Our IT teams spend much of their time talking with clients about new ideas and improving user experience. As such, product development is a huge part of their role.
Computer science is as much art as it is science. With that in mind, at Isentia, we try to keep things as simple as possible. We increase our developers’ productivity by training them to avoid code complexity, write simple code and follow good software engineering practices when implementing a solution to a problem.
The goal is to make Mediaportal, our blue ribbon platform, easy to use for both the everyday user and those who log in more sporadically.
After extensive research we uncovered a few home truths:
The Architecture of Information in Mediaportal needed improvement: Users felt that jumping from one important feature to another took too many steps. At the same time, visual complexity made the menu hard to scan.
More intuitive design was required: Certain core functionalities were not prominent, with some users struggling to navigate to popular tabs.
Mediaportal needed a more responsive design: Client feedback from users logging on via lesser-known browsers or smartphones showed that not all Mediaportal functions were easy to navigate. We know how important it is for clients to access Mediaportal throughout the day across multiple devices. As such, our technology requires constant review to ensure Mediaportal remains a platform that delivers insights and news anywhere, anytime.
As such Mediaportal has undergone an overhaul.
At the core of this project, as always, were the clients. We worked closely with more than 35 of them, collecting hours and hours of interviews and testing dozens of different design variations. We listened carefully to their feedback and ensured it was incorporated into every design. The end result? Our teams designed a platform that is intuitive and can be used to its full potential by everyone – from first-time users to our most regular visitors.
Enterprise applications bring a whole domain of complexities when compared to consumer apps, as they usually involve connecting to one or more legacy systems and include a much greater scope. However, complexity does not mean we have to settle for less in design. Instead, a well-designed enterprise application harnesses a greater positive impact for the business.
For more information on our Mediaportal platform and the service we deliver, visit our services page and connect with us.
Loren is an experienced marketing professional who translates data and insights using Isentia solutions into trends and research, bringing clients closer to the benefits of audience intelligence. Loren thrives on introducing the groundbreaking ways in which data and insights can help a brand or organisation, enabling them to exceed their strategic objectives and goals.
Around the world, we have Hug Your Cat Day, Lucky Penny Day, Ditch New Year’s Resolution Day, Play Your Ukelele Day, Oatmeal Nut Waffle Day and Grilled Cheese Day – just to name a few.
Today is World Product Day, in fact the first ever World Product Day to have been held.
#WorldProductDay which spans 43 countries and incorporates events in 90 cities, grew out of a Product Tank initiative founded and developed 8 years ago in London by Mind the Product.
WPD is a simple concept that aims to ‘Bring together Product Managers from around the world to raise awareness of, and the appreciation for, the craft of product management.’
Which prompts the question, why do we need a World Product Day? The answer to which, is the fourth industrial revolution.
The First Industrial Revolution used water and steam power to drive production which led to greater levels of urbanisation. The Second, much to the delight of Adam Smith, used electricity to create mass production. The Third used electronics and IT to automate production and popularise personal computing. And now, the Fourth Industrial Revolution is radically expanding on the Third, to power the digital revolution that has been accelerating over the last decade.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution has created a fusion of technology that has crossed the physical and digital divide to drive the commercialisation of personalisation at scale, VR, AR, AI and, in context, positioned product management at the heart of this fourth wave or industrialisation.
So, there you have it and let us be one of the first to wish you a Happy World Product Day.
Richard Spencer, Chief Product Officer at Isentia
"
["post_title"]=>
string(33) "Why do we need World Product Day?"
["post_excerpt"]=>
string(182) "#WorldProductDay which spans 43 countries and incorporates events in 90 cities, grew out of a Product Tank initiative founded and developed 8 years ago in London by Mind the Product."
["post_status"]=>
string(7) "publish"
["comment_status"]=>
string(4) "open"
["ping_status"]=>
string(4) "open"
["post_password"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_name"]=>
string(32) "why-do-we-need-world-product-day"
["to_ping"]=>
string(0) ""
["pinged"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_modified"]=>
string(19) "2019-06-25 07:50:54"
["post_modified_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2019-06-25 07:50:54"
["post_content_filtered"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_parent"]=>
int(0)
["guid"]=>
string(36) "https://isentia.wpengine.com/?p=1817"
["menu_order"]=>
int(0)
["post_type"]=>
string(4) "post"
["post_mime_type"]=>
string(0) ""
["comment_count"]=>
string(1) "0"
["filter"]=>
string(3) "raw"
}
Blog
Why do we need World Product Day?
