MaceNews is a startup macroeconomic news service. I first created a product sample website macenews.com in order to help preview the main product (json feeds). As the company became larger and more complex with multiple outgoing feeds they needed to further refine the product structure.
The current model worked to define one product but MaceNews needed multiple streams with separate technical solutions. There were opportunities for streamlining the separate offerings but ultimately each product needed to be managed individually.
One barrier was the fact that there were multiple feeds going to separate technical endpoints resulting in category fragmentation and subsequently separate products were being formed as a result.
I conducted a card sorting activity with the primary business partners and we formed a consistent and simplified product. This is a flexible framework that can be modified as the product changes.
The final result was a two factor categorization based on both category and location. Both were viewed as key factors that would differentiate MaceNews for certain audiences and is key for success.
Timeliness is of utmost importance to the business and beating competitors to the market with stories and headlines is key. A simple categorization structure is essential in realizing this key differentiator.
