Designing a better reading experience with Matter: Why the Best Things in Life Are All Backwards

Hatched by Kazuki
Jul 11, 2023
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Designing a better reading experience with Matter: Why the Best Things in Life Are All Backwards
In today's digital age, reading online has become a multi-faceted experience. It encompasses not only the act of reading itself but also the decisions we make about what to read and what we do with the knowledge we gain. As someone who has been a top user of Pocket, a popular read-it-later app, for over a decade, I have witnessed the evolution of this practice firsthand. However, the first generation of read-it-later apps lacked the intelligence needed to enhance the reading experience. They fell short in areas such as prioritization, resurfacing, and decay.
When designing Matter, my co-founder Rob Mackenzie and I wanted to address these shortcomings and create a platform that would elevate writers as first-class citizens. We understood the importance of trust in deciding what to read, and we believed that people trust other people more than algorithms. Good curation, we realized, is incredibly valuable in helping readers discover hidden gems that may have been overlooked by engagement-based algorithms.
We also recognized the overwhelming bias towards new content in our information consumption habits. While staying up-to-date is important, we felt that the scale tipped too heavily in favor of what's new. After all, some of the best content ever produced was not written in the past week. With this in mind, we set out to design Matter as a counterweight to this bias, aiming to deliver relevant and manageable content to our users.
One challenge we encountered was the limitations of email in providing a great reading experience. Most people want to breeze through their inbox quickly, not spend more time there. Additionally, the inability to highlight or annotate further hindered the reading process. To overcome these obstacles, we incorporated highly reliable parsing techniques into our platform. We also introduced a feature called "audio highlights" to cater to the rising trend of audio consumption. Users can now highlight sections of an article while listening to it without having to open their phones.
To enhance the reading experience further, we implemented the use of minimaps, inspired by video games and code editors. With a simple two-finger tap, users can access a miniaturized version of an article, allowing them to scan headers and navigate quickly. This feature works seamlessly on mobile devices and holds promise for desktop web as well.
Our core users are what we call "active" readers. They are intentional about what they read and actively curate their information diets. They often have favorite writers and subscribe to newsletters, seeking more insight and knowledge from their reading experiences. Our goal with Matter is to increase the return on investment of reading, providing users with more valuable insights and even a sense of thrill.
Drawing from the world of drown-proofing, we find a parallel paradox that applies to many aspects of life. The first lesson of drown-proofing teaches us that struggling to keep our heads above water increases the likelihood of sinking. Instead, we must allow ourselves to sink to the bottom and use that momentum to propel us back to the surface. Similarly, the second lesson teaches us that panicking in dangerous situations only depletes our oxygen and increases the risk of drowning. Emotional self-control and the ability to let go of control when we desire it most are crucial skills in navigating challenging circumstances.
Most activities in life are not basic or mindless, and therefore do not follow a linear effort/reward curve. They are complex, mentally and emotionally taxing, and require adaptation. Work productivity studies reveal that our peak productive hours are limited to the first four to five hours of each day. This inverted curve challenges the traditional notion of effort and reward, showing that sometimes, the more effort we put into something, the more likely we are to fail.
Aldous Huxley eloquently captured this paradoxical nature when he wrote, "The harder we try with the conscious will to do something, the less we shall succeed... Proficiency and results come only to those who have learned the paradoxical art of doing and not doing." Our psychology itself is built upon paradoxes, as consciously striving for a certain state of mind often creates an opposing state. The key is to let go of the chase for meaning, freedom, and happiness, understanding that they move further away the more we pursue them. By giving up what we desire, we paradoxically achieve what we truly seek.
In conclusion, designing a better reading experience with platforms like Matter involves addressing the shortcomings of traditional read-it-later apps and incorporating intelligent curation and prioritization mechanisms. It also requires challenging the bias towards new content and providing a counterweight through the discovery of hidden gems. Enhancements such as audio highlights, minimaps, and improved parsing techniques further enrich the reading process. Additionally, we can draw insights from the paradoxical nature of drown-proofing and apply them to various aspects of life, understanding that sometimes, letting go of control and embracing uncertainty is the key to success.
Three actionable pieces of advice to consider:
- 1. Prioritize quality curation: Seek out platforms or sources that prioritize intelligent curation to discover valuable content beyond what algorithms recommend.
- 2. Embrace the paradox: Recognize that the pursuit of certain goals or states of mind may require letting go of control and embracing uncertainty. Find the balance between effort and relaxation.
- 3. Maximize peak productivity hours: Identify your most productive hours of the day and allocate them to tasks that require focused attention and creativity. Make the most of these hours to achieve optimal results.
In a world overflowing with information, it's crucial to design reading experiences that cater to our needs while enhancing the value we derive from the time we invest in reading. By incorporating intelligent curation, embracing paradoxes, and optimizing our productivity, we can navigate the vast sea of knowledge with purpose and fulfillment.
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