The Times redesign
The Problem – Reinventing a national newspaper for the digital era
The Times needed to reinvent itself as a digital-first publication, attract a younger audience to keep competing in a world of changing nature of newsmedia.
— Role: Design director
— Project type: Redesign
— Project duration: 1 year
Key hypothesis
IF
... we give members a curated daily edition with a sense of a beginning and an end that is updated at key points
during the day with The Times' take on the latest news, comment and analysis
THEN
... this will then encourage Customers to return to ‘The Edition' more frequently and read more content which will result in greater overall customer engagement and reduced Customer churn
The Solution
A flexible editorial system that allows the unique qualities of the Times editorial to shine. The publishing model was based on 3 drops throughout the day rather than continuously publishing as news happened. The Times is known for the quality of its reporting and opinion, as such consumers didn't see them as a continually updating newsfeed, but as a trusted source of comment and analysis.
When there was a major world event they could switch to a continuous update model that takes over the homepage.
A modular system based on heritage
A simple modular system was created using slices of content. It allows the editorial hierarchy to set the news agenda and have full control over the layout of the pages. The heritage of the Times was brought out in the visual language and typographic style.
The Impact
The results after the launch were an increasing frequency of visits and increased engagement, even though we had shifted from continuous updating to an edition model.
App users read 4 times as many articles than before the launch and daily usage tripled within the first 6 months.
By August 2019
- Digital subscriptions had increased 19% year-on-year to 300,000. Up from 172,000 in 2015
- Total subscribers for the two titles' print and digital products now stand at 539,000, up from 401,000 in 2015
The release of the new improved Android application saw:
- The average Play Store rating reach 4.4 stars
(previously 2.8) - The average articles read per visit reach 6
(previously 2.5) - 15% increase in user satisfaction score
- 32% increase in monthly active users
The core patterns remain in place 5+ years after the launch. Screenshot App Store July 21st 2022
"The decision to move to four editions a day has freed up tremendous resources to focus on big stories, the kind of stories that "supercharge engagement."
— Emma Tucker, Editor of The Sunday Times
"Hollie led the delivery of some exceptional UX work for a large strategy project I commissioned for NET-A-PORTER. She is as good a UX as they come, and to top it off she is a brilliant presenter and communicator. Sincerely hope we can work together again"
— Lucas Yelland
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If you’re interested in working together or just want to say hi, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
hlubbock@gmail.com
+44 (0) 7789937300
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