Daniel Kim
The New York Times has become a trusted source of information amidst a confusing and discordant landscape. With the breadth of content and features offered to a subscriber, I believe discoverability and intuitive navigation are key to elevating what makes the New York Times so special. In this study I will explore some UX enhancements that can support that goal.
I believe Personalization and Navigation drive engagement.
Currently, it looks as though the main form of navigation is done through the categorical drop-downs in blue, with the other subscriber feature sets found in grey section. I want to explore how to make this navigation more prominent and its content more discoverable.
I also believe readers can get lost in the quantity of information displayed in the red and green sections of the home page. Enhanced navigation and personalization can improve the readers experience here so that they don't lost track of the stories they are reading.
The first (lo-fi) personalization UX enhancement in this design is the Story Tracker at the top. Currently it can be difficult to track down articles related to a topic. Encapsulating them and highlighting them on the home page could allow users to keep track of the stories they are interested in that span longer periods of time.
The second personalization enhancement is the For You section on the right panel of the page. Here the tabs allow users to more easily toggle between "Editor Pick" articles and other personalized topics that we auto-generate based on user habits. This gives users the ability to discover new randomized articles and topics, while also giving them control over topics they are interested in.
I believe more personalization like the features suggested above could enhance reader engagement.
First, the Top Stories navigation tool on the left screenshot allows users to navigate through the top headline stories of the day, without needing to scroll through the entire page. Adding numbers next to each top story also keeps the user oriented within the hierarchy of information as they scroll deeper down the page.
Second, the Hovering Toolbar on the bottom could serve as a dynamic way for subscribers to engage with their various features. Expanding the Categories section for example gives the user the ability to explore categories in detail without leaving the home page. The user can edit and personalize the toolbar, so they can include anything from live news and The Daily, to the NYT Cooking and Games apps.
One challenge I’ve had as a NYT reader is in searching through the vast history of articles to get the information I need. I think AI could be a tool that does that work for me, and glues these bits of information together into a cohesive article. Using an AI chat assistant in the screenshots above, the user could generate a new article that pulls from existing NYT articles on broader topic entries like “Immigration in America”. The generated article would still reference the original articles and writers so the reader can dive deeper into the source content.
