Print to Web
Wall Street Journal Online Interface Project
In Collaboration with The Wall Street Journal Online
Andrew Giannelli - Design Director
Sharon Denning - Interaction Design Manager

Classes 5, 6, 7
Classes 5 and 7 will meet at the office of the Wall Street Journal Online
at 11:45am on Monday, February 12th and 26th.

Class 6 will meet at MFACA at SVA.

For classes 5 and 7, we will meet in the lobby (gound floor) security office for the Wall Street Journal. Please bring photo ID (Security will need this to give you an access pass to the building.) I am asking that we meet 15 minutes earlier, so we can allow time for the access pass processing.

The Wall Street Journal is located at
1 World Financial Center
200 Liberty St, 12th Floor.

1 World Financial Center is between the West Side Highway and the River.

From the subway, walk along Liberty St. towards the river, and take the
land bridge/walkway across the West Side highway. This will put you
inside 1 World Financial Center.

Once you're inside the building, the security desk is on the left. Let
them know you're here to see Sharon Denning on the 12th fl, at extension
4116 and they'll give you a pass.
Student Redesign of WSJ Classroom Edition
Daniela http://community.mfaca.sva.edu/~daniela/wsj_27feb/index_wsj.html
Jessica http://community.mfaca.sva.edu/~jessicag/interfacedesign/wsj.html
Darren http://community.mfaca.sva.edu/~darren/id/wallstreet
ChiaChien  
EunYoung http://community.mfaca.sva.edu/~eunyoung/dataspace
Moe  
Esther http://community.mfaca.sva.edu/~estherr/interface_design/wsjce/page1.htm
Chia-Chien http://community.mfaca.sva.edu/~chiachien/classroom/pizzapage.html
GyuNam http://community.mfaca.sva.edu/~gyunam/ID_02
Elizabeth http://community.mfaca.sva.edu/~elizabeth/interface/wallstreet/index.html

Main Deliverables & Deadlines

  1. 2/19/06 Concept (at SVA)
    a. 1 page document outlining the design solution. Include your metaphor and the
    problem you are solving.
    b. 3 Sites that help you solve the problem or inspire you.
    c. Sketches & notes (paper).
  2. 2/26/06 Design (at the Wall Street Journal)
    a. 2 designed pages illustrating:
    i. Home Page
    ii. Current Issue
    b. Does not need to function – Photoshop is fine
  3. Thoughts on other possible ways to connect with students would be appreciated.
Goal
Articles in the Journal are used in classroom for research and discussions on everything from current events and culture to economics. The Journal would like to make its contents more accessible and useful for students and teachers.

In addition, the Journal also has a unique place in business culture – familiarity with its contents implies a certain “standing”. Readers who are unfamiliar with the Journal contents often assume it is only economic or business news, while its contents actually cover everything from an analysis of world news to current cultural trends.

Currently teachers usually require print subscriptions for classes, and use the articles in class discussions. The Journal would like to make this experience more web-friendly and take advantage of new technologies that compliment the print and classroom experience.

This proposal covers two products, and we’re interested in ideas for both.

• The Classroom Edition: The Journal currently has a print and web product called “The Classroom Edition” which is geared towards high-school students.

• University@wsj.com: In development is an area on the WSJ.com site for College and Graduate students, which would offer teachers and students a place to discuss relevant
articles etc.

Ideally, the Journal would like to take advantage of newer technologies, such as blogs and “tagging” in anyway that would encourage discussion and exploration of the site. Community, in sites like “MySpace”, also seems to be a driving force for younger audiences.

The other challenge is to make the paper accessible to students. Key ways to do this include explaining what’s in each section of the print paper, how that maps to the online version, how to user the prnt and online version together, and providing educational materials on economic data.

We would like to explore interface, content and usability ideas for either product.

Background
The Online Journal is the Web's most successful subscription-based site, providing more than one-half million subscribers with the most comprehensive coverage of global business and financial news. In addition, it has expanded its coverage of “personal” news with the addition of Personal Journal, Weekend Journal and the Saturday edition which cover entertainment and leisure.

The Online Journal includes all of the content from the print edition of The Wall Street Journal, exclusive online content, interactive tools, features and research. It is updated 24 hours a day.

The Wall Street Journal was one of the first print newspapers to fully utilize the web, starting in 1995 with the launch of Money & Investing Update, a precursor to the full Online Journal. wsj.com added personalized content in 2002.

Objectives
Pick either 1) “The Classroom Edition” or “College.WSJ.com”

Create a “Look & Feel” for that is related to the look of The Online Journal, but has its own identity. It should appeal to a younger audience.

As “College.WSJ.com” will be part of the main WSJ.com site, there should be no new “College.WSJ.com” logo. However, “The Classroom Edition” can have its own logo.

The target browser size width is 990 x 770

Audience age is 16-24

Create a user experience for students that is both enjoyable and easy to understand. We’re particularly interested in exploring interfaces that make a connection with the print paper and provide ways to communicate or discuss that aren’t found in print.

Some areas to consider:
  1. What is the primary information & how do you organize it for communication between a teacher and a student?
  2. One of the goals of any newspaper is to communicate what’s relevant. What do sites like Technorati or Digg do that are different than print?
  3. Use a metaphor to unite the general approach and design.
Sites to Look at
Classroom Editions
The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition http://wsjclassroom.com/
The New York Times Classroom Edition http://www.nytimes.com/college/

Community News Sites
Digg http://digg.com/
Technorati http://technorati.com/
Delicious http://del.icio.us/
MySpace http://myspace.com/

Metaphors & Ideas
10 by 10 http://tenbyten.org/
They Rule http://www.theyrule.net/
The Apartment http://www.turbulence.org/Works/apartment/