Digital Communities x News Platforms

Using data to define the future of safe, inclusive and satisfying community-centered features at The Washington Post

Opportunity

Create spaces Washington Post readers want to invest time in. By exploring and harnessing the dynamics of successful digital communities, The Post can encourage meaningful engagement to build valuable habits for current and future audiences.

Strategy

We know that a user returning to The Post’s platforms on a regular basis is one of the leading indicators of likelihood to subscribe. We can encourage readers to come back more often, if we understand and enhance digital communities on The Post’s platforms through rigorous data analysis, focus groups for qualitative insights, prototype testing for real-time feedback, and futurecasting to anticipate and integrate emerging trends, ensuring the community features evolve with technological and societal changes.

Outcomes

Revelatory product principles for community features as a direct translation of research insights, while aligning with The Post’s values and user expectations.
Myriad data-driven project ideas, three of which were greenlit to be added to the roadmap immediately.
Tactical insights from testing various reaction mechanisms, providing clear direction on enhancing user experience.
Introduction of experience-centered focus groups to the product & design team.

My Roles

Responsible for executing an array of research methodologies including data analysis, focus groups, and prototype testing.

Accountable for ensuring that the strategies and innovations align with The Post's overall business goals and user engagement objectives.

Process

Planning from objectives through outcomes for the first few phases of the multi-phase effort

Data Analysis from Existing Community Experience Metrics: The initial step involved a thorough collaborative analysis of existing data from The Post's community and conversational spaces, such as comments, live chats, and live events. This analysis was designed to uncover patterns in user behavior, preferences, and engagement levels across different topics, formats, and article tones. By scrutinizing how engagement varied among different segments and content types, the team aimed to identify successful features and potential areas for improvement. This foundational data served as a benchmark for measuring the impact of new community features introduced later in the project.
Conducting Focus Groups to Delve Deeper into User Needs and Experiences: To gain deeper insights into what users value in community interactions, the team organized focus groups with 60+ diverse participants, including regular Washington Post commenters and live chat participants. These discussions were structured to explore users’ mental models of community, their motivations for engaging, and their responses to existing community features. This qualitative approach allowed the team to capture nuanced feedback on user expectations and experiences, which informed the development of new community engagement strategies and features.
Synthesizing Insights Across Studies to Formulate Comprehensive Strategies: Insights gathered from all previous activities—including data analysis and focus groups – created a cohesive understanding of how different elements of the community features influenced user engagement and satisfaction. The team used these insights to craft strategic recommendations for improving community spaces at The Post. These recommendations were designed to enhance user interaction, promote a sense of belonging, and ensure that new features were scalable and sustainable, aligning with The Post’s strategic goals and user-centric values.

Deliverables I Created

Reports detailing findings from data analyses and focus group sessions.
Cross-organizational product principles.
Strategic recommendations for enhancing community engagement and interaction.

Tools I Used

ChatGPT and Claude.ai to assist with drawing themes out of focus group transcripts
Dovetail & Google Slides to make insights, product principles and opinionated recommendations widely accessible
Collaboration and project management tools to coordinate across teams and stakeholders.

Skills I Applied

Focus group planning, recruiting, and executing.
Analytical skills for data interpretation and insights extraction.
User experience strategy to collaboratively create and prioritize new community concepts.
Strategic thinking to align community-building efforts with broader business objectives.

Reflections & Lessons

Collaboration Amidst Eagerness to Innovate A major lesson learned was the importance of fostering collaboration, especially when there was a strong eagerness within the team to push forward with product ideas. It became clear that establishing a thorough understanding of the community dynamics was crucial before progressing. By encouraging cross-departmental collaboration and communication, we were able to align on a shared vision and foundational knowledge, which in turn ensured that the development of new features was grounded in a deep understanding of user needs and community behaviors.

Adhering to Product Principles as Standards Taking a bolder stance by developing and adhering to clear product principles was a transformative step for the team. Instead of presenting these principles as mere proposals, we established them as standards that needed to be followed. This approach solidified our commitment to these principles and ensured that they guided all stages of product development, helping to maintain focus and drive decision-making processes in alignment with our strategic goals.