New look SMH

The Sydney Morning Herald is about to unveil it 'new look' website. As is customary now for high-traffic websites, they've got the obligatory Flash introduction teaser (buried as a text link on the home page) to inform users of the impending change. It offers a screenshot of the new look, but not much in the way of information. It's unclear if this is simply a re-design or a complete restructure of the architecture, or even if the site will offer new content. It's also unclear if the new website will simply appear, or if there will be a phase-in approach.

High-traffic websites get a re-vamp every 2-3 years on average, but I've yet to see anyone make this change smoothly. Seldom are there any pointers on the home page to help users navigate the new design, and often all there is in the way of warning is a skim through the new features in a small introduction. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens on the 3rd.