The rise of Paywalls

Paywalls are becoming more and more frequent. When I started using Medium in 2015, the site was free. In 2017 the website adopted a paid subscription model. I accessed it incognito for quite a long time until I decided to pay for the membership. Because of pirate-browsing and other reasons, some argue that Paywalls are not a good monetizing solution. From a user standpoint, it’s becoming unbearable: a monthly news subscription or two won’t necessarily break the bank, but as paywalls become the norm across all major media outlets, subscribing to every reputable news organization is simply not financially sustainable.

More than ever, browsing for news became a frustrating task: between paywalls and fake news — which is always free, you might find a good article if you are willing to spare the time. However, websites like Google News could provide their users with a more honest and seamless browsing experience by simply being a little more informative.

The Google News search

Imagine you want an update on the Boeing 787 Max software, so you decide to search for it on Google News. The first page of results shows interesting headlines from several sources, beginning with The New York Times. You click it, begin reading the article, but suddenly a Paywall dialog appears, blocking your access to the content.

“Thanks for reading The Times.
Create your free account or log in to continue reading.”

You get frustrated, return to Google News, and try another result.

By mixing paid and free articles on the same bucket, Google News displays a False Affordance. Users can’t know in advance which articles are free and which ones are paid and, consequently, can’t make a precise selection. Most users won’t pay for written content and instead spend more time/clicks trying to refine their search until locating a free, trustworthy source.

A more Perceptible Affordance approach would be a simple interface update that informs which results are behind paywalls and which ones are freely accessible.

Interface elements and components should always provide their users clues about what is possible and what is expected after the click. Predictable interactions create trust in the product.

While some physical shops remove the price from the tag to constrain their customers, believing they will buy more without knowing the price, other stores like Barnes & Noble allow their guests to read entire books inside the store for free. They create a comfortable environment that makes their customers come back often and eventually consume more.

Despite user experience being a trend nowadays, many digital publications are lagging behind while they figure out how to monetize online. Paywalls are not the only option. What would happen if the above-proposed interface update was adopted? Would paid-content traffic reduce? Would it save users time and clicks? Or would it force major news outlets to rethink the way they monetize their products? Innovation can often come from necessity, and if news sources prioritize their user experience it may allow them to construct a better system for all involved.