The user experience of the magazine

Many predicted a number of years ago that print would now be dead. To contradict this, there is now a trend/fashion of reading magazines. However, with the movement of technology going the way that it is, there is an increase in demand for this platform to work with a screen. However to ensure that the experience is enhanced through the use of screen and to maximize the capabilities, it is important to analyse the user experience of reading a physical magazine. 



The Country Living (UK) magazine

The magazine is one that sits comfortably in a magazine rack as well as in your hands to read. The slightly larger than A4 magazine adjusts its content and design to the month that it is being released. For example, the November issues maintains an autumn colour scheme of oranges, red and brown as well as including content related to halloween. This theme is always clearly demonstrated through the front cover imagery and the colour of the masthead. 

The first page of the magazine is always an advertisement which is typically looked over by the reader. This then leads on to the Contents page and the Editors 'note'. This is a very personal and engaging piece of text that is present in each monthly issue. Each section of the magazine is separated under topic titles; 

As a reader of the magazine I am able to record my feelings towards the magazine as well as others:

User experience

- Gives you that feeling of home due to the content of the magazine as well as the homely images/products that are featured in the magazine

- Inspirational content - there is often creative pages giving instructions on how to produce certain objects such as christmas decorations, cushions, etc.

- The pages cleanly rip out which makes them easy to store as inspiration rather than keeping the whole magazine

- The quirky design of each page sets it aside from other more grid like magazines

Each of these experiences are ones that need to be successfully transferred to the experience of using the magazine through a screen based device. Although this is not to draw attention away from the magazine, it should be used to enhance the experience of reading the magazine and explore the different ways in which the content can be recieve.