Yahoo has introduced significant updates to its homepage and mobile app. The redesign focuses on personalization, social experience, and the ability to track stories of interest, as well as making it easier for users to “create a community” by participating and sharing in conversations.
Personalization is improved, say Yahoo officials, as a result of the top-level design of the website and app. News of particular interest to visitors now appears on the front page, delivered based on individual reading habits. The site and app learns these habits over time simply by monitoring clicks and automatically makes the adaptations; the Yahoo stream will become increasingly tailored to personal interests. In addition, Yahoo has increased its ability to notify visitors of breaking news stories with the need to refresh.
As for participation, the update renders comments directly in-line, making it easy to share and hear reactions from others. Users can scroll through related stories inline. “With tens of millions of you sharing your views daily as part of our vibrant community, we want to amplify your voice,” comments Yahoo SVP Simon Khalaf. “We’ve made it easier for you to share your thoughts, engage and converse with each other about a particular topic or story.”
Khalaf says mobile trends guided the redesign for the Web home page and iOS and Android apps. He says: “As we worked to build this new experience, we looked to the latest mobile trends to guide us. In 2015, news and magazine apps usage alone grew 141%, demonstrating huge interest in discovering, consuming and engaging around great content from around the web. Whether you consume content through the Yahoo app or on the homepage, you’ll find it consistent across platforms.”
