Heavy on photos, light on text. Building on a successful strategy it implemented a decade ago, The Straits Times reimagined its Home In Focus online feature to attract a broader audience. 

Home In Focus began in 2015 as a two-page printed photo feature. The idea was to visually draw interest and attention to lesser-known people, areas, and facets of Singapore. The feature was posted online back then, but ST had not yet discovered the full glory of going digital. 

Reinventing it online

In 2022, the ST launched a new interactive element online, with vibrant colours, active movement through engaging video, and interactive storytelling. It wanted to achieve its goal of expanding readers’ awareness of the communities around them, and this was a perfect fit for the Home In Focus aesthetic.

Using heartfelt, nostalgic, and sometimes eccentric images, the news company immersed the audience into what’s happening in their own backyards. The images add depth and perspective to help tell a deeper, more meaningful story. 

Instead of just writing an article on Singapore’s public buses getting a facelift to address issues of wear and tear, Home In Focus gave its audience an inside look into the refurbishment process. 

Videos followed workers as they began tearing out seats, laying new carpet, and giving buses a fresh coat of paint. As the user scrolled down the page, they were met with new images from inside an automotive workshop where workers sewed together new seats. Small boxes of text and captions provide context and background.

Games people play

Telling a story about making chess accessible to everyone in Singapore could be challenging and not very exciting, but when told through the lens of Home In Focus, it became engaging and entertaining. 

The piece started off showing a screen covered from corner to corner with video of glow-in-the-dark neon chess boards, with players smiling widely, shaking hands, and getting ready to dive into the game. 

As the reader scrolled through the story, they saw chess players sitting on the ground in a back alley or on turf at a park. As they read the captions and info boxes, the reader learned about a different kind of chess club that hosts matches that feel more like parties. In turn, the club began attracting new chess players and bringing together all kinds of communities.

The innovative storytelling and visual format of Home In Focus has received positive feedback for The Straits Times. Since launching the new online interactive element, it has published more than 100 pieces. 

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