New structures for any content offer multiple paths to engage today's diverse audiences.
What's Your Primary Interest?
FOR COMMUNICATORS / DESIGNERS
An "Adaptive Content Flow" structure builds "attention momentum." Information adapts to users, not the other way around. Traditional linear storytelling is replaced by presenting content with multiple paths. Engagement also depends on users' environment and available time, Rather than assuming attention, the model earns it by structuring content so users can scan or dive deeply into the information. This supports diverse audiences while preserving informational integrity to reach a larger audience.
FOR NEWSROOMS
For shrinking audiences, new approaches attract more than a target audience. Instead of forcing everyone to view a long linear article, this new model lets users choose content based on how much time and attention they’re willing to give. SPICE content is •Scannable for fast-moving users •Personalized based on interests or appeal •Curiosity-driven after the headline •Interactive to keep readers from exiting •is emphasizing emotions when appropriate This isn't changing important journalism—it’s changing how journalism is presented to increase the likelihood that more users select more content and stay longer.
​​​​​​FOR SCHOLARS
Digital engagement is defined by interdisciplinary theories and operationalized with key variables. Rather than defining engagement as an abstract construct, new structures apply the model to users' motivations and interactions, supporting the enactment and observation of theoretical mechanisms. All content corresponds to a user's DIET variables of demographics, interests, environment, and time. SPICE content variables (scannability, personalization, interactivity, curiosity, emotion) can attract users who would not typially seek or selet that info. ] The model’s interface functions simultaneously as: •a theoretical process of engagement as a dynamic process, •a methodological tool for observing attention, •and an empirical testbed linking content design to cognitive needs and behaviors.
FOR TEACHERS
Teachers and students learn how content is presented to support different types of users without oversimplifying the information. Learning multiple ways that content can support students and other users who scan first, selectively explore, or engage deeply if they have time, provides multiple pathways through the same material. The model encourages structures for self-regulated learning. Learning becomes more inclusive without sacrificing rigor. The model supports how students discover, process, and revisit digital information.