Project Overview

The launch of Version 2.0 of the SMH and The Age apps for iPad marks the first major update of the online publications which were launched to critical acclaim in May 2011.
This new version of the app enhances user experience and introduces new features which will continue to engage and delight the customer.
The launch of v2.0 saw more downloads in 14 days (to the end of June) than in the full month of v1 launch.

Organisation

Fairfax Media

Team

Rick Gleave,
Dinh Van,
Stephen Hutcheon,
David Dick,
Virgilio Favero Neto,
Scot Talbot,
James Moore,
Stewart Heys,
Fairfax Media CSU team and
Fairfax Media Technology team

Project Brief

At Fairfax Media we always want to be innovative and market leading. We are always looking for inspirations and ways where we can create something which enhances the user experience. Those inspirations come from a mix of looking at industry and the competitive landscape and also taking note of user feedback and requests.

The brief was to develop the apps further with new features that will drive engagement and loyalty and also meet commercial needs. We try hard to find a balance between giving users what they are asking for and also what we think will make their reading experience more enjoyable.

Project Innovation / Need

Users will enjoy dynamic new features in Version 2.0 of the apps, including:
• Weekday crosswords – this new feature wasn’t available in digital format at Fairfax Media, the developers worked to create processes and repositories for this to be an automated experience for the iPad editors to include in the weekday editions.
• TV Guides – We know that the iPad is used as a second screen in the evenings, therefore, we enhanced our iPad by introducing the TV Guide so customers can use the iPad in conjunction with watching the TV.
• Seamless experience of synching between Desktop and iPad. We introduced these features on desktop late 2011 and into the iPad with v2.0 which now gives users a seamless experience where users can login using their Fairfax membership and be able to view their comments, track topics and clippings across both desktop and iPad
o My News: track topics and get alerts when stories match your interests
o My Comments: track your comments, replies to them, and read what others are saying
o My Clippings: clip a story, video or photo to read, watch or view later

User Experience

It’s the same great experience as v1.0: Visually impactful, beautiful images, interactive graphics, multimedia and video content as well as the same great journalism. But v2.0 gives users more features; crosswords and TV Guide, functionality; seamless syncing of comments, news and clippings across PC and iPad and great new content; the(Sydney)magazine, the(Melbourne)magazine and new sections; Executive Style and Insight.

Project Marketing

The marketing campaign for v2.0 of the apps consisted of 2 parts – 1 to highlight the 1st Birthday and 2, to highlight the new features.

“Our gift to you. More” execution ran on the first couple of days of launch with full page ads in the SMH and The Age newspapers, this was followed up with a crosswords ad and several versions of brand messages.

Apple also provided an “editorial feature’ within Newsstand for 4 weeks.