Nov. 4, 2009 (United Press International) -- Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) introduced a redesign of its MSN Web site Wednesday, the first since it was launched by the Seattle-based company.

Bob Visse of MSN Product Management told The Seattle Times the new configuration should go live early next year.

"This is an important, valuable asset for Microsoft," he said.

The new design includes plentiful white space, in contrast to MSN's current large areas of blue. Visse said it is less cluttered, with about half as many links as the current site.

The focus, he said, is on important content areas like news, sports and entertainment, along with a local content section.

"Content is still the No. 1 area of consumption," he said.

Bing, Microsoft's new search engine, is heavily emphasized and was one of the drivers behind the redesign. The new design also aims to allow easier access to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

About 600 million people worldwide use the MSN site.