Alex Watson, hea

1. PUBLISHING AND APPS:
WRONG QUESTIONS &
RIGHT ANSWERS
Tuesday, 25 September 12

2. The Week:
Our biggest
challenge
* Launched in 1995, it now has
over 190,000 readers
* Just celebrated its 28th
consecutive increase in
circulation
Tuesday, 25 September 12

3. Tuesday, 25 September 12

4. Tuesday, 25 September 12

5. Launched the app in Nov 2011
Not a PDF replica, and not InDesign driven; UX + HTML5
300,000 downloads, digital subs growing at 10% per month
By the end of 2012, available on iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire...
Tuesday, 25 September 12

6. Launched the app in Nov 2011
Not a PDF replica, and not InDesign driven; UX + HTML5
300,000 downloads, digital subs growing at 10% per month
By the end of 2012, available on iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire...
Tuesday, 25 September 12

7. Launched the app in Nov 2011
Not a PDF replica, and not InDesign driven; UX + HTML5
300,000 downloads, digital subs growing at 10% per month
By the end of 2012, available on iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire...
Tuesday, 25 September 12

8. Launched the app in Nov 2011
Not a PDF replica, and not InDesign driven; UX + HTML5
300,000 downloads, digital subs growing at 10% per month
By the end of 2012, available on iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire...
Tuesday, 25 September 12

9. Launched the app in Nov 2011
Not a PDF replica, and not InDesign driven; UX + HTML5
300,000 downloads, digital subs growing at 10% per month
By the end of 2012, available on iPad, iPhone, Kindle Fire...
Tuesday, 25 September 12

10. THIS IS A TALK ABOUT
MAKING THIS
INTO THAT
Tuesday, 25 September 12

11. Before we get to making stuff...
Tuesday, 25 September 12

12. Before we get to making stuff...
Some psychology.
Tuesday, 25 September 12

13. Tuesday, 25 September 12

14. “You” = System 2
Tuesday, 25 September 12

15. “You” = System 2
It’s smart. It can
handle complexity.
Tuesday, 25 September 12

16. “You” = System 2
It’s smart. It can
handle complexity.
But it’s lazy.
Tuesday, 25 September 12

17. System 1 is instinctive,
intuitive, impulsive
Tuesday, 25 September 12

18. System 1 is instinctive,
intuitive, impulsive
Tuesday, 25 September 12

19. System 1 is instinctive,
And it’s always running
intuitive, impulsive
Tuesday, 25 September 12

20. A BALL AND BAT COST £1.10
THE BAT COSTS £1 MORE THAN THE BALL.
HOW MUCH DOES THE BALL COST?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

21. 5P
(£1.05 + 5P = £1.10)
Tuesday, 25 September 12

22. We’re very rarely stumped
Tuesday, 25 September 12

23. We’re very rarely stumped
• 17 x 24 = ?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

24. We’re very rarely stumped
• 17 x 24 = ?
• What’s your opinion of HTML5?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

25. We’re very rarely stumped
• 17 x 24 = ?
• What’s your opinion of HTML5?
• What should be done about the (near) collapse of the
financial system?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

26. We’re very rarely stumped
• 17 x 24 = ?
• What’s your opinion of HTML5?
• What should be done about the (near) collapse of the
financial system?
• How happy are you with your life these days?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

27. Are you really answering the question?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

28. Are you really answering the question?
• What should be done about the (near) collapse of the
financial system?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

29. Are you really answering the question?
• What should be done about the (near) collapse of the
financial system?
• How angry am I at the bankers?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

30. Are you really answering the question?
• What should be done about the (near) collapse of the
financial system?
• How angry am I at the bankers?
• How happy are you with your life these days?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

31. Are you really answering the question?
• What should be done about the (near) collapse of the
financial system?
• How angry am I at the bankers?
• How happy are you with your life these days?
• How am I feeling right now?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

32. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

33. WHAT DID SOMEONE
ELSE DO?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

34. WHAT SHOULD I BUILD?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

35. WHAT CAN WE BUILD
EASILY?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

36. The Week. Take 1.
Tuesday, 25 September 12

37. Kindle!
Blackberry!
Android! iPhone!
iPad!
Online!
VAT!
Pricing! Advertising!
Reading time!
Print Subscribers! Editorial!
We talked tactics We planned revolution
Tuesday, 25 September 12

