Public development "More than a reader": functional design

The development of “More than Reader” captured us completely, taking away from families and readers. And the response to the survey in the publication on Habré (thanks!) Led to a change in phasing: in addition to the mobile solution, we will develop the web version. Firstly.

Summer ends, the first stage is nearing completion, and, as promised, we submit to colleagues and potential users a brief report on the process and the results of functional design and user interfaces.

Over the past three weeks, the development of the infrastructure of the new product has been completed - a service for reading site content streams (including RSS), summary thematic tapes and social network materials: a lot of hardware has been purchased and configured, servers have been installed in racks, the basic part of the missing API has been implemented to the Platform, and came close to approving the functional design of our product.
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A brief excursion into history: what is planned in “More than a reader”:

1. Content streams (including the usual RSS) on various topics - from news to "seals";
2. Thematic threads created by the user using simple search queries. For example, to get all the materials (regardless of sources) for the Winter Olympics, you can create a stream by specifying the phrase “London Olympics, Sochi 2014”;
3. User-customizable streams from social networks (own and other people's accounts of individuals and groups), with viewing new acquisitions and the possibility of posting and sharing, of course.

The scheme of user interaction with the application is as follows:

First date

Together with colleagues from the company selected on the basis of the results of the competition for the implementation of a mobile solution, we tried to take into account all the important scenarios of user behavior and create a description of the application that would satisfy the needs of such “social maniacs” as we ourselves - wanting to comment, share, post to social networks all interesting at once, to keep abreast of all the most relevant and discussed on all fronts, from economics to abnormal programming, and to give the opportunity to more conservative-minded people read the desired content without unnecessary problems.

As a result, the user will be provided with wide freedom in working with the application: from the most simple reading of interesting content, without additional settings and registrations, to advanced functionality with settings for reading materials on narrowly focused topics and the ability to work with accounts of various social networks.

To manage a personal application, it is planned to use both the ability to register a new account, and login through social network accounts and even use without registration (to read the predefined streams):



Upon initial login, the user will be prompted to proceed to reading one of the pre-configured headings:



A similar rubricator will be offered to the registered user, but, of course, much more possibilities await it.

After the first authorization, the user selects which of the threads already formed in the application he would like to read. If the user is not interested in any of the initial topics, he can skip this step and proceed to setting up social network accounts. When you enter the application through the account of one of the social networks, the user will be given the opportunity to add accounts from others:



In addition, the user is given the opportunity to subscribe to any other accounts in social networks, for example, Habr VKontakte, iLook on Twitter, Cossa on Facebook, etc.

Creating and managing content streams

After (or instead of) adding streams from the pre-configured rubricator and social network accounts, a registered user can proceed to creating their own content streams using the search string.



The search query can be set for one or several keywords, with or without the use of stop words, and also for adding specific sources, indicating the url of the site.



Search results are sorted into 5 sections:
• Search stream;
• Sites;
• Blogs;
• Groups in social networks;
• Accounts in social networks.

On the left, the found streams are grouped by sections and the number of search results, on the right - the materials on the selected stream.



When you select a search area, the search results on the right are rearranged. The results can be attached to any of the existing streams, or create a new one.

Due to the presence of a large amount of criteria by which a query can be formed - keywords, stop words, specific source tapes - it is planned to implement a separate functionality for managing flows: both new and existing flows can be managed using the “Flow Manager” in which the user can edit:

• Name of the stream;
• Color flow;
• Sites from which information is collected (delete existing, add new);
• Social network accounts from which information is collected into the stream;
• Add / remove keywords for thematic feeds;
• Add / remove stop words for thematic tapes;
• Add a new stream;
• Delete stream;
• Move stream (up or down the list);
• Merge streams.

Enjoying the result

The main working screen of the application is visually divided into left and right blocks. In the left block:

• Stream "Favorites" - here are saved by the user materials. The folder is always on top. In the "Favorites" materials are saved with the full text and are available to the user off-line;
• List of threads created;
• “All” stream, where materials from all user threads are collected;
• “Add stream” button;
• Transition to a thread manager.

In the right block - a preview of the selected stream:

• A tape of materials of the selected stream is displayed;
• Each material has a line of actions: adding to favorites and the ability to share;
• With a long press on the announcement of the material in the stream dialog box appears:
- Read (or leave unread if the material is read);
- Above all read;



View feed stream of selected social network accounts:

• A tape of materials of the selected social network is displayed .;
• At the top of the tape, the user account whose tape is loaded is displayed, as well as the ability to create a message;
• Each material displays information on the reaction to it in social networks:
- for Twitter: the number of Favorites, Retweets;
- for Facebook: the number of “Likes”, “Share”, “Comments”;
- for VKontakte: the number of “I like”, “Share”, “Comments”;

View settings

There are both view type settings and advanced account settings.
View settings allow you to select:

• Type of material announcements: with pictures (title, source, date) and without pictures (title, announcement, source, date);
• Display all message flow or only unread;
• Which messages — new or old — are displayed first?
• Font size.



Advanced settings allow you to:

• Select an account to use the application, or change the password;
• Connect user accounts - on Twitter, VKontakte and Facebook;
• Adjust the frequency of the tape synchronization;
• Limit the amount of space on the device that the application can use;
• Select the background or theme of the application.

Not a reader, but a writer

In addition to convenient reading news, the application should give the opportunity to share existing news or write your own. Each publication can be “shared” by the user on Twitter, VKontakte or Facebook, as well as sent to the e-mail.

The user can write a new message that is not tied to the news. Messages can be sent both to the user’s own wall, and to the groups in which the user is composed, and to a personal message, depending on the limitations of the specific social network. An image from the user's library can be attached to each message, as well as a location can be specified (for those networks where there is a possibility of geolocation).

Here is such, still unnamed, “More than a reader” we get. If you are an expert, or an active user of readers, and you have something to say, you should know - we are happy and will listen to your opinion carefully!