The digital storytelling interactives were a new endeavor at DMN (Dallas Morning News), and the success was definitely a collaborative effort. Alongside, Paul O'Donnell (Business Editor), Will Pry (Senior Innovation Manger), and John Hancock (Interactive Designer & Developer), the small, but diligent group, worked with the writers and photographers to create a more interactive story for the user. These interactive packages aimed to provide users with a unique and engaging experience. Moving away from the limitations of our templated web format, and provided a more unique experience for the customer.
In the beginning, the idea was not well received and basically disregarded by most of the writers. Many of the writers, deeply rooted in print media traditions, viewed the online platform with skepticism and resistance. Despite this, we persevered, diligently crafting digital content and forging ahead with our vision. After a year of consistent effort and the validation of awards from the Society for News Design (SND), attitudes began to shift. We were invited to a meeting filled with writers eager to understand our process.
They started offering their stories and seeking our input on which stories might translate well into online features. This marked a pivotal moment, a validation of our efforts and recognition for championing a new medium, that had initially faced opposition. This was very exciting and it felt good to be recognized for something that everyone resisted in the beginning. Our client engagement soared, with some stories achieving impressive metrics, garnering over 12,000 unique visits and reaching an upwards 150,000 clicks!
Oh, remind me to tell you the story about Dog Daze of Summer and how that came to fruition.
Below are a few of Interactives that I created.
If you would like to see more and the live projects click here.
