This is our Reading List
“So… what’s it for?”
Saving content on the web is pretty easy nowadays. You can Bookmark it, email it to yourself, or save it to Pocket. But no matter what you choose, your intentions are similar.
In Firefox 38, we added a menu item that lets users save any webpage directly to their Reading List. If you see an article that you like, add it to your Reading List. We’ll even mark it as “unread” for you. That’s what the Reading List is for.
We believe that saving content needs to be straightforward and simple.
But, what about Bookmarks?
So, what are you guys doing?
Saving this content is only half the story. Why do people save it in the first place? What do they want to do next? How does this intention affect how/where they save things?
With the help of our User Research team, we were given amazing insight into some of the current pain points here. We found that users today have learned to use a wide spectrum of tools to accommodate their needs.
I believe that a large part of that is a result of the disconnect and complexity in the way content is presented today. From web browsers, to apps, to different devices, and different operating systems, we see mini-silos that don’t really make it easy to save, share, or revisit.
We’re removing the Reading List
We want to make the experience of saving, sharing, and revisiting, much simpler. By removing the Reading List altogether, we can begin to streamline that experience and remove the need for nuances. This reduces our number of saving options but also consolidates where saved content can be recovered.
To guide these ongoing efforts, we’re looking at three main principles:
- Reduce the options a user has to consider when saving
- Leverage current user habits and layer on improvements
- Provide more information and context about their content
Imagine you’re on the bus, on your phone. You come across an article that interests you and start reading it in the browser. But after a few moments, you’re at your stop and you don’t want to forget to finish it later, so you save the article.
To reduce options for saving is to reduce recovery anxiety too. Press the save button to save something. Afterwards, that “saved something” will be waiting where you’ve always found it. That’s our vision.
Layering on Superpowers
We realize that some users actually enjoy the organization of separation. So, we’re also introducing Smart folders. Just like the “Reading List” one pictured above (next step, basic folder management).
But the key here is layering. We really wanted to avoid making our users learn new habits. These new super powers are great but only if they don’t require additional action.
Simply put, any content that is saved in Reader View will also appear in this “Reading List” Smart folder. Think of it as a filter that collects all relevant items for you. These items will simply act as shortcuts to maintain the chronological order of your Mobile Bookmarks folder.
It’s available offline
All Reader View content that is saved by the user will be available offline by default. Firefox will cache these items so that you can read them whenever you want.
People are not always online, but the tasks that they’re looking to complete does not stop as soon as they lose connectivity. So, we want to serve these use cases because we believe it’s important. For us, making this content available offline allows us to explore the full potential here.
So what have we done so far?
We’ve combined the Reading List panel with our Bookmarks panel. In the same breath, we’re also taking a long hard look at our History panel. The goal is to improve the ways a Firefox user saves, shares, and recovers their content. We want to make Firefox more useful, even when you’re offline.
While this isn’t our “final” product (is it ever?), we’re hopeful that this is a step in the right direction. One that we will build on top of. For now, we’re focused on “saving” content. Through our guiding principles, we’ll be looking to make Firefox more helpful in sharing, and recovering next.
We know it’s important to be where our users are. We need to align ourselves with users’ expectations so they don’t have to learn something new. We have to continue to iterate and improve.
Footnote: Reader View
We’ve heard that the iconography here was lacking visual distinction. Though they provide drastically different utility, the difference between the “Reader View” icon and the “Add to Reading List” icons were too subtle.
With this work, we can finally remove the “Add to Reading List” icon and simplify the Reader View controls. Thereby, clearing up the confusion between the two icons once and for all. The “book” will only mean one thing now.
