Designing a new mobile experience for The Guardian
This article was adapted from a presentation I prepared for the Business Transformation module as part of my Master’s in Digital Experience Design at Hyper Island, Manchester (UK).
Contextualization: why is change needed?
“If we go back 25 years, before the age of the Internet, we lived in a world where it was incredibly hard to obtain information. We were practically living in an information vacuum” (Baekdal, 2014). Therefore, the print newspaper had, at the time, a precise and well-defined goal: to fill that void; not to say, naturally, about its social and democratic functions. In other words, people needed newspapers because they solved a real problem.
The combination of the ability to solve a real problem and the high barrier to entry implicated into the rise of monopolies and oligopolies — worldwide — throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Peter Thiel, PayPal co-founder and venture capitalist, and Blake Masters argue that monopolies and oligopolies do not need to be concerned about business models or understanding people (2014). Their business models are self-sufficient — until a new wave breaks them.
As a product, the traditional newspaper solved the information vacuum by “taking the role of the connector of information” (Baekdal, 2014). Additionally, it had a bit of everything:
By putting all of these offers in a single product, newspapers created value by providing the whole package — a solution that, in the 90’s, appealed to the masses. While it is true that readers’ interests varied, virtually everyone had at least one topic of interest when consuming the news in a print newspaper.
Traditional newspapers’ business models have never been based on news per se, but on their ability to offer everything people needed in a single place, which helped to attract a large number of avid consumers. As a consequence, brands started to pour millions of dollars in advertising to capitalize on that audience. Moreover, newspapers had the power to connect people to the world around them.
Then came the Internet. And, along with it, the perfect wave:
Conceptually, from 1990 to the present day, the print newspaper remains the same. In other words, it operates under the same unrivaled truth — that of it still solves a real problem. It does not.
As a matter of fact, as of today, there is only one logical conclusion to it: print newspapers, as a product and business, are broken. And there is no way to fix it. If traditional, well-respected media companies do not want to be victims of the Kodak Syndrome (Davidenkoff, 2013), which means being market leaders until that market ceases to exist, it is time to change.
It is crucial to emphasize, however, that newspapers’ problems are not limited to their print versions. Even though the print version has always been the cash cow (Investopedia, n.d.) — and in most cases still is — traditional media companies have been unable to efficiently respond to the challenges imposed by the digital transformation that the world has been going through.
Take the New York Times as an example. From a design perspective, the website is nearly a replica of its print version, despite the differences between the readers who consume them. Many other newspapers (The Guardian included) work very similarly.
By the numbers: overview of the industry (All markets)
Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report (Nic Newman et al. 2017) provides thoughtful insights on the industry, both on a local (United Kingdom) and global (All markets) perspectives. Here are some of the key findings of this year’s research:
- Growth in social media for news is flattening out in some markets, as messaging apps that are (a) more private and (b) tend not to filter content algorithmically are becoming more popular. The use of WhatsApp for news is starting to rival Facebook in a number of markets including Malaysia (51%), Brazil (46%), and Spain (32%).
- Only a quarter (24%) of the respondents think social media do a good job in separating fact from fiction, compared to 40% for the news media.
- There are wide variations in trust across 36 countries. The proportion that says they trust the news is highest in Finland (62%), but lowest in Greece and South Korea (23%).
- Almost a third of the sample (29%) say they often or sometimes avoid the news. For many, this is because it can have a negative effect on mood. For others, it is because they can’t rely on news to be true.
- Mobile marches on, outstripping computer access for news in an increasing number of countries. Mobile news notifications have grown significantly in the last year, especially in the US (+8 percentage points), South Korea (+7), and Australia (+4), becoming an important new route to content and giving a new lease of life to news apps.
- In a related development there has been a significant growth in mobile news aggregators, notably Apple News, but also Snapchat Discover for younger audiences. Both have doubled usage with their target groups in the last year.
- Smartphones are now as important for news inside the home as outside. More smartphone users now access news in bed (46%) than use the device when commuting to work.
