Methodology from traditional magazines: Reading application Zaker

In recent years, the rapid development of domestic mobile Internet, whether for entrepreneurs or Yeh, those successful business experience has a very far-reaching significance, which embodies the success of the Internet entrepreneurship philosophy is also very worthy of reference and learning.

Therefore, Tencent Science and technology to visit many of the forefront of entrepreneurs, launched the "Mobile Internet Business Practice Guide" series of articles, as far as possible to talk about theory, more talk about practice. This article is the 11th article: Pay attention to the actual practice of reading.

In a discussion of domestic reading application status of the article, a netizen in the following message: "Roaming in the ocean of information, but often feel thirsty." In a word, there is a gap in the reading market.

Look forward to in this market blank can make a difference in the product, is caught in the fierce homogenization of competition, Flipboard Chinese version, Zaker, NetEase reading, Tencent Love to see, Sina Vision, cool Cloud reading, referring to ... Although there are many products that emphasize algorithms, social relationships and personalized elements, they have little effect.

Zaker founder Leeson and believes that the current information reading application is still in the earliest stage of development, from the mobile terminal users read content, science and technology and picture-type news of the largest reading, which with the reality of the readers of society, sports News of high demand produced a great contrast, perhaps, Only when the latter's news content gets high flow can it be explained that the reading application really enters the burst stage.

In the early market competition, the focus of reading application is on three aspects of reading experience, typesetting effect and content quality. Zaker Leeson and share to do product experience: Learn from traditional magazines, bring the methodology into mobile terminals, and provide users with a general reading experience.

Not long ago, Zaker launched a shopping magazine to apply the "window", the development process, Leeson and a micro-blog shows the universality of the experience: "In order to cross the border into the fashion industry, this evening studied a few fashion magazines, harvest a lot!" ”

According to Leeson and introduction, since Zaker in early 2012 from reading the World independent out as a new company operation, currently has 65 employees, of whom 60% are responsible for products and technology, 30% of people do content and media cooperation. A single device to download an application as a measure of the number of users, has 6 million users. Content and traditional media cooperation in the number of about 500 to 600.

The core of reading application: Reading experience, typesetting effect and content quality

The methodology of traditional magazines is integrated into Zaker, which is embodied in four aspects:

First, the text of the article uses the layout effect of columns, which has a difference with other similar applications, but it is consistent with the typesetting effect of traditional magazines;

Second, the text exaggerated the visual effect of the title, with the obvious background color block and font highlighting the title, which is similar to the title of the magazine;

Third, the picture processing uses the large format processing way, for the reader to take to the visual impact effect, the magazine often gives half the layout even to the genuine picture, Zaker also to look for this;

In the process of cooperation with content, to different content in order to meet the different identity of its content positioning, so that readers feel the content side of the brand to convey, such as the new financial net used in the dark blue color, in Zaker, the custom of the new wealth of the content of the reader in the opening of this plate, can also see the dark blue of the new network logo.

Leeson and believe that the application in the blink of an eye must give the user a bright visual experience, in the domestic reading applications are inherited Flipboard nine format layout, their application into a number of different elements to form a differentiation. Especially when the content of the application is not controlled by oneself, the design typesetting is especially important.

Content Layout Concept: Users to help you pick the article

Zaker's content choreography incorporates three elements:

First, a full range of statistical data, this data contains the number of users to share, the article clicks, the higher the number, the more likely the top of the article rankings;

Second, the emergency needs editing intervention, the news to the front, so that users quickly access;

Third, calculate the user's reading preferences, do personalized adjustment. But the user's preferences need time to precipitate, this aspect of the need to achieve a process.

"The rationalization of content layout, information denoising, so that users quickly get what they want is a product multidimensional force of the process." A single say background algorithm and how strong the technology is not much help, if the user of the product itself does not reach a certain basis, the content of the number of partners and quality is not up to standard, the shape of the product itself and experience is not good, will affect the final function to achieve ", Leeson and believe that the portal era by editing to achieve Content selection and update the way, In Zaker will become a large number of users to help you pick the article.

and Flipboard difference points: Consider the local user network environment and reading preferences

Zaker is known as the comprehensive imitation of Flipboard, Leeson and does not deny the beginning of the product development for the Flipboard of the reference, but since the introduction of the first application in December 2010, Zaker in understanding their users on the basis of a suitable for local users to explore.

Leeson and summary, this feature includes offline reading, one-stop reading, and different systems for devices that focus on different content.

China's network environment and foreign compared with the obvious disadvantage, a large number of users in the use of Zaker or WiFi access, in order to meet the needs of users to read at any time, zaker add offline reading and offline download functions.

According to foreign media reports, Flipboard 70% of the content of the link from Twitter, and at the beginning of the development of Flipboard because the content of copyright side of the number of cooperation, users need to jump a link, enter the original page. Leeson and pointed out that zaker at the beginning of development, because of the birth of reading the world, and then read the world has done nearly 5 years of copyright transactions, there are many traditional publishing content partners, so in the acquisition of copyright content is less pressure, you can quickly meet the user's one-stop reading needs, users do not need to jump to the content source, Save time.

In the iphone and Android versions developed, Zaker, given the differences between the two systems ' mobile phone users, the content provided to iphone users will focus more on product information, and Android users will have more beautiful images and entertainment content. In the use of the iphone and the ipad, picture news is reading a great deal, but considering the environment of network use, different devices provide different quality pictures.

Leeson and the introduction of the iphone and ipad user time is also different, the ipad's use of time to focus on eight o'clock to 11 o'clock night, and the iphone's time period focused on seven o'clock in the morning to eight, noon 11 o'clock to 12, seven o'clock in the evening to eight points. Consider the differences in time points, the content of the choreography will also take appropriate changes.

Product Final status: Introducing Social relations

Leeson and said that Zaker in the near future has no financing plan, because the product form is far from the function that ultimately wants to realize, and this form is to introduce the socialization relation. This chain of relationships is not rebuilt on the Zaker, it is the relationship chain that digs and utilizes the existing social network.

According to Zaker data feedback, the current users to share the number of Sina Weibo articles in about 8000, share to Tencent Weibo 5000 or so. This value is not high in Leeson.

Leeson and product development are divided into four stages: in the first phase, the portal and traditional media content are moved to the mobile end; the second stage is to add user-accessible parts, such as personalized subscriptions, and the third stage, which can provide different content according to user preferences; The fourth stage, add socialization relationships. The final form of product formation, Leeson and thought it would take half a year.

In the application of the formation of social links, interaction between users, which is called social reading application of the Flipboard is not fully realized, for Zaker, can only be a forward exploration. Is reading based on the social relationship level necessarily efficient and practical for users? Leeson and unable to give a positive reply. But perhaps, as Tang Cha's Li Ruyi says, as a start-up, it's not worth doing if it isn't necessarily experimental. Who can really solve the user's reading needs in the ocean of information, the market still has a look.