38. Conservatism vs radicalism
Tuesday, 25 September 12

39. Conservatism vs radicalism
• The best intentions: we wanted to build something good - couldn’t just be a
page turner.
Tuesday, 25 September 12

40. Conservatism vs radicalism
• The best intentions: we wanted to build something good - couldn’t just be a
page turner.
• We built something interactive, clever and modern in look and feel, but
readers were uncomfortable.
Tuesday, 25 September 12

41. Conservatism vs radicalism
• The best intentions: we wanted to build something good - couldn’t just be a
page turner.
• We built something interactive, clever and modern in look and feel, but
readers were uncomfortable.
• It wouldn’t have worked anyway. Existing software involved too much editorial
work and wasn’t multi-platform.
Tuesday, 25 September 12

42. If the answers are wrong...
Maybe the questions are as well
Tuesday, 25 September 12

43. Magazine + iPad = “digital magazine”
Tuesday, 25 September 12

44. Magazine + iPad ≠ “digital magazine”
Tuesday, 25 September 12

45. What job does our product do for users?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

46. What job does our product do?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

47. What job does our product do?
• The Week: a service, not an artifact. No-one has a favourite issue or article,
just as you don’t have a favourite bit of water that comes out of the tap.
Tuesday, 25 September 12

48. What job does our product do?
• The Week: a service, not an artifact. No-one has a favourite issue or article,
just as you don’t have a favourite bit of water that comes out of the tap.
• Services work best when they’re readily available, reliable, straightforward.
Tuesday, 25 September 12

49. What job does our product do?
• The Week: a service, not an artifact. No-one has a favourite issue or article,
just as you don’t have a favourite bit of water that comes out of the tap.
• Services work best when they’re readily available, reliable, straightforward.
• Subscriptions are massively important, and work well digitally for readers and
for us. Let’s get those right.
Tuesday, 25 September 12

50. What job does our product do?
• The Week: a service, not an artifact. No-one has a favourite issue or article,
just as you don’t have a favourite bit of water that comes out of the tap.
• Services work best when they’re readily available, reliable, straightforward.
• Subscriptions are massively important, and work well digitally for readers and
for us. Let’s get those right.
Tuesday, 25 September 12

51. So we knew the questions to ask...
Tuesday, 25 September 12

52. So we knew the questions to ask...
• Can we make the subscription process really great?
• Can we prioritise a clear and simple reading experience?
• Can we make it with technology that’s sustainable and scalable?
• Can we do a good job for new users - particularly on iOS - who have high
expectations, when it comes to polish and sparkle?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

53. Tuesday, 25 September 12

54. Tuesday, 25 September 12

55. Tuesday, 25 September 12

56. Tuesday, 25 September 12

57. What about
technology?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

58. What about
technology?
• Needs to serve your goals and
product priorities - “design isn’t
just how it looks”
Tuesday, 25 September 12

59. What about
technology?
• Needs to serve your goals and
product priorities - “design isn’t
just how it looks”
• We’re providing a service: need
to be able to do so reliably and
efficiently. Workflow!
Tuesday, 25 September 12

60. What about
technology?
• Needs to serve your goals and
product priorities - “design isn’t
just how it looks”
• We’re providing a service: need
to be able to do so reliably and
efficiently. Workflow!
• It’s not HTML5 OR Native.
HTML5 and Native can be
blended, like a cocktail. When
done right, the user never
knows what’s what
Tuesday, 25 September 12

61. What about design?
Tuesday, 25 September 12

62. What about design?
• In publishing companies, the
existing definition of design is a
problem
Tuesday, 25 September 12

63. What about design?
• In publishing companies, the
existing definition of design is a
problem
• It’s not user-focussed enough
Tuesday, 25 September 12

64. What about design?
• In publishing companies, the
existing definition of design is a
problem
• It’s not user-focussed enough
• It doesn’t think about
interactions or transitions
Tuesday, 25 September 12

65. What about design?
• In publishing companies, the
existing definition of design is a
problem
• It’s not user-focussed enough
• It doesn’t think about
interactions or transitions
• We find thinking about clicks
hard enough, let alone taps,
swipes, pinches...
Tuesday, 25 September 12

66. harkavagrant.com
Find out for yourself Users, not system 1
Tuesday, 25 September 12

67. THANKS.
I WAS ALEX WATSON.
@SIFTER
ALEX_WATSON@DENNIS.CO.UK
WWW .DENNISMEDIAFACTORY.CO.UK
Tuesday, 25 September 12