#WorldProductDay which spans 43 countries and incorporates events in 90 cities, grew out of a Product Tank initiative founded and developed 8 years ago in London by Mind the Product.
Take a peek at Isentia's new look Sydney and Melbourne offices
24 October 2018
Media intelligence and insights leader, Isentia (ASX:ISD) opens its doors to a newly refurbished Melbourne office and shares a sneak peak into its Sydney HQ designed for a new and tech savvy workforce.
SYDNEY
Located on Cleveland Street in Surry Hills, the light-filled Sydney HQ enjoys uninterrupted views of Sydney city and Prince Alfred Park.
Conveniently located, just a few minutes’ walk from Central Train Station, the office is well connected to bus routes and the soon to be completed light rail. Staff also benefit from newly renovated end-of-trip facilities such as showers, lockers and bicycle parking.
The vibrant area of Surry Hills is home to a range of cafes and restaurants, gyms, yoga studios and (year-round heated) Prince Alfred Park Pool, with open grass area for unwinding or enjoying a quick break outdoors.
Isentia HQ benefits from an airy and open plan design creating a sense of community. A newly renovated, open plan kitchen and common area isoften used for Friday drinks, birthday celebrations and friendly (competitive) table tennis matches. Breakout areas, huddle spots, and quiet rooms are available in addition to meeting rooms, making a range of work activity possible – with an innovation lab coming soon!
The office renovations form part of Isentia’s transformation as a tech company. Supporting this are a wide range of career opportunities from CX, product design and development, infrastructure and solutions development to media analysts.
MELBOURNE
Last week the team presented a completely redesigned Melbourne office, now housing more than 70 desks for local analysts, sales, client service and editorial team members as well as new glass offices and meeting spaces that encourage natural light to flow to every corner.
While Sydney will remain Isentia's headquarters, the decision to update the Melbourne office was an easy one says John Bissinella, Head of Client Solutions. "It was important we update the look and feel of our Melbourne office to keep pace with the speed and innovation of our tech. We deliver Australia’s fastest, most comprehensive and reliable media monitoring, intelligence and insights service – it was time for our workspace to be reflective of this.”
We’re excited to share this space with our valued clients who value the rigour with which our insights and intelligence services are delivered, and appreciate hearing from the people who work to deliver their service 365 days of the year.
With a new kitchen and breakout spaces, renovated bathrooms (including showers and change facilities for commuters), as well as improved lighting, flooring and desk layouts, the office promotes greater collaboration between teams and encourages a more flexible work environment.
"
["post_title"]=>
string(69) "Inside Isentia's Sydney HQ and their newly renovated Melbourne office"
["post_excerpt"]=>
string(161) "Isentia (ASX:ISD) opens its doors to a newly refurbished Melbourne office and shares a sneak peak into its Sydney HQ designed for a new and tech savvy workforce."
["post_status"]=>
string(7) "publish"
["comment_status"]=>
string(6) "closed"
["ping_status"]=>
string(4) "open"
["post_password"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_name"]=>
string(68) "inside-isentias-sydney-hq-and-their-newly-renovated-melbourne-office"
["to_ping"]=>
string(0) ""
["pinged"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_modified"]=>
string(19) "2019-07-17 00:40:43"
["post_modified_gmt"]=>
string(19) "2019-07-17 00:40:43"
["post_content_filtered"]=>
string(0) ""
["post_parent"]=>
int(0)
["guid"]=>
string(36) "https://isentia.wpengine.com/?p=1363"
["menu_order"]=>
int(0)
["post_type"]=>
string(4) "post"
["post_mime_type"]=>
string(0) ""
["comment_count"]=>
string(1) "0"
["filter"]=>
string(3) "raw"
}
Media Release
Inside Isentia’s Sydney HQ and their newly renovated Melbourne office
Isentia (ASX:ISD) opens its doors to a newly refurbished Melbourne office and shares a sneak peak into its Sydney HQ designed for a new and tech savvy workforce.
