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Amazon testing tablet-friendly redesign of its flagship site

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The new Amazon.com home page includes a larger search box, and a drop-down navigation menu. (via The Next Web)

Amazon.com confirmed to the Wall Street Journal over the weekend that it’s testing a redesign of its website, with a cleaner look, a larger search box, more white space and a new emphasis on digital content.

Yes, it’s hard to view this as anything but preparation for the forthcoming launch of Amazon’s Kindle tablet — even though the company still isn’t talking publicly about those plans.

A small number of users first started seeing the changes last week. Amazon says it’s gradually rolling out the redesign to more users, although the timing of a full launch is still to be determined, TechCrunch reports.

The Next Web has more screenshots, including product pages and a drop-down navigation menu.

  • Guest

    Todd, how do you suppose that this redesign is “tablet-friendly”? For one thing, it makes liberal use of mouseovers; most tablets do not have mice.

    • http://geekwire.com Todd Bishop

      Interesting, have you been testing it out? Presumably the drop-down menu also works via touch. Pretty clearly the overall design here is done with an eye toward using fingers.

      • Guest

        In which ways do you find that the controls on this new navigation are more finger-friendly than are the controls on the previous navigation?

        • http://geekwire.com Todd Bishop

          The buttons, search bar and other graphical elements are bigger and more prominent, with more white space around them, thereby making them easier to press with a finger.

          • Guest

            I see. Have you tried the new layout on a tablet device, such as this “Amazon’s Kindle tablet” I’ve heard so much about? I’d like to hear more about usability improvements vis-à-vis new tablets.

  • Forrest Corbett

    I have seen the new layout and I really like it. I actually find the current Amazon site to be a horrible mess and extremely difficult to shop with. The new version makes a huge difference.

  • http://www.facebook.com/lawlam Lawrence Lam

    Showing a peek at the next panel on the right makes me think of the WP7 design