I'm sitting here wondering why this new format wasn't put into an app. The webpage design is much more mobile focused now and already seems more usable on mobile. It's easier to navigate and click on the smaller screen without miss hitting links, so definitely some pluses on the UX on mobile (especially for right-handed people, not quite as great a setup for us left-handed minority). However, on a computer screen there is so much white space created as everything stretches out to fill a laptop screen and the layout lost most, if not all, of its concise format (which is what was so great about the larger screen viewing). A less dense layout is great for reading/viewing, but less so for highly interactive pages.
It also seems a little counter-intuitive that most of the interaction occurs on the right half of the screen now. On 90%+ (made up figure but the point stands) of interfaces most people interact with on a daily basis the interactive options appear on the left half or top of the screen, with the content displayed to the right of this. I would assume the purpose of this is so that the the selections are a closer reach for right-handed people on mobile but it detracts from the experience on a larger screen. I do like the modernized look, but if the concern was over a poor experience on mobile, separating the web and mobile experiences via an app may have been a better route here.
I used to always go to the laptop when doing anything largely time consuming or in depth that would be difficult or tedious to do on a mobile screen (without a mouse and with a limited view). The better layout on mobile helps a bit here, but general screen size was the primary issue, not just the screen density. As a result, I don't see myself utilizing mobile any more now for tasks I previously saved to do on a larger screen which, in my mind, defeats the purpose of drastically altering the interface from its previously concise format on larger screens. A separate mobile app coupled with updates to the formats, color schemes (to match the app), and some layout of the browser version just makes more sense since usability, not visual appeal should be the #1 priority.
I know there is research out there now stating that people don't want more apps, but there's a distinct difference between apps that don't offer much of a different
browser versus mobile experience and apps that offer a different or improved experience than the ones found in the browser. For apps where a responsive website would be as good or better than an app; think passive websites that don't require much interaction, sites on which screen real estate isn't a major factor, or sites that you would do the same task on regardless of screen size: news or retail sites tend to fit in this category. For apps that offer a different or more focused for mobile interaction; think fantasy sports, the mobile app is focused on what people use the mobile app for: setting lineups and hitting the waiver wire, among other examples. Plus, people will download an app if they have time and/or money invested.
I am sure I will adjust to the new format in time, but from a UX standpoint I think some survey polling on what interactions users do on mobile versus on a larger screen may have altered the strategy here a bit.