Smartocto unveils The User Needs Model for News 2.0 in collaboration with media consultant Dmitry Shishkin. The model offers a strategic yet practical solution for newsrooms looking to tackle complicated challenges.
Those challenges go from transforming into audience-first businesses, to competing for attention and building trust in the complex digital landscape.
The model was originally introduced by BBC World Service in 2017 and has had a lot of brothers and sisters ever since - evolving into different brand-specific shapes. "We analysed them and adopted some of their principles. We wanted to create the mother of all models with an overarching philosophy, to make it more comprehensive and easier to implement. We are also looking ahead, thinking about the future of audience-driven publishing and addressing challenges this approach faces," says Dmitry Shishkin, who was involved in the adoption of the original model and became its most visible and active supporter.
The new version is based on extensive data research, introduces two extra user needs and reframes an existing one. It is also visualised simply, with the four core news needs presented on four axes: know, understand, feel, and do. The latter of these stems from the expansion of service and constructive journalism: finding ways to help visitors in their daily lives and connecting them to ideas or experiences. The result is a practical blueprint for newsrooms seeking to improve their content output.