What we’re hearing about the new homepage

Screenshot of The Verge’s new homepage design on desktop and mobile

We’ve been reading your feedback on the new homepage. All of it. The kind and encouraging comments, the brutal ones, the “actually this rules,” the “please undo this immediately,” the bug reports, the feature ideas, and yes, the eternal request for dark mode. We appreciate it.

A lot of you took the time to share detailed, thoughtful reactions right after launch, and that kind of feedback is useful. It helps us understand where the experience is landing or missing the mark, spot issues and friction, and ultimately sort that feedback into a few buckets. We want to be open and transparent with you about how we’re looking at those buckets of feedback.

Bucket 1: Yes, we should fix that. Some feedback points to things we should clearly fix or smooth out, like bugs and rough edges.

Feedback that falls into this bucket:

  • The scrollbar presence on the feed (✅ Fixed)
  • Adding “Read More” from the groups of stories when there’s something to link to (✅ Fixed)
  • Adding a way to read more from a category toward the bottom of the page (✅ Fixed)

Bucket 2: This is worth investigating. Some feedback points to things worth exploring further. These are repeated requests that may reflect a broader need or pain point, even if the exact proposed solution is not the one we ultimately pursue.

Feedback that falls into this bucket:

  • How the Latest feed is presented and engaged with, especially for those of you who love the pure revchron feed (which Latest is). 
  • Dark mode. We are actively working on this.
  • Dates on stories in curated story sets. Removing them was intentional so we could more easily bring older stories back to the forefront, especially when they can add color and context to a timely topic. But we hear the frustration here and are thinking about how to address the underlying pain point.
  • Marking a story as read vs. unread. This is a recurring request and speaks to a broader need for more personalized homepage experiences. That’s something we’re actively planning for, even if this exact feature isn’t currently on the roadmap.

Bucket 3: Not right now. Some feedback falls into the category of ideas we’re not planning to take on right now. Not because the feedback is bad, but because we have to be deliberate about what we can support.

Feedback that falls into this bucket:

  • Free-to-Read and Subscriber Perks sections. We’ve deprecated these sections for now. We’ll revisit if it makes sense down the road.
  • The page structure. We’ve seen a lot of strong opinions on combining curated stories with the firehose feed. We believe in this approach and we need to give it time before considering big structural changes. Many of you love the mix; others, not so much. That’s okay.

I want to be candid about what we can support. We’re a pretty small team and every decision has to be weighed against time, resourcing, complexity, editorial needs, business priorities, and the longer-term vision for where The Verge is going (and we have big ambitions for where we want it to go). We can’t commit to every suggestion, even if we genuinely agree that it’s a great idea.

We’ll fix what needs fixing and dig into the themes that feel most meaningful. We’ll keep prioritizing and working through tradeoffs and constraints. Most importantly, we’ll stay open about what we’re seeing and learning as we go. Please keep the feedback coming.

Here are are the best ways to reach us:

  • Right here in the comments. 
  • We also have a feedback form here where you can submit bugs, feedback, requests, etc.
  • Join our user research group for the chance to participate in user interviews, user testing, and surveys, and get access to prototypes and beta drops. We will reach out when a good opportunity aligns.
  • Reach out to our team directly at [email protected]
  • Support with your account and subscription is handled by our wonderful support team at [email protected].

Read more @ TheVerge

Latest posts

What happens when your phone is confiscated at the airport

Even if you've done nothing wrong, it's never a good idea to hand your phone to the cops. But international travelers at American airports...

This is your laptop… on AI

We're now deep into developer conference season, and one of the themes so far is the relentless conviction from Big Tech companies that AI...

The Sonos Era 100 speaker is down to its lowest price in months

Whether you’re considering starting a Sonos speaker setup, or adding to an existing group, the Sonos Era 100 is worth picking up. The compact,...

Gone in 60 minutes

Scott Pelley, correspondent, 60 Minutes. | Photo by Michele Crowe / CBS News via Getty Images It should have been the final straw. The new...

My favorite alternative to Google’s Pixelsnap Ring Stand is better in every way

Google’s Pixelsnap Ring Stand grabbed attention when the magnetic Pixel 10 series launched last year, but I was never a huge fan of using...

Friday Android app deals and freebies: MEGA MAN X, Ace Attorney Trilogy, GHOST TRICK, more

Your Friday afternoon lineup of the best Android game and app deals is now ready to go, including titles like MEGA MAN X, Ace...

This chunky little tablet got my kid to clean up his toys

Just a cute little guy. Never underestimate the power that a cheap tablet holds over a kid under six. The Skylight Buddy is a device with...

Why isn’t the Trump phone made in the USA?

Where's the Trump phone? We're going to keep talking about it every week. We've reached out, as usual, to ask about the Trump phone's...

This AI startup says it can tell if a script will make a hit film

When Quilty hit the industry trades earlier this year, the AI startup promised that its tool could accurately predict a film's success just by...

What do you mean my new smart scale is ‘built for GLP-1 users’?

This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear...