SF Chronicle CASE STUDY

PART 2: NATIVE MOBILE APP DESIGN
Client: SF Chronicle | Duration: 2 weeks | Partners: Melissa Hong & Kelly Chiu

OVERVIEW: 

Design a solution to increase reader interest and engagement in the San Francisco Chronicle, a historically reputable publication struggling to stay relevant in an increasingly digital world.

 

 

CHALLENGE: 

This was a team case study project for General Assembly's User Experience Design Immersive. 

SOLUTION:

PART 1: User research, brand research, strategy suggestions

PART 2: Native mobile app ideas, comparative analysis, sketches, rapid prototype, usability testing & heuristic evaluation, prototype and mockups

APPROACH

The second part of our solution for increasing reader engagement is to build a native mobile app to increase "on-the-go" accessibility. We think that a native mobile app is critical for keeping up with the increasingly mobile lifestyles of young working professionals.

 

Our mobile app design process:  

1.  Comparative Analysis

2.  Sketching & rapid prototyping

3.  Heuristic Evaluation & User testing

4.  Proto.io prototype & Mockup 

comparative analysis

 

sketching & rapid prototyping

We refined the problem of "reader engagement" amongst the target demographic into 2 components: Discovery and Access. We see these two components functioning together as a system to promote engagement. In order for people to engage with the SF Chronicle, they need to 1) know about and 2) have access to its content. Our two part problem requires a two part solution. The first part is detailed below. Click here to see the mobile app design part of the solution. 

paperprototype
POPprototype.png

Feature design

The first part of the problem is that there is a lack of exposure. When asked about the SF Chronicle, many potential users say they just "never come across it." Our strategy is to increase discovery pathways through 1) Increased brand unity, 2) Promotion of positive local content, and 3) A community ambassadors program that has community leaders curate content and local events through social media and in-person meetups.