Overlooking 10 Things

I know I'm not the only person who reads the Wall Street Journal package that runs in the Sunday Star Tribune (and, I imagine, other newspapers around the country). But am I also the only person who finds the format of this recurring feature problematic?


Every week, I go through the same routine. First, I read the headline, in this case, "...Financial Advisers Won't Tell You."

Which makes very little sense. So I look at it a bit closer and notice there's a little shield thingy on the left side of the page that says 10 THINGS. And I realize I'm supposed to read that before I read the headline.

Sorry, Wall Street Journal designers, it doesn't read through. I have no idea how many times I've seen this layout over the weeks or months, and I never read it the way intended. The shield isn't lined up with the headline, it doesn't connect visually, it's small and cluttered, and it just generally doesn't work.

Consider this a user test. You're welcome.