In Singapore, the rise of podcasting has shifted from entertainment and lifestyle into a new arena – public discourse and politics. As the 2025 General Election draws near, podcasters are making waves across online news and social media. To kick things off, we used Narrative AI, the first search engine for public opinion, to identify how large the global narrative on podcasts and their influence on audiences is in the last 6 months, using data from X.
We subsequently narrowed the focus of this global trend to Singapore and analysed on Pulsar TRAC more than 7k mentions across platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, TikTok, podcasts, Online News, blogs and forums to understand where the discourse is coming from, which channels are capturing the podcasters’ content and how audiences are responding to this content.
Mentions of podcasts in news and social media are growing
Social media is where the larger chunk of podcast conversation is taking place, specifically those episodes that feature a political figure, journalist or those that include healthcare-related discussions. The audiences that engage with these videos, majority being on YouTube, search for political credibility that resonates with them. Young Singaporeans watching these podcasts expect to see leaders who don’t just uphold the image of being a politician, but also someone who is grounded and trustworthy.
Youth and politicians' lives dominate podcast narratives
The audiences that consume these podcasts the most are young Singaporeans looking to participate in the conversation as much as they can. These audiences are being more proactive than ever.
With younger voters consuming media differently, these appearances are efforts by political candidates to connect with the public. Lawrence Wong, Josephine Teo, Indranee Rajah, and Desmond Tan, have used podcasts to communicate directly with the public – sidestepping traditional media filters.
Top podcasters on election-related content
When we focus on who the most mentioned podcasters around election content are, the Straits Times’ podcasts, the Daily Ketchup and Yah Lah BUT emerge on top. These podcasts have figured that the most discourse happens around content that’s either educational or controversial around elections. The public is actively responding to political content shared via podcasts, particularly those by The Straits Times and independent shows like Yah Lah BUT.
Satire and irony are key strategies to make politics palatable, especially for younger, digital-native audiences. The Daily Ketchup and Yah Lah BUT are blending serious topics like the GE2025, party agendas, healthcare, and opposition voices with humour that make them almost meme-worthy. Posts such as “PAP really said: ‘Trust me, bro’” TikTok clips show that these are genuinely made for content to go viral while retaining serious undertones too.
What’s interesting to note is that The Common Folks, with content in Malay and Indonesian, is tapping into a cross-border Southeast Asian audience and has some of the highest engagement on its content. Local slang, cultural jokes, and casual festive content like Raya greetings and songkok jokes have generated thousands of views, at times outperforming English-language political pods. This suggests a large, under-acknowledged appetite for vernacular podcast content that has a blend of humour and relatability.
Podcasts are no longer just background noise – they’re becoming one of the most relevant ways Singaporeans engage with politics. With high engagement on platforms like TikTok and YouTube, a wide spread of topics from youth issues to party politics, and growing presence in both mainstream and social media, podcasters are carving out a key role in shaping the GE 2025 conversation.
What is making podcasts stand out ahead of the Singapore GE2025?
In Singapore, the rise of podcasting has shifted from entertainment and lifestyle into a new arena – public discourse and politics. As the 2025 General Election draws near, podcasters are making waves across online news and social media. To kick things off, we used Narrative AI, the first search engine for public opinion, to identify […]
As the federal election campaign reaches its midpoint, patterns in media coverage and public attention are beginning to shift. Early social engagement was driven by cost-of-living pressures, energy policy, and political point-scoring, but has waned following the first leaders debate, despite this forum providing leaders the opportunity to set the agenda and strategies of the major parties. So how has coverage focus evolved since the first debate and are audiences still engaging with the campaign or switching off?
Social media engagement ahead of the federal election has been sharp and personal. It focused less on policy and more on identity and representation. From debates on topics such as immigration to housing stress and culture, social media has driven a values-first narrative. But while early attention was strong, both media coverage and social engagement have started to wane in the weeks since the campaign launched. The first leaders debate briefly reignited attention—trust, identity, and media—but coverage patterns suggest a shift away from daily blow-by-blow reporting towards broader social and cultural tensions.
