Digital Daily Newspaper Redesign: The 'Section Page Browse' Screen Swipe
Today's design feature: the "section page browse." An aspiring developer could develop a Tinder-like screen-swipe that allows a reader to quickly peak at the page number, next pages, back page *and* quantifiable page count of that section, like a diagonal outliner expand/collapse operation. Let's call this user action the "section page browse."
What it is - analog:
A reader when reading a section of a newspaper can wet the tip of a finger, and at the upper right, corner-fold-peak one page forward in that section's pages without losing his or her place.
What it could be - digital:
A click-hold-drag operation from the upper right in a diagonal-left motion can expose for the reader a peak at the upper-right corner of the next page(s) in that section. The further the click is dragged to the lower left, the greater the peak at what awaits on inside pages. Minimal view: just page numbers and back page's headline. Medium view: logo of which cartoons or recurring features await on which page. Maximum view: each page's lead story
Who wins - reader:
The reader gains orientation with a chance to see the zoomed-out forest, not just the close-up trees. Reader can immerse himself or herself in a story, check the clock, preview the next pages and collapse the section-page-preview, resume reading the current story without losing his or her place.
Who wins - newspaper:
The newspaper already organizes the sections into pages. Recurring features such as cartoons or advice columns or local columnists that gain return readership often live on the same pages with the section for a streak of time. On Friday a reader can flip to the Datebook section, read the lead story on D1, pause and with a diagonal-left page swipe discover a second Mick LaSalle movie review begins on page D4, then with a click-release and click-jump, bring page D4 to prominent view. If reader wants to return to section front, a reverse motion beginning from lower left, swiping to upper-right can preview the previous pages of that section.
This work by AJ Fish is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
