What's new? An inside look at The Chronicle's website redesign

The Chronicle has evolved drastically since our initial publication on Dec. 19, 1905, and Monday marks another major milestone in our transition to a digital-first platform.

Our latest website redesign is finally complete after six months of planning. We're thrilled to provide arguably the most immersive student journalism experience yet to the Duke University and Durham communities. 

In an era where news is being consumed in more ways than ever before, the new dukechronicle.com allows you to get information however and wherever you want it. For the first time, we've put the mobile reader at the forefront, creating easy-to-use drop-down menus that will take you directly to the specific content you're looking for. Our new "Top Stories" and "Trending" sections use an algorithm to deliver time-relevant content that is popular among our readers, making sure you constantly get easy access to our best stories. 

While breaking news and written stories remain at the forefront of our focus, we're constantly expanding our offerings to cater to your news consumption needs. 

The recent success of our podcasts "ChronCast," "Cameron Chronicles" and "Reel to Reel" has transformed into a brand new podcasts section. We've launched a more user-friendly multimedia platform, which expands the accessibility of our photo department's work and also serves as a home for our video content. Hear about our Daily Rundown, The Dirt and Overtime newsletters, but are unsure where to sign up for them? Thanks to your support, our new newsletter registration bar and subsection make it easy for you to get in on the action. 

The most exciting part about being a digital platform is the ability to interact with our audience. The Chronicle's relationship with the Duke and Durham communities is symbiotic. A piece of information is not newsworthy if nobody cares about it, and we need your help to make sure a visit to The Chronicle is worthwhile for you.

Chronquiry provides a unique opportunity for you to ask questions you've always been wondering about, but never knew who to ask. With our Chronquiry embeds, you can anonymously ask those questions and vote on the questions of others. We have dedicated staff that will do the research and answer even the toughest questions

Lastly, our social media platforms offer another place for conversation. Follow Duke Chronicle on Facebook, thedukechronicle on Instagram and @DukeChronicle on Twitter for your breaking news. @ChronicleRecess provides campus arts and culture updates and a community for discussion. Want to banter about Coach K's decision-making 24/7 with 148,000 other people? Follow @DukeBasketball and participate in daily polls. Lastly, follow @ChronicleSports for in-depth coverage of Duke's 27 varsity sports, including football and women's basketball.

We hope you enjoy our new user experience and are looking forward to serving you on a variety of platforms. We could not have undertaken this monstrous effort without our outstanding website developers at SNWorks, Chronicle alumna and current Google designer Sanette Sloan, Chronicle alumnus—current board member—and former product manager at Gannett Daniel Carp and our amazing general manager, Chrissy Beck.

Michael Model is the Digital Strategy Director for Volume 115. Email him at michael.model@duke.edu if you want to get involved with The Chronicle's digital team.


Michael Model

Digital Strategy Director for Vol. 115, Michael was previously Sports Editor for Vol. 114 and Assistant Blue Zone Editor for Vol. 113.  Michael is a senior majoring in Statistical Science and is interested in data analytics and using data to make insights.

Discussion

Share and discuss “What's new? An inside look at The Chronicle's website redesign” on social media.