Designing a better reading experience with Matter: How to create a habit-forming feedback loop for successful social products

Kazuki

Hatched by Kazuki

Jul 15, 2023

4 min read

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Designing a better reading experience with Matter: How to create a habit-forming feedback loop for successful social products

In today's digital age, reading online has become a multi-step process that includes deciding what to read, the act of reading itself, and what you do with the knowledge you gain. As avid readers and users of read-it-later apps, my co-founder Rob Mackenzie and I realized that the first generation of these apps lacked essential features such as prioritization, resurfacing, and decay. This sparked our journey to create Matter, a platform that aims to enhance the reading experience.

When designing Matter, we understood the importance of focusing on needs that won't change, as highlighted by Jeff Bezos. Regardless of technological advancements, customers will always value faster delivery. Similarly, we recognized that the supply of great content will continue to rise, attention will remain scarce, and the returns on making good decisions about what to read will only increase over time. Trust emerged as a vital factor in deciding what to read, and we realized that people trust people. Thus, we made the conscious decision to elevate writers as first-class citizens in our system.

In an era dominated by engagement-based algorithms, good curation becomes incredibly valuable. It allows readers to discover hidden gems, often obscure or old, that are overlooked by these algorithms. At Matter, we believe that a better reading experience can be achieved with a single press-and-drag highlight feature. While our information consumption is heavily biased towards what's new, we are aware that the best content is not limited to the past week. We aim to serve as a counterweight to this bias, delivering relevant and manageable content.

While designing Matter, we also acknowledged the limitations of email in terms of reading experience. Email inboxes are optimized for quick navigation rather than immersive reading. Additionally, email lacks features such as highlighting and annotating. To address this, we incorporated highly reliable parsing techniques, including natural language processing (NLP) and computer vision, to enhance the user experience. We also recognized the increasing importance of audio consumption and introduced a feature called "audio highlights" that allows users to highlight content while listening, without needing to open their phones.

In our quest to design a better reading experience, we drew inspiration from video games and code editors to create minimaps. This feature provides users with a miniaturized version of an article, allowing them to quickly scan headers and navigate through the content. We believe this feature will be particularly useful on desktop web.

At Matter, our core users are what we call "active" readers. They are intentional about what they read and proactively curate their information diets. These readers often have favorite writers and subscribe to newsletters, frequently visiting obscure blogs. Our goal is to increase the return on investment (ROI) of reading for these active readers. We aim to help them derive more insight, knowledge, and even thrill from the time they invest in reading.

On the other hand, when it comes to designing successful social products, implementing habit-forming feedback loops is crucial. These feedback loops consist of three key elements. Firstly, content posters are rewarded when they contribute new content to the network. This encourages them to continue creating and sharing. Secondly, passive content consumers are rewarded with relevant and valuable content. This keeps them engaged and motivated to consume more. Lastly, connections within the network are rewarded and curated. When even one feedback loop fails, it triggers a reverse Metcalfe's Law, leading to stagnation and potentially, network collapse.

To ensure the success of these feedback loops, it is essential to understand why they create happy emotions and build habits. In the case of social products, rewarding content posters with social feedback is crucial. If content creation is made easy and the social feedback is compelling, users will be motivated to create and share even more. This positive loop continues, fostering engagement and growth within the network.

In conclusion, designing a better reading experience with platforms like Matter requires a deep understanding of the reading habits and needs of users. By prioritizing features like curation, highlighting, and audio integration, we can enhance the overall reading experience and increase the ROI for active readers. Additionally, for social products, implementing habit-forming feedback loops that reward content creators, consumers, and connections is vital for sustained engagement and growth. By considering these insights and incorporating actionable advice, we can create products that cater to the evolving needs of online readers and social media users alike.

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