What features could Yahoo add to its news platform to increase user engagement and personalization?

Introduction

To increase user engagement and personalization on Yahoo's news platform, we need to focus on innovative features that cater to evolving user needs and preferences. I'll outline a strategic approach to address this challenge, considering user segments, pain points, and potential solutions.

Step 1

Clarifying Questions (5 mins)

• Looking at the current news landscape, I'm thinking Yahoo might be facing stiff competition from social media platforms. Could you share insights on how users currently discover and consume news on Yahoo compared to other platforms?

Why it matters: Determines if we need to focus on discovery algorithms or content presentation Expected answer: Users primarily access Yahoo News directly, but engagement time is lower than competitors Impact on approach: Would prioritize features to increase time spent on the platform

• Considering the importance of personalization, I'm curious about Yahoo's current data collection and utilization practices. Can you elaborate on the types of user data Yahoo currently leverages for news personalization?

Why it matters: Influences the extent to which we can implement advanced personalization features Expected answer: Yahoo collects basic demographic and browsing history data, but lacks deeper behavioral insights Impact on approach: Would focus on expanding data collection capabilities and improving analytics

• Given the rapidly changing news cycle, I'm wondering about Yahoo's content sourcing and curation process. How does Yahoo currently balance automated aggregation with human curation for its news content?

Why it matters: Affects our ability to provide timely, relevant, and diverse content Expected answer: Mostly automated with limited human oversight Impact on approach: Would consider features to enhance content quality and timeliness

• Thinking about user engagement, I'm interested in understanding the current metrics Yahoo uses to measure success. What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) for user engagement on the news platform?

Why it matters: Ensures our proposed features align with Yahoo's business objectives Expected answer: Primary KPIs include daily active users, time spent on site, and ad impressions Impact on approach: Would tailor solutions to directly impact these metrics