How to succeed the App Store? Interview with Nat Weiner, creator of Pocket

Makradar Technologies / by admin / December 19, 2019

Pocket - a popular service that allows you to save articles for later reading, which is used by millions. He won the hearts of users more features, support for multiple platforms (iOS, Android, Chrome, and also some customers from third-party developers) and more than 500 third-party applications developers. Recently, there was a section in Pocket Highlights, where you can see the most interesting of your stored materials, selected in accordance with the program topics and sites that you read often. Lifehacker Meets with the creator of the Pocket, Nat Weiner to learn more about the new features and applications on how to properly develop their product.

Where did the idea Highlights? This is an attempt to solve the problems that you have encountered or inspiration became something else?

Highlights - that's what we talked about for several years. We create prototypes and dreaming to realize from the very first days of work on the Pocket. But it is an idea for which it was necessary to "right-place-to-desired-hour" and we waited patiently for this moment.

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In recent years, we have focused on how to make a save to Pocket possible everywhere. We were prepared for the fact that the more users save, the longer becomes their reading list. To date, our members an average of 100 unread records. When you have so much content, it is difficult to identify the main. And worst of all, the more you save - the more likely you are missing something important.

To date, our members an average of 100 unread posts

The problem is that just take and sort all stored novelty - it's not what they want from us users. The order in which you save the record does not reflect the order in which you would like to come back to this. On its experience and that of our customers, we found that people choose "to read" based on three factors: time (how many I have time at the moment?), interest (which corresponds to my mood?) and relevance (what is new / important for reading?). We've always liked the idea of going beyond the scope of the list and Highlights - the first step in this direction.

Once there was an idea that was the next step?

We have created many prototypes. In recent months, my phone to look like this (each icon - a prototype):

It was not just the design prototypes. In recent years, we experimented with many options. Some of them even have seen the light. For example, Digest automatically grouped content on topics that you have defined (something like "smart folders"). But at the time the product was too "raw" - its time has not come yet. We have decided to remove it, but at the same time learned a lot about how our users interact with the stored content.

In October 2012, we have participated in Google Venture Design Sprint - it helped us to refresh our views and ideas. Ultimately, the most difficult was to just wait. To be a truly great section, Highlights had to be a "smart" key: to know what content is suitable and group correctly. To enable us to do this, Pocket had to grow up and have enough members to bring these laws. Now that the day is saved more than 1.5 million of materials, we have a tremendous opportunity to improve Pocket operation.

How did you choose what platform to add new product on which it appears later, and on what it will do?

Almost all of our updates are equally distributed on all platforms, but in the case of the Highlights we stopped on mobile devices. We believe that it is for them to quickly get access to critical information is a priority. People have different uses smartphone, tablet and desktop. Releasing Highlights for mobile platforms, we learn more about the habits of our users, and will soon add it to your PC.

What caused the greatest difficulties and how you overcome them?

The most difficult part for us was to find a solution that would suit everyone. During all these years we have tried to solve this problem. Initially, we experimented with versions in which the Highlights completely replaces the main screen to the main list.

We quickly realized that the list is not necessary to clean up. The list is excellent to gain access to what you have saved the last - the latest materials appear in front of you immediately, we need only open the application. But the more you move down the list, the more difficult to identify interesting and relevant. We fixed this problem by using Highlights, where some materials collected that interest you. Thus, you will bear at least a hundred unread tabs, you can always choose to read quickly.

As for the rest, Highlights adapts to different situations. If you want to see tabs grouped by themes or time - Highlights open as usual. If you are using a smartphone, and you have only a few minutes - a mobile version of Highlights displayed at the top of your main list, so you can more quickly open the bookmark you want.

It is therefore important to create prototypes and put them into practice. Only when the direct use of several options you can clearly see how best to implement the idea of standing at the base of Highlights, in order to improve the overall performance of Pocket.

What was the launch of the update for you?

Launch Highlights was perhaps the most exciting in our history. He took on our first Pocket press conference. In addition to the Highlights we launched Pocket Preferences, the easiest and most convenient way to make the maximum use Pocket for new users.

We were impressed by the emotions and energy that brought us to the conference and the public's reaction to the new product. People are tired of the fact that they could not deal with the volume of stored materials, and has helped many Highlights immediately solve this problem.

This first version - only the tip of the iceberg, we still have a lot of plans for how to make Pocket better and easier to use.

What can you advise those who want to try their hand at similar projects?

Highlights became the biggest change in our project since the name change with the Read It Later in the Pocket. We are seriously concerned to their problem - not just to change the application, but to make it much better. We always strive to update what distinguishes Pocket on the background of other applications at the same time to expand its capabilities.

To do this properly, you need to clearly see the problems that you are trying to solve and for whom you are trying to solve them. Paramount to your team to set goals, understanding the needs of users and had a clear understanding of how to effectively carry out research in this direction. This implies a great deal - the creation of prototypes and experiments in several directions. Prototyping is necessary to understand what works and what - no, what can be improved, and that - replaced.

You need to have patience and not rush things. Each product has a lot of problems that require solutions. Highlights We worked on for about two years. Each stage has helped us to focus and with each step to see more and more opportunities, until the time came when we had the necessary experience and knowledge to translate the idea into practice.

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Certainly, Pocket - the leader in its segment, and the new section Highlights - that is what is really lacking active users. And you use the Pocket? Do you liked the new features? Tell us in the comments about his impressions of the upgrade.

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