User Research design: Website Revision Korean media stall-type news of Waterloo

Article Description: Compared to the physical newspaper or TV, now we should more often through the network to browse the news, and the portal site is the average user to get the original media information. Recently, South Korea's largest portal, which has more than 70% per cent of the search market, has made some innovations on the news page, naver the media industry.

Yang Jiahao: Compared to the physical newspaper or TV, now we should more often through the network to browse the news, and the portal site is the average user to get the original media information. Recently, South Korea's largest portal, which has more than 70% per cent of the search market, has made some innovations on the news page, naver the media industry.

▲naver new online news stall function page (screenshot)

The number of media in South Korea is much larger than that in Taiwan. There are three light news agencies, and television channels have familiar third (KBS, MBC, SBS) and news channels YTN, MBN, the newspaper in addition to the Middle East three newspapers and South Korea and Beijing Seven national early evening News, seven financial newspapers and Seven Network media, together with the entertainment and sports newspaper, industrial specialized media and local newspapers , it is a contending. In the market, including physical newspapers and television gradually lost the situation, we all through the online supply of news, through the point of access to advertising revenue.

Naver originally on the first page on the list and classification options to randomly display the news headlines of each media link to the content page, called "News Public" (newscast) service, such a form like Taiwan's portal site, the first page users can see today's important or cause for concern headlines.

▲ Chart: Early naver the Regulation news service displayed on the home page (screenshot)

But the presentation was later changed. Naver at the end of last year, the introduction of the "News vendors" function, the first page of the regulation of the news to the newsstand, viewers need to select the media to join the online newsstand can browse by the media organized on their own page news headlines, and then link to the coverage page.

So change so that Naver (http://www.naver.com/) home became more tidy, the mixed regulations of the page into a newsstand form, in addition to allowing the media to have more independent performance editing suites and select the main news, but also to read the audience to choose their favorite media, or browse different types of news according to their attributes, but it has been extremely frightening since the official journey of this March.

▲"News Stall" Inside page screenshot (screenshot)

According to the South Korean media professional weekly "Media Today," commissioned by Nielsen to the national network traffic ranked top 50 media survey, the August traffic and on the road of March compared to find, joined the "news stall" media, its web page traffic almost all plunged into a huge recession, even more than 50%. Traffic 50 of the media, 32 are "news stall" members, their web page visitors dropped by 47%, page traffic is also a decline of 29%.

The top five and at the same time joined the "news stall" media, the five major media from the naver into the flow from March to 300 million to August 74 million, and August from the "News stall" inflow volume is odd. Instead, they grew 3% through keyword searches or links to the portals of Daum, Nate and other maintenance-line media. And such as the United News Agency and the "Asian economy" and other not joined the "news vendors" of the media, the flow has not been increased.

▲ South Korea's flow of the top 50 media in August this year flow and March "news vendors" before the comparison, the franchisee almost showed negative growth. (from the Korean media today)

What is noteworthy about this survey is that "news vendors" on the line caused by the sharp decline in media traffic, "Korea Daily (Korean version of the United Daily)," Korean National News "(Korean version of the" Free times ") and KBS TV, such as High-profile or high-profile media decline in the range of 20%, But other newspapers and more minority network media decline is more than 3 times times more than their, many in the bar-style "news broadcast" era can ensure that the flow of media in the "News stall" switch interface, but survive difficult, resulting in the polarization of the media market development.

This phenomenon is reflected in the Internet age, the general public reading news messages, "random" or "fast food news" browsing way than the media's own brand to the important. Naver's News page transformation test, just like let the audience originally decided to eat what to choose a restaurant, converted into the first choice of restaurants and then selected dishes.

The original regulatory interface allows the audience to see the title and click on the contents at the beginning, line of browsing habits in the "news stall" after the shelves, "select the brand" before the "choice of news" in the case, unless it is a long history, high visibility or clear position of the media, otherwise netizens will not have a clue to the media before watching the news, Reading the audience's "issue orientation" over current affairs is better than the choice of "media brand". In addition, in the "news stall" shelves, users must read the report will have to enter the home page after the click of the news, is also considered "superfluous" and resulting in reduced traffic. The convenience of reading in the internet age is also an important consideration for reading audiences.

Naver This "news stall" interface failed to a certain extent, highlighting the media industry's ideals and the reality of the gap, but also highlighted the access to the portal site influence has surpassed the media itself. And the most anxious than because of the interface transformation so that the flow of drama to reduce revenue shortage of the various joined the media. Some worry, if the situation persists, the future of network news to attract more attention, will be more focused on the pursuit of the eye or mutton color fishy content "grandstanding", the quality of the news will cause adverse effects. In addition, "news vendors" exacerbated the phenomenon of the polarization of traffic, obviously hit the market smaller media, the media is also a damage to the diversity.

Suffer lambasting Naver already because "news stall" interface failure and join media friction, promise will consider solution "news stall" convenience problem, the future can really dissolve "media crisis", is testing naver creativity and wisdom.