- Voice-activated digital assistants like the Amazon Echo are emerging as a new platform for news, already outstripping smart watches in the US and UK.
By the numbers: overview of the industry (United Kingdom)
Overall, the total media ad spending in the United Kingdom will increase over the next few years. Digital advertising, especially on mobile, will dominate while print advertising will decrease.
Mobile ad spending is skyrocketing, and Google and Facebook concentrate most of the total investment in digital advertising. Additionally, both new and established digital players are continuously threatening traditional media companies.
By the numbers: overview of The Guardian
- Reader Relationships: at the end of 2016–17, Guardian News & Media (GNM) had more than 400,000 regular paying members and subscribers to their print and digital products.
- Advertising & Business: it continues to refine and improve its advertising proposition, taking account of rapid changes in the print and digital advertising markets.
- Reshaping The Organization: Guardian Media Group (GMG) reduced headcount in 2016–17 by approximately 300 roles.
- Audience/Readership: more than 140 million monthly unique browsers consistently engage with Guardian journalism online.
Even though The Guardian’s digital revenue has been growing, the overall revenue is stagnant, mostly due to losses in print advertisement. On a more positive note, however, The Guardian announced that it has halved its operating losses — compared to two years ago — and is now looking at breaking even by 2019.
The company needs to keep focusing on diversifying its products, improving its digital offerings and investing in new technologies.
A peek into the future
As part of my research, I interviewed Alexandre Botão, a seasoned journalist and Ph.D. Candidate in Digital Media at University of Porto (Portugal). During our conversation through Skype he mentioned a few trends regarding newspapers and the industry in general:
- Personalization: people want content that is tailored to them. If in the past users needed to chose what type of content they wanted to read, now this process is becoming more and more automatized through Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
- Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning: AI and ML are taking over the newsroom. For instance, computers can now write articles without human intervention (Urbs.Media). Additionally, AI and ML are heavily used to analyze content performance and to personalize the reading experience to consumers.
- Voice-Activated Devices: newspapers around the world, especially in the U.S., are investing heavily in applications (“Skills”) for Alexa and Google Home. Listening to the news on smart speakers is a trend to watch for.
- Different Devices = Different Content: Responsive web design is no longer enough. The content that is produced to desktop computers should be different to that of is produced to mobile devices. Respect the constraints of each platform.
Going further with primary research, I have also interviewed another expert in the field. Paulo César Oliveira Marques, Director of Marketing and Sales of Correio Braziliense (Brazilian newspaper), mentioned the following trends during our Skype interview:
- Data Is The New Petroleum: collecting and managing data is vital to newspapers. Big Data is already helping media companies to properly understand their readers (profiles: needs & preferences).
- AI, ML, Deep Learning, Blockchain: investing in new technologies is fundamental to increase newspapers’ competitive advantage and assertiveness.
- Content Distribution: newspapers are no longer controlling content distribution. Social Media, especially Facebook, is now the driver of what people are reading and talking about. Having a smart Social Media strategy in place can be a game-changer. At the same time, newspapers need to be able to understand how people are consuming their content — in which platforms and devices — so newspapers can target the right people at the right time with content that matters to them.
Consuming the news in the UK
Besides interviewing experts in the industry, I have also conducted a couple of in-person interviews with end-users: (1) with AJ Huxtable-Lee and (2) with Sian Huxtable-Lee. Both are British, young and read the news every day. Based on their inputs, a persona and a simple customer journey map were created.
Persona
A (super) simple customer journey map
System waste and opportunities
Here's a quick overview of what is currently not working and what could be potential opportunities for the future.
What is not working?
- The Guardian’s website is nearly a replica of its print newspaper;
- The same content is produced to both desktop computers and mobile devices;
- Mobile apps are not being properly monetized (traditional ads — banners — do not work well on small screens);
- The Guardian have little to no control regarding the distribution of its content (Social Media platforms own the distribution).
What are the opportunities?
- Invest and build new products using new technologies (Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain);
- Understand and leverage the differences between multiple devices to produce content that is exclusive to a specific device;
- Reinvent storytelling for news;
- Attract younger audiences;
- Use Social Media within new and existing products to add more context to the news — as well as to give users different perspectives to the story;
- Content personalization through technology.
