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BRINK News

Overview

Role: UI/UX Designer, UX Researcher
Time Period:
March 2024 - April 2024
Tools Used: Figma, Excalidraw, Keynote, Figurative, GPT-4, Claude-3, and Good notes

Description

In this age of endless scrolling, where digital distractions are just a swipe away, Brink News introduces a revolutionary approach by integrating essential news into the flow of daily media consumption. This platform not only captivates but educates, enabling users to stay informed with the swipe of a finger, turning potential distractions into opportunities for engagement and enlightenment.

Project Goals

  1. Transform Daily Scrolling into Informative Sessions: Recognizing the widespread habit of daily social media scrolling, the goal is to leverage this behavior by providing a similar, engaging platform where users can scroll through news instead. This aims to make staying informed a seamless part of everyday digital routines, similar to platforms like Inshorts but with a unique, interactive twist.

  2. Innovate with Neubrutalism in UI Design: Explore the aesthetic of neubrutalism in the user interface design of Brink News. This design approach emphasizes minimalistic, raw, and bold visual elements that stand out in the digital space. The goal is to create a distinctive and memorable user experience that differentiates Brink News from other news apps and makes news consumption visually engaging and straightforward.

Design Thinking

design thinking

Empathize

Define

Ideate

Prototype

Test

EMPATHIZE

The Empathize phase for this project aims to deeply understand how users interact with social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, particularly focusing on behaviors related to scrolling through short-form content, and also how often people read news from social media and news apps.This insight will allow me to tailor a news app that aligns with these ingrained habits but shifts the focus towards more enriching and informative content.

User Research

User Interviews

User Personas

user persona 1
user persona 2

Empathy Mapping

Think & Feel:

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  • Users feel overwhelmed and distracted by the constant influx of entertainment content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

  • There is an underlying guilt associated with spending excessive time on trivial content, coupled with a desire for more meaningful digital interactions.

  • Users are curious about current events but feel that traditional news sources are either too time-consuming or overwhelming.

Hear:

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  • Friends and online influencers often discuss viral videos or trends from social media, contributing to a feeling that 'everyone' is always tuned into these platforms.

  • They hear about major news events through social media but often receive this information through a filter of opinions and sensationalism.

  • Users occasionally hear peers or role models emphasize the importance of staying informed about the world.

See:

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  • Constant exposure to short-form videos designed for entertainment, with quick cuts and high-impact visuals.

  • They see notifications and alerts from social media apps that encourage constant engagement.

  • Observing peers frequently sharing or commenting on light content rather than substantive discussions.

Say & Do:

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  • Users say they wish they had a more productive way to use their phone during downtime.

  • They express frustration over feeling out of touch with serious news and world events.

  • Actively scroll through social media feeds multiple times a day, often reflexively opening apps when bored or idle.

DEFINE

1. Key Insights Summary:

  • User Behavior: Research indicates that the majority of our target audience, primarily young professionals aged 20-35, spend approximately 2-3 hours daily on social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

  • Needs and Preferences: Users expressed a desire to use their screen time more productively. They find current news apps either too dense or time-consuming and wish for a quicker, more engaging way to consume news that fits into their existing digital habits. There is a strong preference for consuming news more efficiently, allowing them to stay informed without dedicating significant time away from their daily routines.

  • Emotional Drivers: There is a prevalent sense of guilt associated with "wasted" time on social media. Users are eager for solutions that transform this time into educational or informative experiences without losing the fun element of social media. They want to feel that they are making the best use of their time by staying updated with the world in a more streamlined and efficient manner.

POV  Table

JAKOB's LAW

jakobs law

Users spend most of their time on other sites. This means that users prefer your site to work the same way as all the other sites they already know.

srolling instagram

Having a news app similar to everyday social media apps will encourage people to use the news app more often compared to a news app with a normal User Interface. Having a scrollable interface like Instagram or Tik-Tok and traditional social media features like streaks will make the new app more desirable.

IDEATE

Swipeable News Cards

  • Implement swipeable cards for an intuitive, engaging way to browse through news stories, enhancing the user experience with quick gestures similar to popular social media platforms.

swipable news

AI-Powered News Personalization

  • Utilize artificial intelligence to personalize the news feed according to user preferences, ensuring that the content is highly relevant and engaging for each individual.

ai curated news

A Brutalist Inspired UI that is User Friendly

- Incorporating Modern Neubrutalism UI design to make the app modern, whacky and different from other boring news app.

neubrutalism

Gamification 

- Gamifying the app by adding streaks and points to make the habit of reading news more addictive!

gamification

PROTOYPE

Low-Fidelity Prototype

wireframes
wireframes
wireframes
wireframes

High-Fidelity Prototype

ui screen

Homescreen with news cards from all the topics.

Clicking on cards on the bottom navigation bar will open the infinite scrolling news cards. Scroll through your selected news topics, just like Instagram Reels.

Click on news cards to view more news articles on the topic such as Tech, Science, Entertainment, Auto and more.

ui screen
ui screen
Ui screen

UI inspired from Neubrutalism

Infinite Scrolling News Cards for individual news topics.

ui screen
ui screen

Add more news topics and bookmark your favourite articles

ui screen

Gamification of the app with points and streaks, this will make users to read more news everyday.

TESTING

  1. Card-Like View and Scrolling Mechanism:

    • Users found the card-like view highly intuitive and visually appealing, appreciating how it facilitated quick scanning of news headlines and summaries.

    • The TikTok-style scrolling was a standout feature, cited for its smoothness and modern approach to content navigation. Users enjoyed the fluid, continuous scroll experience, which mimicked popular social media apps, making the news consumption process feel more engaging and less cumbersome.

  2. Fun and Whacky User Interface:

    • The quirky and colorful UI design was frequently mentioned as a refreshing departure from traditional, more conservative news apps. This aspect was seen as particularly appealing to younger audiences, who felt that the style made the app more approachable and fun to use.

    • Elements like playful animations, unexpected pop-ups with trivia or news facts, and creative use of fonts and icons contributed to a lively user experience that encouraged exploration and interaction.

  3. User Engagement Through Design:

    • The combination of the card-like layout and TikTok-like scrolling significantly enhanced user engagement. Participants reported that the design made them more likely to browse longer and interact with more content.

    • The fun and engaging UI elements were not just aesthetically pleasing but also functioned as visual cues that helped guide users through their news reading journey, making the experience less monotonous and more dynamic.

  4. Impact of UI on News Interaction:

    • The innovative UI design led to an increase in the frequency and duration of app usage. Users expressed that the visual and interactive design made the process of consuming news less of a chore and more of an enjoyable activity.

    • Feedback suggested that the playful design elements might make users more receptive to various types of news content, potentially widening their news horizons.

  5. Recommendations for Future UI Enhancements:

    • While the feedback was overwhelmingly positive, some users suggested incorporating adjustable UI themes to allow for a more personalized experience, which could include options for less vibrant UI modes for users preferring a more subdued experience.

    • Users also expressed interest in seeing more interactive elements integrated with the card views, such as swipe actions for saving articles or adjusting settings for content presentation directly from the main news feed.

Reachability Test

reachability test
reachability test

Get In Touch!

I'm on the lookout for product design opportunities where I can further apply and expand my skills.  Interested in working together? I’d love to hear from you! Please drop your details below and let’s discuss how we can bring great design to life:

Thanks for submitting!

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