Challenge:
The primary challenge in redesigning the T-Online news app was to find a strategic balance between the expectations of loyal existing users and the requirements of a new target audience. The project required a precise identification of pain points within the current application and a strategic curation of the platform's extensive content for mobile consumption. A significant part of the planning involved making critical technological decisions in close collaboration with the development team, weighing the merits of native on-premise solutions versus web-app architectures. Simultaneously, it was necessary to determine the optimal level of content density to ensure a high-performing and focused mobile user experience.
Solution:
A multi-stage research process was established to provide a data-driven foundation for all design decisions. This included guerrilla interviews with the new target group in public settings and structured surveys with existing users. The resulting wireframes were rapidly transitioned into functional MVPs while adhering to established UI guidelines. These prototypes served as the basis for intensive usability lab testing, where user interactions and reactions were video-recorded and analyzed in detail. This iterative process allowed for the continuous elimination of weaknesses and the optimization of the concept based on actual user feedback. The final result was an app structure that precisely aligned technical requirements with user needs.
