By now, we’ve all likely heard about or read a post on Medium. The blogging platform from Twitter started off small, but it’s making major waves in the blogosphere and with UX design.
As Medium gains ground, it’s hard not to notice how it’s changing UX design for bloggers. Could it be we don’t need complex themes, plugins, widgets and more just to share our thoughts with the world?
It’s a unique concept, but one that others are trying to emulate. But what really makes Medium so different? And, is the experience really better for bloggers?
Blogging Is The Sole Focus
While we usually hear that WordPress is the king (and let’s face it, it kind of is), Medium has sort of filled a space that WordPress can’t – simplicity. As this comparison between WordPress and Medium shows, Medium focuses solely on blogging. It’s not a content management system, so it’s not some overwhelming platform filled with a cluttered dashboard.
Naturally, Medium isn’t ideal for a full website, since there aren’t exactly many customization options. Instead, its only purpose is to allow bloggers to share their thoughts. A clean interface with a few formatting tools provides a refreshing experience and allows bloggers to focus on their words versus layouts, themes and more.
It’s Community As Much As Blogging
Medium was born from Twitter, so it’s designed as a community environment. While Blogger and WordPress.com have a community feel, Medium takes it to the next level. Instead of users having to visit individual blogs, posts appear under categories, making it easier for readers to find great content from new and established bloggers easily. With over 30 million visitors a month in 2016, it’s an active environment.
By adding a community aspect, UX design for bloggers becomes more about talking to each other versus sending words out into the Internet and hoping someone, somewhere hears them.
Social Marketing Is Built In
Social marketing is a term we’d love to never hear again, but one we can’t avoid. If we want to be bloggers or run a business, we have to market ourselves on social media. Medium doesn’t just throw some social buttons on a blog. Instead, Medium is the social network. In fact, it was always meant to be more of a social network versus a strict publishing platform.
Now, imagine if we could blog and socialize on the same platform. While LinkedIn offers something similar, it’s not nearly as simplistic and easy to use. Write great content, read content from others, comment and socialize. Medium picks up trending content for the front page, so that’s free exposure.
Instead of having to blog and market, bloggers get the best of both worlds. This makes it an incredible experience unlike anything bloggers have experienced before. It’s also why content marketers love it.
Low Learning Curve
Fewer features might sound like a step back when it comes to UX design for bloggers, but it’s actually a good thing. Think about cars for a moment. In the past, we’d get in, start the engine, maybe find a radio station and off we’d go.
Now, it’s get in, start the engine, wait for the GPS to come online and search through 10 menus to play Pandora, a USB drive, CD, radio station, satellite radio or AUX device. Of course, we also have to learn all the various buttons on the steering wheel and dashboard. It’s crazy. That’s kind of like the difference between Medium and most other blogging and CMS platforms.
For beginners, it’s heavenly. Sign up, type words, choose categories and tada! It’s that simple. No setting up a site, choosing themes, installing plugins or anything else. Instead of learning the platform for weeks, blogging happens instantly.
Everybody’s The Same
Let’s face it, Google isn’t always nice to the newbies. It takes a lot of work and sometimes money to get a new site to rank. On Medium, everyone’s equal. Whether it’s someone who posted something for the first time or someone who’s posted 100 amazing posts, they’re treated equally. Everyone has the same chance of rising to the top.
Since everyone’s posts look basically the same style-wise, it’s the content itself that has to stand out. This makes Medium an equal playing ground. It’s a great UX design feature that makes sharing thoughts and ideas more friendly and personable.
The Only Investment Is Time
Most of the time, ease of use and cost aren’t part of the UX design process when it comes to blogging. Ease of use might start out as a consideration, but it never ends up that way. With Medium, the only investment is time and that comes in the form of actually writing posts. Instead of asking users to spend forever setting up the blog itself or spending money on extra features, such as themes and plugins, users just write. Since bloggers are planning to blog anyway, it’s not even an extra investment – it’s just time the blogger would’ve spent anyway.
Overall, Medium has changed the way we look at UX design for bloggers. More features aren’t always what’s needed. Simplicity, equality and a single purpose give bloggers a pleasant experience for sharing their thoughts.
Images: Thought Catalog, William White, Katie Montgomery