For me, a good news app lets me get through as many headlines and absorb the most information about them in the least amount of time. If I have a 15-minute break in between classes, I want to whip out my phone, and browse the latest headlines.
News apps that succeed tend to do this. And most of them are aggregate apps, which means they take the most popular news from around the web—of course, giving credit where it is due (and hopefully payment)—and put them together with other stories based on your interest.
For example, Yahoo! News Digest, an app that is fairly easy to read with accessible sharing capabilities, allows users to browse the latest headlines, click on them and read no more than 500 words on the subject, see a cool graphic or pull out from the story and at the bottom, be able to browse other, related links.
This app also lets users choose at which times during the day they will receive their daily news digest. These come via push notifications two times per day. It keeps track of the stories you read, so it knows what stories to send you at your news break, which you choose.
YOU is a common theme among news apps. They want to cater to you. They use successful algorithms to make sure you have a news experience tailored to your wants and desires.
News apps that succeed tend to do this. And most of them are aggregate apps, which means they take the most popular news from around the web—of course, giving credit where it is due (and hopefully payment)—and put them together with other stories based on your interest.
For example, Yahoo! News Digest, an app that is fairly easy to read with accessible sharing capabilities, allows users to browse the latest headlines, click on them and read no more than 500 words on the subject, see a cool graphic or pull out from the story and at the bottom, be able to browse other, related links.
This app also lets users choose at which times during the day they will receive their daily news digest. These come via push notifications two times per day. It keeps track of the stories you read, so it knows what stories to send you at your news break, which you choose.
YOU is a common theme among news apps. They want to cater to you. They use successful algorithms to make sure you have a news experience tailored to your wants and desires.
Another news app is NYT Now, the New York Times app geared for millennials. The design of the app's stories uses the "bite, snack, meal" method" of displaying stories I've discussed in previous posts. I also like that every morning, the app sends you morning news updates. However, I don't like that when you click on stories, a block of scrolling text appears. With other apps, that seems to not be the case as they offer you the most newsy part of the story and then link you to other stories for you to find out more information.
However, I think the NYT does this because it creates its own content and wants its mobile app users to read all of it (ideally). They want to keep the readers they have locked into their brand. They also allow the option for users to subscribe to the app, another way for them to keep readers in the age of information overload.
One of the most popular news apps is Flipboard, another news aggregate. It’s design more like a magazine as readers can flip upwards with their thumb to scroll through headlines. As a traditional app user, I prefer scrolling, but I do like that flipping is what sets this app apart.
Flipboard, like the New York Times, also wants to know as much about its users and keep its readers. It asks them to log in with their Facebook or Twitter account in order get more information about what the person likes. Once registered, the user has an endless list of story topics he or she wants to see as they flip. You can pick as many topics as you want and change them whenever you want.
The app’s story layout uses the “bite, snack, meal” option as well. A large photo, one the app has sized from the news source where the story comes from, appears at the top with a descriptive headline and the tag at the top of one of your interests you selected. You click on the photo to read stories and are taken to the news site where the story is from.
Personally, I like that readers are taken to another site. It allows Flipboard to transfer credit to the story where it is due. I can also explore sites that I might not have otherwise visited. Again, part of the “you-centered” experience apps offer.
Check my next post to see other news apps that get it right!