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Design a news application for emerging markets.

Difficultyproduct designAsked at Google

Question Explain

This question requires you to develop a concept for a news application that will address the needs of emerging markets. To successfully answer this question, it's important to demonstrate a clear understanding of the specific requirements and preferences of emerging markets, such as internet connectivity, language support, and local content.

Here are some keys points to consider:

  1. Understand the unique challenges in emerging markets: These could be low-cost devices, intermittent or slow internet connections, multiple language speakers, among others.
  2. Understand the potential user's behavior in these markets.
  3. Deciding applicable features and explaining why they are necessary.
  4. How the design fosters usability and accessibility for the potential users.
  5. A simple explanation of the user interface.
  6. Monetization strategy, if applicable.

Answer Example 1

The proposed news application for emerging markets will be lightweight, fast, and operate effectively on low-end smartphones. We can take advantage of technologies like Google's Web Light for faster loading on slow connections.

The application will offer news in multiple local languages and have an offline reading feature. Considering data cost issues, users can choose to download only article text or download with images when they're connected to Wi-Fi.

The UI will be simple, with focus on readability. There would be categories for different types of news, and a search bar for users to quickly find news articles that interest them.

In terms of monetization, we could opt for an ad-supported model, with an option to subscribe for an ad-free experience. This way, our application will be accessible to as many people as possible, regardless of their income level.

Answer Example 2

When designing a news application for emerging markets, we have to consider factors like data connectivity, language diversity and affordability.

The core features of the application will include:

  1. Data Saving Mode: This feature will be useful for users with limited connectivity. They can view text based news and save high bandwidth content like videos, high resolution images for later viewing when they have better connectivity.

  2. Multiple Languages: Emerging markets often have diverse language needs, the app should accommodate multiple local languages.

  3. Personalized Feeds: The app should be able to tailor content to user’s interests and preferences.

  4. Offline Reading: This will be crucial for users with limited or intermittent internet connectivity.

  5. Night Mode: In regions with limited electricity, reading on devices in the dark may be a common scenario. Night mode can make this easier for them.

For monetization, we could use automatic contextual advertising, where ads are shown based on the article’s content. This is less intrusive and may have a better conversion rate. We can also offer a premium version with additional features like ad-free reading, exclusive articles, etc.

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