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Huffington Post streamlines reading experience with enhanced Android app

The Huffington Post has revamped its Android application with a design that emphasizes speed for quick news reading.

During the revamp, Huffington Post listened to its readers and found that the No. 1 thing users wanted was a faster reading experience. In addition, offline reading options and a widget have been added to the app.

?The biggest change to the app begins with a brand new mobile feed that delivers content to the app faster while articles are now created server-side for faster rendering,? said Josh Klenert, head of user experience and design at Huffington Post, New York.

?For a more legible reading experience, we're using typography designed for digital screens,? he said.

?We've also added a new widget that can be pinned to the home screen which allows our readers to scan the news outside of the app.?

Read on mobile
The Huffington Post Android app is designed to run on Ice Cream Sandwich. The app is available for free download from Google Play.

The app recognizes a user?s favorite sections of Huffington Post, which are highlighted in a drop-down list at the top of the screen.

Content also downloads in the background, making it faster for users to open the app and read content.

Blog feeds featuring the articles have been made bigger and easier to tap on for mobile users.

Additionally, readers can download content from their favorite sections for offline reading.

For a quick glance of the news without opening the app, consumers can install a Huffington Post widget to their device?s home screen. From there, users can flip through headlines and short news blurbs.

The app works across Android smartphones and seven-inch tablets. Huffington Post plans to launch an Android app specifically for tablets in the coming months.

When it comes to advertising opportunities, Huffington Post is leveraging in-view mobile ads that stick with a consumer as they scroll through content.

Additionally, the Huffington Post is focused on offering marketers cross-platform advertising opportunities for cohesive campaigns across desktop, tablet and smartphone screens, per Janet Balis, publisher of the Huffington Post.

?We continue to have a robust mobile advertising offering ? consistent with the latest innovations across the industry including market-leading rich media capabilities,? Ms. Balis said.

Mobile past
It is critical that publishers continuously tweak their mobile apps and sites to keep content fresh.

Most recently, Huffington Post overhauled its iPad app that syncs up a reader?s experience across screens. The app also leverages comments and social media to plug users into conversations around article topics (see story).

To reach the widest group of mobile users, publishers need to have a mobile Web and app presence as well as an understanding of user behaviors across both platforms.

?We've found that mobile Web users are largely coming to Huffington Post via search results and social links,? Mr. Klenert said.

?Our app users tend to come to us directly and are engaging with HuffPost for longer periods of time in app,? he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York