Building my rebooted:bbc.co.uk homepage - #14: My Inbox
Probably the most challenging bit of my design for the BBC technically and editorially is my proposal that the page feature "My Inbox" - access to the users regular web-based mail service straight from the BBC homepage. It has also already prompted a couple of sceptical comments elsewhere on this blog.
The key to making this a success is whether it is easy to sign up to, and whether users would trust the BBC with their details. I think with the number of people already registered with the BBC, and the general trust in the brand in the UK that would not be too much of a problem. Technically it might be a challenge, and certainly usability wise it would be a challenge.
The technology is already there - you only have to look at Firefox extensions like the Gmail notifier to see that it can be done. My idea is that the BBC would partner with existing webmail providers like Gmail and Hotmail and AOL and Yahoo! Mail to make the technical details smoother. Users would select their mail provider, enter their sign on credentials to the BBC site, and then their most recent messages would be displayed on the page.
The thinking behind it? Email is the most prevelant activity on the internet - and it is the one major internet activity that the BBC is not involved with. By partnering with existing commercial providers, rather than trying to replicate their services, the BBC could bring email into the fold of their online offering, and offer a homepage that was a really complete starting point to explore the web.
- 18 May 2006 16:32
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