On The Record
Introducing a habit-building daily news quiz as The Washington Post first in-house game.
See press releases:
Year
2024
Role
Senior Product Designer
Objective
On the Record became The Post's first in-house game, pioneering a larger games initiative. It is a habit-building daily news quiz that is structured around newsy quotes from the week. On the Record is a readers opportunity to learn from and engage with the Post’s journalism in a fun and fresh way. I was the lead product designer for our team, working alongside newsroom stakeholders and engineering. We spent several months evaluating the games concept and point system, testing layouts and deciding what the future of a full suite of The Washington Post games would look and feel like.
Goals
Habit
Encourage consistent, routine use of the quiz
Subscription
Encourage subscriptions to The Post and drive traffic to our journalism
Community
Extend quiz players base outside of The Post subscribers and establish a community around the game
Results
As of May 6th, 2024
Total users
15,973,162
Total plays
2,951,498
Users sharing
8,917
Design Process
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As we thought more about introducing new formats to The Post journalism, we wanted to understand users designer for gameplay and how we can leverage it as an consumption and habit building opportunity. The Post often uses one off quizzes in article format to engage users with certain stories, but we did not have an permanent experiences that users can return to. To kickoff this project, I conducted research by:
Conducting an internal scrub of all Washington Post released temporary quiz/trivia articles
I took a look at insights we gathered by introducing these types of stories, understanding users engagement and sentiments after completing the quiz.Competitive analysis of related quizzes, analyzing:
Sharing, competitiveness, points, instructions, gameplay control, visual appeal, customization, and recirculation.
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As a social media buff, I would like to share my high score on Twitter & Facebook because it will show my other newsy friends that I’m knowledgable.
As a huge gamer, I would like to see the points I’ve collected so far because it will motivate me to reach the top score by the end of the game.
As a game player, I would like access to instructions because it will help me play the game.
As a newsy person, I would like to see more info about the stories within the quiz because it will help me stay up-to-date and learn more about current events.
As a newsy person, I would like to easily find stories that relate to topics in the quiz because it will help me stay up-to-date and learn more about current events.
As a busy person, I would like to save my quiz and come back later because it will allow me to finish what I started if I run out of time.
As a FOMO-prone person, I would like to receive a reminder when the newest quiz is ready so I don’t miss out on the next quiz .
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The emerging news product/news quiz group wanted to collect feedback from users to learn their overall sentiments while playing the news quiz throughout the week. We conducted a diary study, collecting qualitative data regarding the following themes:
1. Habit forming
2. Length & delight
3. Point system
Participants felt On the Record is delightful, pleasing, fun, cool and made them feel somewhat smart.
*Read more on the test results below
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After thorough analysis of the On The Record results, I am convinced that there is significant potential for enhancing social sharing. I am committed to further experimentation and analysis to understand the drivers behind users' inclination to share their quiz results with friends and across social media platforms. Increased social sharing has the potential to amplify visibility among non-Washington Post subscribers, thereby expanding the scope for new subscriptions and conversions.
Diary Study
How was this experiment ran?
For one week (M-F), participants were given game links to take the On the Record quiz and were provided a feedback form on Wednesday and Friday.
Who were the participants?
Ten internal Washington Post employees
Ages: 25-34 (40%), 35-44 (40%), 55-64 (20%)
Roles/positions included: Email design, Product design, Copywriter, Product Marketing and Copy Editor
Devices: 100% participants opted into using desktop
How long did the experiment run?
1 week
Gameplay
All participants stated that they played the game when notified that it was available.
80% stated so they will not forget
20% stated to start the day with something fun
Most participants prefer email notifications, while the rest prefer homepage or push notifications.
Habit formation
75% participants would return to play daily
25% will return to play 2-3 times a week
Enjoy trivia and challenges
Will play as long as they’re reminded
Fun diversion from serious news
Most participants are likely to recommend the quiz to friends and family, and would like a way to compete with friends.
Point system
80% participants thought that the point system is unclear or felt impartial.
All participants stated that they would like to see points accumulate to a streak or stats. Otherwise they did not understand the reason for gaining points.
Concepts
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Question leveling
First attempt is worth 5 points
Second attempt with hint is worth 3 points
Third attempt as mutiple choice is worth 1 point
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Correct and wrong answer
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Welcome modal with game instructions
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Points breakdown
Screen includes share option and article recirculation, connecting the questions from the game directly with related stories.
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Future state
Considerations of partnering with ads
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Current Washington Post game suite
