Applications
MagicBricks.com dons new look
MUMBAI: Times Internet‘s property portal MagickBricks.com has launched the new look, after user-research, client feedback and product development.
MagicBricks.com business head Sudhir Pai said, “Improving ‘discovery‘ of banners and property listings on our site and making ‘search‘ more user-friendly and simpler was always a priority item for us. The current build makes significant breakthroughs on these areas.”
“We‘ve also made changes to UI (user interface) and site navigation and introduced features that not only enhance user experience, but improve user engagement and generate better responses to our customer,” Pai added.
The enhanced features of MagicBricks.com include:
Main Search Form – Improved on all home pages, now with a bigger and bolder layout that helps improve searches done and enhances results of user‘s search behavior. The overall look, feel and colour of these pages have also been modified.
Global ‘Keyword‘ Search – The keyword search field now does many things from installing the auto suggest and spell checking features made popular by Google, user can now search for localities, security, amenities, builder names.
Geo-targeted contextual banners and galleries – Geo grouped contextual banners now display sleeker and improvised inventories like buttons, banners and developer galleries on the basis of the city from where the user‘s logged in. For instance, if one is logging from Mumbai, he will see Mumbai banners first. This change will enhance both the user experience and response for clients.
‘New Project‘ search function- On the results page users now get detailed info within the listings and have user-friendly refine options on the left panel. This will also significantly improve user experience as well as client response.
‘Home Worth‘ calculator- launched in Beta version. This calculator allows a quick assessment of the sale or rental value of a house. Find it under ‘Rate and Trends” dropdown on the main tab. This increases user engagement and should develop into user ‘delight‘ shortly.
Online Photo Cropping tool- is an easier method to upload photos on MB. With the File Size limit increased to 1MB Users will now find it much easier to crop and attach photos of their property while posting.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
