When we started building Dawncast, we experimented with briefing lengths from one minute to ten. One minute felt rushed — users said they didn't feel informed. Five minutes felt like homework. Ten was a podcast, not a briefing.
Three minutes turned out to be the inflection point. In our testing, comprehension scores peaked around the three-minute mark, and the completion rate stayed above 95%. People actually finished their briefings.
There's a practical reason too. Three minutes fits perfectly into the gaps of a morning routine: while the coffee brews, while you wait for the shower to warm up, on the walk to the car.
We don't pad briefings to fill time. Some mornings, if the news is light, your briefing might be two minutes. We'd rather respect your time than waste it.
Every word in a Dawncast briefing earns its place.