How to Become "Easy to Use" Online
I read through it today ahead of a Webinar on the findings this afternoon.
I was pleased to read that the report recommends news organizations try to avoid overwhelming users with information. This is a definate tendency for news Web sites, and a tendency we try hard to avoid.
The report also explains how different users are looking for different levels of information, which means you have to think about who your target audience is when thinking about how to present your information. Sounds like a no-brainer to me....but who is the local news audience?
I like to think a good newsroom is going to try to appeal to all segments of society. Certainly this is the ideal.
When considering Web site designs, how do you reconcile light users who want a simple, clean layout with heavy users who want all information in a compacted space? Heavy users might be your most loyal users, but light users can boost your audience size.
Do you create separate sites to cater to different audiences?
I think news organizations have to strike a balance with their Web design. A smart design will make the information easy to find and navigate, without sacrificing volume. This means a very smart home page.
Gone are the days of "shoveling" content onto the Web site.
1 comments:
You're absolutely right that good NEWSROOMS attempt to appeal to everybody. But that doesn't mean that every PRODUCT of the newsroom has to appeal to everyone. I think there's a huge opportunity for news organizations to create at least one additional hard-news or general-news site. Many papers have added niche sites -- from sites about local sports teams to local gardeners. But why couldn't a newsroom produce two news Web sites -- one designed for the "news junkie," that would be very similar to most current news sites, and another very different one designed for people who want to follow the news and keep up but who don't want the depth and volume and complexity that the news junkie does. They would look very different but they would both draw on the reporting and editing talents of the newsroom. We believe that in focusing on particular kinds of readers and attempting to understand and building products that really address and serve their needs that news organizations can build both larger and more loyal audiences. And the interesting thing is that we're not talking about a small niche of people who want something different -- a less complicated, more accessible version of a news Web site. We've heard the same complaint about news sites offering "too much" and being too overwhelming both from adult light users and from young people. If you developed a site designed to appeal to them, I'll bet it would attract them -- and many others.
Thanks for your interest in our report! Vivian Vahlberg, Managing Director, Media Management Center
Post a Comment