....Mario García, the renowned publications designer who recently completed his first digital book, "iPad Design Lab: Storytelling in the Age of the Tablet" (available from the iBookstore for iPad, as well as on Amazon Kindle and Google Books). As part of his faculty affiliate work at the Poynter Institute in the USA, he was part of the key research team for EyeTrack: Tablet, which in 2012 studied how tablet users read and interact with news.
...Can you generalise the challenges facing publishers in satisfying reader demand with their tablet products?
The first challenge is developing a philosophy. While many publishers are declaring the “digital first” banner as their own, it is a long way from declaring it to actually doing it. So the challenge is to see storytelling as the protagonist, then see how stories adapt to the various platforms. That requires a radical change in thinking in the newsroom, and, in most cases, an approach that says: In this organization we write for digital platforms first, then the rest happens organically.
Are you seeing more of a holistic mobile/multimedia strategy, i.e. tablet, mobile, online, print?
Indeed I am. That’s good news. There is near the end of 2013 a greater acceptance that a multi-platform world, the media quartet, as I call it, is the way to go. Let the story develop for each platform, exploring the full potential of each. Let’s not come to the office to plan a “newspaper” – emphasis on “paper.” It is beginning to happen, for which I am very happy. It is no longer should we do it, it is HOW can we do it, and HOW SOON. Exciting times, indeed, for us storytellers.
What questions would you advise news publishers here to ask mobile/tablet/system providers who are promoting their solutions?
- Ask about the nexus where technology and storytelling meet. Those two are indispensable disciplines that must come together.
- Find out what the best technical solution is for you to manage your content flow in the most expeditious manner. Soak it all up in terms of how other organizations are doing, but, remember, your newspaper is different, and you cannot simply take a model you like and apply it to your situation. You must explore what is possible, then concentrate on how that would work with your specific publication.
- Be ready for change: embrace it, accept it and be ready to implement functions that are based on a rethinking of what you do and how you do it
- http://blog.wan-ifra.org/2013/09/25/mario-garcia-whats-cooking-with-mobile-and-tablets-0
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