As the federal election campaign nears its halfway mark, last week’s media highlights show a contest still struggling to cut through. Key moments included the first leader’s debate, the Treasurers Debate, the energy showdown at the National Press Club, and Senator Jacinta Price’s Perth appearance with Peter Dutton, which drew attention for its MAGA-style rhetoric. The first leaders debate was billed as a chance to reset the race—but for many viewers, it reinforced existing divides. Media attention around the debate momentarily lifted visibility for all major parties—but the spike was short-lived. The only party that has seen continued increases in social media engagement is the Liberal Party. The Liberal Party’s sustained rise in social media engagement may be linked to its digital-first strategy, including an AI-generated campaign ad spruiking a fuel excise cut and a meme-style diss track targeting Anthony Albanese—tactics designed to capture online attention and drive shareability.
The Liberals also pitched a $1200 tax cut, Labor attacked their WFH backflip, and the Greens pushed housing and tax reform. Meanwhile, Dutton warned of a Labor-Greens-Teal alliance. Coverage suggests public engagement is driven more by polarising moments and political theatre than detailed policy.
When the election campaign officially kicked off, cost-of-living pressures dominated the news agenda. Fresh off the back of the federal budget, it’s no surprise that affordable healthcare, lower gas and energy prices, and tax cuts were the key messages party leaders wanted to land with voters. But coverage quickly pivoted. In the past week, foreign diplomacy—particularly how each leader would manage Donald Trump—has surged in prominence. While Trump’s role in tariff threats has made headlines, his influence on the broader election narrative goes beyond trade. Media reporting has increasingly centred on Albanese and Dutton’s capacity to navigate a potential Trump presidency, with ideological alignment, national security, and economic fallout all in play. The first leaders’ debate was expected to refocus the campaign on domestic issues. However, it briefly touched on international concerns, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese addressing the potential economic impact of Trump's proposed tariffs. Albanese described these tariffs as an "act of economic self-harm" that would dampen global growth, highlighting the intertwining of foreign policy with domestic economic concerns. This suggests that sustained attention is more likely when domestic issues are reframed through the lens of foreign diplomacy, and national identity.
In the social media landscape, Trump was a flashpoint in election-related conversation. His influence—real or perceived—was quickly linked to the Liberal Party, with MAGA-style rhetoric and Trumpian policy cues gaining traction online. These narratives tend to escalate on platforms where ideological alignment and cultural grievance amplify engagement. But it wasn’t all imported culture wars—the federal budget, and the Liberal Party’s fuel excise rebuttal, also drove significant social chatter. In recent weeks, comparisons between major party messaging and Trump-era policy—from international student caps and nuclear energy to debates about school curricula—have continued to dominate discussion.
The first leaders’ debate briefly touched on foreign policy, with Albanese warning Trump’s tariffs could hurt global growth, while Dutton framed it as a test of strong leadership. Domestically, Dutton’s renewed push for nuclear power reignited social media debate—drawing comparisons to Trump-era policies and fuelling discussion about Australia’s energy future. At the same time on social media, promises like HECS cuts, free TAFE, and more funding for public schools sparked genuine engagement, especially among younger voters and education workers, showing that practical, future-focused policies can still cut through. Compared to the start of the campaign, where cost-of-living dominated as a top-line concern, the conversation has expanded: audiences are now weighing both hip-pocket issues and the national values shaping Australia’s future.
While the debate itself tended to be overshadowed by frustrations about access and media control, a few political undercurrents still surfaced. Anthony Albanese drew some positive mentions, but reactions were far from policy-focused. The Liberal Party’s early claim of victory became a point of humour, with several users likening it to Trump-style misinformation tactics. Disillusionment with the major parties ran deep, with repeated calls to “break the donor-fuelled duopoly” and shift support toward independents or smaller parties. Still, these reactions seem more like a symptom of broader voter cynicism than a sign of energised political engagement, reflecting broader themes around the declining trust.
The leaders' debate didn’t reset the race—it refracted it, spotlighting how media coverage is now shaped less by policy detail and more by polarising symbols and cultural cues. As election day nears, the contest for attention is revealing just as much about media strategy and voter fatigue as it is about party platforms.
Did the leaders debate reignite voter interest or just stoke the culture wars?
As the federal election campaign reaches its midpoint, patterns in media coverage and public attention are beginning to shift. Early social engagement was driven by cost-of-living pressures, energy policy, and political point-scoring, but has waned following the first leaders debate, despite this forum providing leaders the opportunity to set the agenda and strategies of the […]
