Latest Insights on the New Homepage
▼ Summary
– The article addresses user feedback on The Verge’s new homepage, categorizing it into three buckets: fixes, investigations, and ideas not currently pursued.
– Immediate fixes implemented include adding a scrollbar, “Read More” links from story groups, and a way to read more from a category at the page bottom.
– Features under investigation include the Latest feed presentation, dark mode, dates on curated stories, and a “mark as read” feature for personalized experiences.
– The “Free-to-Read” and “Subscriber Perks” sections have been deprecated, and the page structure combining curated stories with a firehose feed will be maintained for now.
– The team acknowledges resource constraints and invites continued feedback via comments, a feedback form, user research group, or email at product@theverge.com.
We’ve been absorbing your reactions to the new homepage since launch, and we’ve read every single one. The praise, the critiques, the “this is actually great,” the “please change it back,” the bug reports, the feature suggestions, and yes, the endless calls for dark mode. We’re grateful for all of it.
Many of you shared detailed, thoughtful feedback right away, and that’s incredibly valuable. It helps us pinpoint where the new design works, where it falls short, and where friction remains. We’ve grouped that feedback into a few clear categories, and we want to be transparent about how we’re addressing each one.
Bucket 1: We should fix this. Some feedback points to clear fixes or refinements, like bugs and rough edges.
Items in this bucket include:
- The scrollbar on the feed (now fixed)Bucket 2: We’re exploring this. Some feedback signals broader needs or pain points worth investigating further, even if the exact suggestion isn’t the final solution.This includes:
- How the Latest feed is displayed and used, especially for fans of the pure reverse-chronological feedBucket 3: Not right now. Some ideas we’re not pursuing at this time, not because they’re bad, but because we have to be strategic about what we can support.This includes:
- Free-to-Read and Subscriber Perks sections (deprecated for now, but we’ll revisit later)I’ll be honest about what we can handle. We’re a small team, and every decision involves tradeoffs around time, resources, complexity, editorial needs, business priorities, and our long-term vision for The Verge (which is ambitious). We can’t commit to every suggestion, even if we agree it’s a great idea.We’ll fix what needs fixing and dig into the most meaningful themes. We’ll keep prioritizing and working through constraints. Most importantly, we’ll stay open about what we’re learning. Please keep the feedback coming.Here are the best ways to reach us:
- In the comments below