NewsNow operates on two assumptions. The first one is that people, even those who are not traditionally well-informed or well-read, recognize the faces of political and cultural figures. The second one is that every news story is, at its core, the story of conflict (or reconciliation) between two parties. The design of the app would integrate these two principles to create an easily-digested, yet informative newsfeed that invites people to engage with two different sides of a debate.
On entering the home page, users would be presented with several news “panels” showing two faces familiar to them through TV or other traditional news media. Their interest piqued, they would click on whichever panel interested them most.
Then, on the next page, the users would see the panel with a headline superimposed over the picture.
Each side would be assigned an icon–in this case, one representing the Indian government, the other representing Apple.
Each subsequent slide would represent, through pictures and illustrations, the concerns of each side in the debate–in this case, the Indian government’s wishes for a technological hub in Bangalore and more manufacturing plants, and Apple’s desire for less taxes and more efficient production methods.
Aside from the simple, attention-grabbing panels, the app would encourage citizens to learn about what, exactly, their legislators are arguing over. This model would encourage greater political literacy–all while engaging with what seems like a deceptively simple, seemingly binary distillation of the day’s major events.
