THE APPROACH

• Translating a Vision to the iPhone

  • Worked alongside a high-performing internal design team focused on a broader product redesign while dedicating our efforts exclusively to the iPhone experience.

  • Reused insights and design concepts from previous sprints to focus on native mobile-specific features, such as onboarding, logout experiences, and notifications.

• Creating an App Map for Design Iterations

  • Due to the fast-track timeline and required approvals for a large user base, we developed and maintained an app map.

  • This living document captured architecture, flows, gestures, features in scope, and design changes, facilitating alignment and sign-offs.

• Fast Prototyping and Early Testing

  • Built rough prototypes to test navigational hypotheses and validate overall user journeys.

  • Conducted early user testing to gather feedback on core interactions and improve the design swiftly.

• Exploring Solutions to Communicate a New Conceptual Model

  • One key goal was to introduce the new Edition model, allowing users to preview upcoming content.

  • Explored and tested multiple design solutions for a ‘Coming Soon’ section—though none effectively clarified the behavior during initial user testing.

• Using Small Interactions to Add Meaning

  • Observing users revealed that the pull-to-refresh gesture from the old Times app was an intuitive behavior for checking updates.

  • Leveraging this insight, we designed a dynamic loader that indicated when the next edition would be available, aligning seamlessly with user expectations.