Designing a better reading experience with Matter: The Art of Content Curation

Designing a better reading experience with Matter: The Art of Content Curation

In today's digital age, the way we consume information has evolved significantly. The process of reading online is not just about the act of reading itself, but also about deciding what to read and what to do with the knowledge we gain. As avid users of read-it-later apps, my co-founder Rob Mackenzie and I realized that there was a need for a better reading experience. The first generation of read-it-later apps lacked the smarts to help with prioritization, resurfacing, or decay. This is where Matter comes in.

At Matter, we believe in the importance of focusing on needs that won't change. Just like how customers will always want faster delivery, the supply of great content will continue to rise, attention will always be scarce, and the returns to making good decisions about what to read will remain high. Trust plays a crucial role in deciding what to read, and people trust people. This is why we made the decision to elevate writers as first-class citizens in our system. Good curation is incredibly valuable, as it helps us find hidden gems that are often overlooked by engagement-based algorithms.

While it's natural for our information consumption to be biased towards what's new, we believe that the bias towards new content is too strong. We need to strike a balance and ensure that older, but equally valuable, content gets the attention it deserves. This is where Matter serves as a counterweight. We are committed to delivering content that is relevant and manageable, regardless of its age. The design space for achieving this balance is vast, and we find it to be an exciting problem to work on.

One area that we have focused on is improving the reading experience for newsletters. While newsletters have seen a resurgence in popularity, the traditional email inbox is not optimized for reading. Most people want to get through their inbox quickly, and it's not conducive to highlighting or annotating. To address this, we have incorporated highly reliable parsing techniques, such as NLP and computer vision, to enhance the user experience. We have also introduced a feature called "audio highlights" to cater to the rising trend of audio consumption. Users can now highlight as they listen without having to open their phones.

In addition to these innovations, we have also introduced minimaps, inspired by video games and code editors. These minimaps allow users to quickly scan headers and navigate through articles more efficiently. We believe that this feature will be particularly useful on desktop web.

Our core users, whom we refer to as "active" readers, are intentional about what they read and curate their information diets proactively. They have favorite writers and subscribe to newsletters, often frequenting obscure blogs. Our goal at Matter is to increase the ROI of reading. We want to help people get more from the time they invest in reading – more insight, more knowledge, and more thrill.

In conclusion, the art of content curation is integral to designing a better reading experience. It involves finding, organizing, and adding value to digital information artifacts, ultimately helping others discover, learn, and make sense of unfamiliar topics. As the future of information curation and discovery unfolds, readers will have the power to select their preferred topics and trusted curators. The more specific and tailored the curation, the better the reading experience will become.

To enhance your own reading experience, here are three actionable pieces of advice:

1. Be intentional about what you read: Proactively curate your information diet by seeking out trusted curators and exploring specific topics of interest. Don't limit yourself to superficial and generic information sources.

2. Embrace different mediums: Don't just rely on text-based content. Embrace audio consumption and take advantage of features like audio highlights to make your reading experience more diverse and engaging.

3. Explore innovative reading tools: Look for platforms like Matter that are actively working on improving the reading experience. Features such as minimaps and advanced parsing techniques can greatly enhance your ability to navigate and digest content.

By incorporating these practices into your reading routine, you can elevate your reading experience and make the most out of the time you invest in reading. Remember that reading is not just about acquiring knowledge, but also about finding joy and thrill in the process.