We at Garcia Media are honored to have been invited to serve as consultants for this project for the past year. Our Thomas Weyres served as lead strategist and senior art director for the project. Of course, the relationship between the Singapore Straits Times and Garcia Media goes back to July 1988, when Singapore Press Holdings invited me to create the original design concept for a new, youthful tabloid-format newspaper called The New Paper. Most recently I have conducted in house workshop for mobile storytelling and AI and will do so again in November 2025.
What is new for the Singapore Straits Times digital products?
In the words of Ong Hwee Hwee, Associate Editor and Head of Product/Technology Visualization:
“The revamp revolved around three key themes: Help time-starved readers make sense of news quickly; recommend more in-depth articles on topics that matter to them; and keep them engaged by telling stories in innovative ways. “
We at Garcia Media worked closely with the inhouse team, lead by Hwee, and saw this as an opportunity to bring a revered, respected and award winning newspaper to present its content the way that readers wish to consume it in the digital era. There is the element of speed and finding information quickly, but also the ability to go back and review stories more in depth, or check to see what is in the archives about a certain subject, all easy and intuitive.
I asked Thomas Weyres to summarize what is new and different here:
“This is a smarter reading experience powered by AI,” he said.
“Readers can get the gist of the day’s top news in seconds, with an AI-powered newsfeed and short summaries. Those who want to know more can take a deep dive into ST’s rich archives and find what they need in just a few clicks – with the help of a smart search feature. “
Other new features:
Trusted news, in diverse formats
Watch, listen and interact with news, with the new Visual Stories section on the homepage. It showcases ST’s award-winning digital graphics, podcasts, photos and videos.
More news, less scrolling
The new website and app take on a fresher, more modern design that allows readers to see more content at a glance. The latest headlines, for example, are displayed alongside top news curated by editors. With mobile-friendly carousel sliders, users can easily swipe through headlines.
All you need to know in one place
Done reading a story? Readers can continue to catch up on other key news without going back and forth to the homepage, thanks to a new Top Stories carousel created in every article. They can also scroll seamlessly from one article to the next, without having to open multiple tabs.
Your news, your way:
With the improved myST+ feature, users can follow their favorite writers and topics, and find all related updates and saved articles in one place. A new Explore tab recommends to users what others are reading, and what podcasts they are listening to.
And for e-paper fans, e paper made for mobile consumption:
Read the report from Hwee here, as she presented the changes to readers:
Workshop deals with the two big revolutions facing editors
For me, it is imperative that editors approach content creation thinking in terms of mobile first.
Mobile first involves the type of transformation where all content is prepared thinking from small to large platform. Thinking small platform does not mean that the reporter conceptualizing a story for mobile consumption should not think BIG. So, plan from small to large, but think big in terms of the story content and the visual assets that go with it.
While mobile first is still elusive to so many newsrooms around the planet, here we are, in 2024, faced with an even bigger challenge not just knocking at our doors, but already IN: Artificial Intelligence.
Transformation and a change of mentality to face these challenges is the first step. Training and education to tackle them with a sense of focus and direction is essential.
That’s where our Garcia Media workshops come in
Our Garcia Media Mobile Storytelling workshops introduce your editorial team to the way we write, edit and design for mobile platforms. This one-day program includes a presentation and a hands-on workshop. We’ve added a new segment about AI for content creation.
Newsrooms around the planet have gone mobile-first after a Garcia Media workshop!
Our Garcia Media Mobile Storytelling workshops are proven to introduce your editorial team to the way we write, edit and design for mobile platforms. It is a one-day program that involves a presentation (where I summarize my Columbia University class content), and follow it with a hands on workshop.
For details, to customize, and to book: mario@garciamedia.com
How we use AI
Honored to be mentioned here:
https://www.newsroomrobots.com/p/how-10-news-industry-leaders-use
Order my AI book here:
https://thaneandprose.com/…/preorder-ai-what-to-expect…
Here is a chance to pre-order my new book about Artificial Intelligence and content creation. The first 25 copies sold will be signed! Order here:
https://thaneandprose.com/…/preorder-ai-what-to-expect…
Reviews for AI book:
Did you read The Story yet?
I urge you to consult my latest book, The Story, a trilogy full of tips and explanations about mobile storytelling, which represents the latest genre for journalists to explore. See information below:
The full trilogy of The Story now available–3 books to guide you through a mobile first strategy. Whether you’re a reporter, editor, designer, publisher, corporate communicator, The Story is for you! https://amazon
Volume 1: Transformation
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-story-volume-i/id1480169411
Volume Two: Storytelling
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-story-volume-ii/id1484581220
Volume Three: Design
https://books.apple.com/us/book/the-story-volume-iii/id1497049918
Order the print edition of The Story, from Amazon, here:
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