Friday, September 12, 2014

INNOVATION SPECIAL..................... 'We Imagined the App as a Person at a Bar

INNOVATION SPECIAL

 'We Imagined the App as a 

Person at a Bar'

Farah Assir

Interaction designer, the New York Times Co.

THE CHALLENGE::
Farah Assir, who began her graphic-design career in print media, wanted a mobile Times to be more than a pared-down website; she wanted to create a product for younger readers like her, who might perceive the paper as inaccessible.

NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD, YOU'LL GET YOUR MORNING BRIEFING.

THE TURNING POINT:

Assir and fellow designer Grant Gold "thought of a lot of silly things," she says, "like gamifying the Times—how many stories did you read today?" That led to a key insight: the need for a distinctive voice. "One day we imagined the app as a person at a bar.
He's asking you: 'Did you hear about . . .?' There actually was a real person in the New York Times Building that we were thinking of. He has charisma and wit—and he's really hot."

THE EXECUTION:

"It's a conversation. In the morning, it says, 'Good morning.' We want to be helpful, so here's the weather, and if you're in New York, subway info. No matter where you are in the world, you'll get your morning briefing, put together by the NYT Now editorial team. At lunch, here's your lunchtime read. As you scroll down, you get into the most important stories. At the bottom, there's the 'Don't Miss' section—things that are quirky or fun." The app delivers 50 to 80 articles a day and in­cludes "Our Picks," which, in a break for the Times, highlights other publications' work.

THE RESULT:

In its first week, NYT Now ($2 a week or $7.99 a month) topped the download charts for news apps.

http://www.fastcodesign.com/3035110/innovation-by-design-2014/design-is-changing-how-we-innovate#chapter-Farah_Assir

No comments: