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Op-Ed: How Media-As-A-Service Informed A Radical New Approach To PSFK’s Design https://ift.tt/2FB1zzp We recently went through a rethink of the look and feel as well as the functionality of PSFK digital experience, and I wanted to share some of the ideas we pursued in case they might spur new thinking among our peers. The main driver was a need to shift away from the mindset informed by 15 years of (profitable) b2b publishing. We had transformed from a personal blog into an advertiser-driven publication, and from there into a paid business intelligence service over the last 3 years. While we remain relatively nimble, muscle memory kept coming into play, making it easy to do ‘what we always did.’ (Some history of PSFK can be found in this recent interview here). PSFK needed a new approach and a shift of mindset to reflect changing reader behaviors. Working with our internal design team plusAnthony Smyrski and Nini Lin, our developers at Grandiz, and the Wallkit paywall & subscription system, we focused on a number of key elements for our redesign, including the following:
Media As A Service While there still are elements of ‘media format’ on PSFK, there are now moments in our experience where we have shifted to a software UI/UX approach, particularly in search and welcome messaging. Overall we looked to develop a Media As A Service Site Design. Aligning search as hero Dynamic content based on reader type We also reconsidered what the content recommendations at the end of the article that were trying to achieve—are the ‘also reads’ trying to fuel discovery or force the reader into a funnel? For strangers, we decided we needed to encourage them to experience as much PSFK content as they can by taking them down a path of free content, with the ultimate hope that they’d like what they see and be motivated to increase their readership level. Beyond templates like the home page and the single page, our dynamic content will now reflect the type of reader a viewer is. Different areas of the real estate in our WordPress templates alter in accordance with what the Wallkit membership system advises. While we might recommend a paid reader to view a research report, we might recommend a stranger an interview. Responding to the angle of the lean In simplistic terms, we adjusted our expectation to see our mobile readers as newsletter consumers with a lean-back experience. They are often on the way to work, when there’s less impetus to click through in an email they receiver from us to visit the site. Desktop readers, on the other hand, are often engaged in a ‘lean-forward’ manner: They want to find out more about a topic they are researching. They are using PSFK as a tool for their work and we needed to respond to this need in our design. While this may appear a simplistic way to view the reader, such ideas about user behavior help our team understand user needs and take action to address them. Step-by-step (paywall) intercepts Applying multiple funnels This differentiation informs how the content, messaging and UI approach change. Living media Constant iteration Finally, what would Airbnb do? Final takeaways checklist—rules we try to abide by:
As some of you know, I started PSFK in New York with few resources and a lot of uncertainty. It was a passion project that managed to turn into a business. By realigning our approach every few years, PSFK has remained profitable and grown—and it still remains a passion project! With that passion, we try to achieve the best we can for the reader, the team and the business. My hope is that this outline of our shift to Media As A Service will provide inspiration for your own design considerations. We recently went through a rethink of the look and feel as well as the functionality of PSFK digital experience, and I wanted to share some of the ideas we pursued in case they might spur new thinking among our peers. The main driver was a need to shift away from the mindset informed by 15 years of (profitable) b2b publishing. We had transformed from a personal blog into an advertiser-driven publication, and from there into a paid business intelligence service over the last 3 years. While we remain relatively nimble, muscle memory kept coming into play, making it easy to do ‘what we always did.’ (Some history of PSFK can be found in this recent interview here). Mobile Marketing via PSFK http://www.psfk.com/ March 29, 2019 at 10:38AM
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