Amazon.com rolling out new virtual look

Browsing over to Amazon.com tonight to check on information for Apollo's Fire (which I blogged about earlier today), I was surprised to stumble across a new interface I hadn't seen before. It turns out Amazon.com is remodeling - trying out a new virtual look. Amazon has an overview of the changes, complete with a graphical guide describing the retooled layout.

I find the new design sleeker and more appealing - the "Cart" and "Lists" buttons are larger are more elegant, the search bar is more prominent, and hovering over the Amazon logo when not on the main page changes the graphic to read "Amazon.com homepage" which is a useful, though somewhat hidden, cue.

The new left navigation menu, which appears on the home page but hides under the "Shop All Departments" button on item pages, utilizes pop up menus for more compact browsing through different departments, though Javascript is required for the menu to work. (If Javascript is disabled, a plain listing that doesn't rely on scripting appears instead).

The following screenshots compare the old and new Amazon designs:




The new site design is on the left and the old is on the right. Click the thumbnails for a larger view. Here's how the company says it came up with the design:

We consulted the foremost experts in the field: our customers.

We traveled around the world, inviting customers like you to come and try out the new features and design. We listened to their feedback and made changes based on their opinions. Then we asked more customers for their advice, and we made more changes from their feedback. The design you see today reflects the input of many real-life customers of our U.S. and international websites.

My verdict: the site is definitely more usable, has a better color scheme, and improved navigation. You may or may not be able to see it in your browser if you head over there - Amazon says the new look is being selectively rolled out.