Mega module must-haves
The idea was to create and iterate Zinio’s interactive content modules (ICMs), which could be plugged into a PDF overlay of a given magazine page. These ICMs can accommodate content such as slideshows, movies, and audio, enhancing the magazine experience (previously available only on a magazine’s website). Used by third-party publishers, such as advertisers to breathe life into their ads, the modules allow them to link out to a website. The ICMs had to be as simple and easy to use as possible, much like the experience of publishing to a blog.

Top titles with apps to match
It was critical that Content Builder allow publishers to dictate where and how content appears in a magazine. So Hot designed a feature that allows high-visibility magazines (such as National Geographic) to inexpensively co-brand its apps with Zinio, giving them control over the look of the app’s splash screen, icon, and welcome screen—even when it appears in Zinio’s store.

The iPad experience goes PC
Another way Hot extended publishers’ control over their content was by creating a groundbreaking Preview function. By allowing for tweaks and fixes to be made to ICMs before they’re published, the function saves tons of time on edits. The innovative new Preview, which mimics the iPad’s ICM experience on a PC, or any platform supporting a browser, requires only the use of Safari so it’s fast and incredibly easy to use.

Running with Ruby on Rails
While the app’s user experience (UX) was relatively straightforward, the development was challenging. Built using Ruby on Rails, the application had to integrate with Zinio’s core technology and its existing infrastructure for building and distributing content. This required intense collaboration as Hot nailed down how the Zinio systems worked. This teamwork was especially important as the new Content Builder intersects with many core Zinio publishing systems.

Hot handles in-house
The new Web application furthers Zinio’s core values: to both redefine and rethink the future magazine experience. The ICMs empower people to read and interact with content, as they desire, by allowing greater reader interactivity and higher levels of engagement. The systems Hot built make it possible for publishers to more efficiently and sustainably utilize and leverage Zinio’s innovation.