Design Star

In Googled, Ken Auletta goes into great detail about Google’s hiring process. After describing the lengthy and tedious interview process, Auletta writes that the new hires became “employee number 26” or “employee number 84.” I want my employee number 2 to be the tech guy.

I find the task of creating the Project Goldfish website to be very daunting. It isn’t so much the how of making the site, because I seem to have that down, but it’s the how do I make this good? “Good” meaning both in aesthetics and function. I do not want the site to look like a traditional newspaper website, nor do I want it to look like a blog. Aesthetically, I think the site should be fresh, clean, modern and authoritative. I was going to add “youthful” to that listing, in place of modern, but it seems in conflict with having an authoritative voice.

The functionality of the site is something I struggle with because I keep asking myself this question: What is the best way to tell a story? For the time being, Project Goldfish will be dominated by words, not pictures or videos. So, what can I do with those words? First, I think reports, letters and ordinances that are referenced in stories should also be linked to those stories. The Los Angeles Times does this to an extent but I think it should be the Project Goldfish standard. Why not give the audience the same materials we have as reporters? If my reporters and I do our jobs, our stories will give readers context, history and perspective that go beyond the words in a committee report. This would also allow Project Goldfish to become a resource for readers who want to pull files in a pinch.

I also want to revolutionize how readers comment on stories and interact with reporters. I have written before about my disdain for comments that appear at the bottom of news stories. With that in mind, how can I utilize web design to create an intelligent, engaged community of readers? One thing I want employee number 2 to do is program software that would apply something like Microsoft Word’s tracked changes to a story. For example, let’s say you are reading this story about the Department of Water and Power. As you’re reading, you may have questions. With the system I want to design, you could highlight a portion of the article and write in your question, instead of leaving an angry or confused comment at the bottom of the story.

The comment would be sent to the reporter as an email. At a given time every day, the top 10 questions on a story would appear in a sidebar next to the story, along with answers from the reporter. This would provide greater depth to the story and show readers that their questions or concerns are heard and respected by the reporter.

I also plan for Project Goldfish to have a community page that is entirely separate from the news pages. Over at “The Watercooler,” I envision having video sessions with reporters talking about their latest stories. I would also like to have video interviews with newsmakers. I could see every Thursday evening being a web version of Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens Live!” Council members, union reps or members of neighborhood councils could come on to talk about the stories of the week, what they’re working on, and give their perspectives on what is happening at City Hall. Also, as you can see from the mockup below, there is a section called “Letter to the Editor.” Every day, my staff and I would pick one letter that is thoughtful and intelligent enough to be highlighted. And yes, the writer is identified through Facebook Connect. A newspaper wouldn’t publish a letter without verifying the writer’s identity; why would I?

I have plenty of ideas on what to create. Building those ideas, now that’s why I need employee number 2.