.com

The Austin Chronicle launched a new version of their website today and the results are impressive. Among the first-impression highlights:

• Clean page layout with intuitive navigation. I like how the sections are clearly delineated on the home page and the calendar — one of the key tools on the site — is in a prime position.
• Areas for reader interaction take a prominent place. Both a section titled “Columns and Blogs” and “Comments and Forms” are featured in a high-profile spot on the home page. This is a crucial piece of online functionality and especially important for the Chronicle to maintain a constant conversation around their stories, which are published weekly in print.
• A nod to social media. Each story has an opportunity for readers to do something about it. There are links for commenting, writing a letter to the editor, printing, emailing, and submitting to Digg and Del.icio.us.

I found a couple of first-day minor glitches — this story was still in the old page template — but nothing glaring.

Congratulations to the Chronicle staff on a significant upgrade to their web presence.

Related: Drive-By Consulting: AustinChronicle.com