At Times group I led the ideation, strategy and design of the eNewspaper website that allows users to interact with a newspaper in a web-format. The product I created was more accessible and thus more informative when compared to a traditional news paper and made the discovery of the happenings of the world convenient.
Issue Description
To improve the experience of using the eNewspaper website that makes use of traditional newspapers and focusing on driving up adoption and user satisfaction.
Key Drivers
Customising a Conventional Newspaper to Fit the Online Format
Newspapers are best suited for print media when talking about physical aspects. The Primary consideration of the undertaking was adequately adapting newspapers into a web version.
The other goal was to maintain logical congruity with the news papers, so people do not feel uninitiated when making the switch and, hence, minimise the learning curve.
Research + Planning
What Does The Landscape Look Like?
I wanted to gain insight on how users approached interacting with the existing eNewspapers. To improve my understanding of their practices and inspirations, here are some examination strategies I utilised.
1. Competitive Analysis
My first strategy was to examine and investigate the current e-paper scene. I studied both immediate and indirect contenders (international e-paper websites) to recognise market gaps where Times Group ePaper could fit while separating themselves from their rivals.
I also explored user trends to uncover some intriguing takes on the usage of such online mediums that helped conduct my work through this update.
2. User Interviews
I performed in-person interviews and through them I learnt existing usage trends amongst news readers. Findings included studying discovery mechanisms, navigation methodologies and user preferences for content management.
2.1 Highlights
1
Narayan Sinha
44, Industrialist
The current implementation of most e-Readers doesn't allow for a comfortable reading experience because of the convoluted navigation and search mechanisms."
3
Aditya Singh
18, Student
The current eNewspaper reader is basically a one-to-one replica of normal newspapers and is difficult to interact with. This makes the overall experience poor."
2
Sushma Bharadwaj
29, Teacher
The eNewspapers have intrusive adds that makes using the website difficult"
4
Divyansh Singh
22, Student
I have no means to save a news piece and revisit it later for revision. It would be a helpful addition for students like me who are preparing for competitive exams."
Key Insights from Research
Readability
The readability of content is of prime importance. The newspaper must be adequately customised to fit web needs.
Discovery
The platform must allow simple discovery of content by provision of multiple date and location selection features.
Management
The platform must enable users to manage the views content and save it for later purposes
Personalization
The website must allow customisations of plans and features to better suit users needs.
Ideation
What Must the Product Act Like?
Carrying forward what I accumulated as a part of research, I devised the flows of usage by employing various techniques of information architecture and modelling.
1. Personas
Ricky Grevais
Is a teacher at a private high School. She teaches students of various classes and has a hectic schedule to keep up with. Because of such nature of her job she wants tasks to be completed quickly and efficiently.
Age
38
Wants
Location
New Delhi
I want to find the best articles for my students."
Occupation
Teacher
Archetype
Impact maker
Frustrations
Difficult to navigate
Content Overload
To discover articles
To save articles for later
To discover news from around India
To view old as well as current news
Difficult to switch locations
Hard to personalise publications
Frustrations
Impact Maker
Archetype
Welfare Worker
Occupation
I want to know about environmental mishaps."
Gwalior
Location
Wants
43
Age
Runs an NGO that focuses on environment and sustainable development. His NGO has a presence pan India and he tries to invest the maximum of his income into the NGO. Thus, he tries to save on overhead expenses.
Dillon Francis
2. Brainstorming
I followed though the ideation process by returning to the chalk board with my team and mindfully brainstormed ideas and problems associated to the eNewspaper website. A number of considerations had to factored in while devising plan of design, most of which were directly related to requirements that we found as a part of the research.
3. Structure + Interactions
In corroboration with the brainstorming outputs and the business requirements, I created a structure for the website through a few iteration rounds. Through the process, I created a refined information architecture and corresponding interactions, that aimed to simplify the reading experience.
Design + Synthesis
Creating a Cohesive and Enjoyable Experience
After the completion of the requisites, I began the actual process of designing of the system. Like any other stage, this stage as well had its preliminary steps that needed to be completed before the design could start.
1. Wireframes
1.1 User Registration
1.2 Service- Selection
1.3 Services- eNewspaper
1.4 Profile
2. Style Guide + UI Kit
The old website didn't have any striking features that made it standout and lacked in terms of brand identity. While creating a style guide I devised a unique color scheme that made it recognisable and established a strong brand identity.
2.1 Colors
2.2 Type Faces
2.3 Fonts
2.4 Buttons
2.5 Icons
3. Design + Prototype
Testing + Verification
Checking for Errors and Quantifying Usability
This was the final step that carried out in order to make sure the product created actually satisfies user needs and stands upto the standard that users expect. I mainly accomplished this task by employing the following techniques.
1. Usability Testing
I recruited 10 people to test out the prototype. The ages of the participants was between 20 and 30 years. All of them were regular users of the Times Group eNewspaper or a similar platforms.
The objective of the test was :
1. How easily users are start using the platform?
2. How easily users make selections for their preferences?
3. How easily users are able to navigate through the newspaper?
4. What is their opinion about the overall experience?
5. What components need improvement and how?
1.1 Usability Testing - Results
1. All 10 participants could start using the platform without any issues.
2. All 10 participants were able to make selections for their preferences.
3. All 10 users were able to navigate through the newspaper successfully.
4. 9 out of the 10 users liked the the overall experience and felt that
experience was smooth and easy.
5. 9 out of the 10 users claimed no improvements are required.
6. 9 out of the 10 users were willing to use the platform in future.
100%
Test Completion
96%
Error Free
90%
Users Enjoyed the experience
90%
Willingness to Use Platform
Values + Learnings
Never Refrain from Questioning
In a team at a big organisation, I found myself hesitating to question the existing design techniques in the beginning of the internship. During the course of my internship, my superior constantly motivated me to ask insightful questions. This ability of mine was carried forward in actual practice as I prepared questionnaires for interviews and surveys. The brainstorming sessions and elicitation techniques were solely based on asking intelligent questions pertaining to usability. These processes helped me come out of my shell and helped me become a better UX Designer.
Landing Page
Verification
Verification- City
ePaper- Story
Account- Details
Error Page
Login
Sign Up
Selection- Publication
ePaper
Footer
Account- Plan Selection
