Snapchat Content:
Recommendations for the Snapchat app by
Max Brawer
Hypothesis:
The issue: Content on Snapchat (today) is based on an outgoing framework of media: one with "channels" that are brand-first.
The Opportunity:
Snapchat, as a personal periscope that your favorite brands/journalists can wield, is the most natural fit for the new path media and journalism are taking.
How?
Brand
vs.
Branded
Brand vs. Branded
I conducted informal research by asking users "What do you see first?"
Each yelled out "Daily Mail" or "BuzzFeed"
Visually, this UI prioritizes the brand over the story. It also creates such a distance between headline and brand that may prevent the user from connecting the two
Brand vs. Branded
...This notion of branded channels is misaligned with Snapchat's core demographic, who are used to headline-centric news and media:
Reddit: headline is first, publisher is secondary
Brand vs. Branded
...This notion of branded channels is misaligned with Snapchat's core demographic, who are used to headline-centric news and media:
Facebook: headline is first, publisher is secondary
Brand vs. Branded
In fact, the current experience has more in common with a platform like in-flight entertainment than a mobile app:
Or, a platform even less familiar to 13-24 year olds...
Cable television.
So
What's
"New"?
The New Deal
The cutting edge of media has switched over to letting us get up close and personal with strong, influential voices more so than their parent companies:
Gawker media / Univision is growing by giving their top writers their own columns (above), podcasts, and video series (right)
The New Deal
The cutting edge of media has switched over to letting us get up close and personal with strong, influential voices more so than their parent companies:
Facebook let's users follow authors, see their influencers "Live", and lets content creators share each other's work
The New Deal
Recommendation:
Snapchat can experiment with ways to let users follow content creators and public figures across their written articles, professional video content, snaps, etc. to embrace the blur between pro and amateur content
Keeping
Consistent
Keeping Consistent
In order to blend content of various types, the Discover component and core component of Snapchat would have to feel unified. Right now, they are 2 different apps with different views, behaviors, and UI patterns.
We can draw lessons from FB/Instagram and make content look less like ads and more native.
Keeping Consistent
There is also a lack of consistency in defining "content" on Snapchat. The same brand may have snaps attached to their
We can draw lessons from FB/Instagram and make content look less like ads and more native.
snap
By Max Brawer
