March 7, 2013
The Huffington Post has revamped its Android application with a design that emphasizes speed for speedy news reading.
During the revamp, Huffington Post listened to its readers and located that the No. 1 thing users wanted was a faster reading experience. Moreover, offline reading options and a widget were added to the app.
“The biggest change to the app begins with a brand spanking new mobile feed that delivers content to the app faster while articles at the moment are created server-side for faster rendering,” said Josh Klenert, head of user experience and design at Huffington Post, Ny.
“For a more legible reading experience, we’re using typography designed for digital screens,” he said.
“We’ve also added a brand new widget which might be pinned to the house screen which permits our readers to scan the inside track outside of the app.”
Read on mobile
The Huffington Post Android app is designed to run on Ice Cream Sandwich. The app is on the market at no cost download from Google Play.
The app recognizes a user’s favorite sections of Huffington Post, which might be highlighted in a drop-down list on the top of the screen.
Content also downloads inside the background, making it faster for users to open the app and skim content.
Blog feeds featuring the articles were made bigger and easier to tap on for mobile users.
The Huffington Post Android widget
Additionally, readers can download content from their favorite sections for offline reading.
For a handy guide a rough glance of the inside track without opening the app, consumers can install a Huffington Post widget to their device’s home screen. From there, users can flip through headlines and short news blurbs.
The app works across Android smartphones and 7-inch tablets. Huffington Post plans to launch an Android app specifically for tablets within the coming months.
When it involves advertising opportunities, Huffington Post is leveraging in-view mobile ads that stay with a client as they scroll through content.
Additionally, the Huffington Post is targeted on offering marketers cross-platform advertising opportunities for cohesive campaigns across desktop, tablet and smartphone screens, per Janet Balis, publisher of the Huffington Post.
“We continue to have a powerful mobile advertising offering – in step with the newest innovations around the industry including market-leading rich media capabilities,” Ms. Balis said.
Mobile past
It is necessary that publishers continuously tweak their mobile apps and sites to maintain content fresh.
Most recently, Huffington Post overhauled its iPad app that syncs up a reader’s experience across screens. The app also leverages comments and social media to plug users into conversations around article topics (see story).
To reach the widest group of mobile users, publishers should have a mobile Web and app presence in addition to an understanding of user behaviors across both platforms.
“We’ve found that mobile Web users are largely coming to Huffington Post via search results and social links,” Mr. Klenert said.
“Our app users are inclined to come to us directly and are engaging with HuffPost for longer periods of time in app,” he said.
Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York
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