Sneak Peek: The Guardian For You
After going through primary and secondary research, I started working on an idea for a mobile app called “The Guardian For You”. It adapts the content to better match the size of the screen as well as breaks it into smaller bits of information.
The app works similarly to Instagram Stories from a UX point of view. It also leverages the power of Social Media to bring rich and more personalized content to users.
“The Guardian For You” uses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to understand your preferences and deliver the best possible news to you; the more you use the app, the more personalized it will be. For instance, if you regularly read news related to sports, the app will start prioritizing that kind of content and will craft you a unique reading experience based on your behavior.
It all starts with a push notification…
Even though users would obviously be able to tap the app icon and open the app directly from their phones’ home screens and check trending stories, the main experience revolves around receiving timely and engaging push notifications.
The reading experience
The moment the user taps the push notification, he or she embarks on an immersive experience. Bold fonts, bright colors, fullscreen images and videos reinvent the “cover” page.
“The Guardian For You” is an entirely new way of reading the news. It is storytelling at its finest, rethought from the the ground up.
As the user navigates through the story, the content is broken into smaller bits of information to make the reading experience more pleasant and natural.
Users can also easily share an article with friends and family. All it takes is a tap on the “Quick Share” button and the link is automatically copied to the clipboard.
Popular tweets around the topic are added to the story, so everyone’s voice — and not only the Guardian’s — is heard. And to make the experience more personalized, users can connect to their Twitter accounts, which means that the tweets from the people they follow would surface into the story, as long as the tweet is related to the story itself.
The Guardian’s membership has become increasingly popular over the past year (Schmidt, 2017). Therefore, adding an extra screen in the middle of the story (between content) to ask users to donate and become a member sounds like an interesting approach.
As shown in the secondary research, young people — who are the target audience of this app — are prepared to pay or at least contribute through donations to online journalism.
Interactive, fullscreen ads would also be a possibility for monetization.
The experience would continue after the brief interruption with more interactive content. Videos, text-over-images and audio could be used to deliver the information in a different and more engaging way.
Business model
Media innovation
For every product people built, it is imperative that it is at the intersection of “what is desirable from a human point of view with what is logically feasible and economically viable” (Brown, 2009). For The Guardian it would not be different. “The Guardian For You” is a mobile app that aims to not only bring innovation to the newsroom, but also to the reading experience. In 2018, there must be a new, better way of reading the news; one that is personalized to the user’s behavior and preferences, and adapted to the device in which the news is being read.
The idea for the app is feasible as the technology to build it is already here. It is economically viable considering how integrated it is to the Guardian’s membership program, which would naturally have more members since more people would be impacted by it, and it is desirable from a human perspective as data from primary and secondary research revealed.
What is next?
“The Guardian For You” is just one step towards the future. If the company wants to survive in this hyper-competitive world that we live in, it is imperative that it rethinks the whole business and its foundations. To begin with it, The Guardian needs to acknowledge that society changes: the way media is consumed today is utterly different than it was ten years ago. Therefore, its products need to adapt, regularly — for instance, the company must not use the print newspaper as the basis to its website.
The change, however, does not stop at the product front. The newsroom also needs to change. Journalists need to embrace digital and make it their priority. They should be working side by side with developers, data scientists, user interface (UI) designers and user experience (UX) researchers. Senior managers also need to take a step back and be more open to change — or else they will soon be the experts of a market that does not exist anymore (or the dinosaurs in the room).
Final recommendations
- Make sure the website looks and feels like a digital product and not a print newspaper;
- Innovate not only by investing in technology and new products, but also by providing training and continuous support to journalists;
- Rethink the newsroom structure: hire as many developers, data scientists and designers as possible;
- Do not be afraid to experiment: Build, Measure, Learn (Ries, 2011);
- Be humble and open: the world has changed, business has changed — you should change, too;
- Always involve the end-user in product decisions. Talk and, more importantly, listen to customers on a regular basis.
References
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