HERE.NEWS
At HERE.news, our goal is to tackle the pressing issues in the media industry. With a flood of misinformation and disinformation spreading chaos in society and causing long-term consequences, we're determined to change that. We are trying to make the information freely shared on this platform. At the same time we use the community power to the future from bad content ends up and the good content emerges. Means good content will go up via upvote and bad content will move down via downvote. So that's why we are introducing here.news platform.
Project Overview
At HERE.news, our goal is to tackle the pressing issues in the media industry. With a flood of misinformation and disinformation spreading chaos in society and causing long-term consequences, we're determined to change that.
We'll leverage research and experiments to improve the quality of our products and services, while reducing their cost. Our focus is two-fold:
Philosophy -> problems -> concept -> product
Content -> community. Our ultimate goal is to create a world-class news platform that will be embraced by the public and achieve commercial success.
Project Name
Here.news
Type
News Media
Role
UX/UI Designer
Tools
Figma, FigJam, Adobe Illustrator, Slack.
Responsibilities
User Research, Designing, Usability Studies, Prototyping
Problem Statement
In today's digital age, users are inundated with a continuous flow of news and information through various platforms. However, this abundance has led to a significant challenge: the spread of misinformation and disinformation. These issues are not only causing immediate confusion and chaos but are also having long-term detrimental effects on society.
Flood of Misinformation: Many news sources are now struggling to verify the accuracy of the content they distribute. As a result, misinformation—false or misleading information spread without malicious intent—floods users' feeds. This often leads to confusion and misinformed decisions by the public.
Spread of Disinformation: Disinformation—deliberately false or misleading information spread with the intent to deceive—further complicates the issue. It can manipulate public opinion, sway elections, and exacerbate societal divisions.
Long-Term Consequences: The repercussions of unchecked misinformation and disinformation are severe. They can undermine trust in legitimate news sources, disrupt societal cohesion, and foster environments of distrust and polarization.
User Need for Reliable Information: There is a growing need for a news platform that not only delivers timely and relevant information but also ensures the accuracy and reliability of its content. Users require a solution that filters out falsehoods, curates trustworthy news, and provides context to help them navigate the complex information landscape.
To address these challenges, a new approach to news dissemination is needed—one that prioritizes the integrity of information, supports media literacy, and helps users distinguish between credible and unreliable sources. This will empower users to make informed decisions and contribute to a more informed and cohesive society.
Vision Of Product
We are excited to witness the global adoption of social media, which has transformed news production into a more collaborative and inclusive process. The shift from centralized broadcasting institutions to decentralized sharing has empowered individuals around the world to contribute to and access news in any language. With this dynamic landscape, languages are no longer barriers, and new forms of communication continue to emerge online.
Here.news is designed to embrace this evolution. Our platform will adhere to a set of simple principles: transparency, openness, and community-driven growth. We will continuously adapt to new experiences and evolving news habits, offering a “Whole News Experience” that ensures information is accessible and verifiable by everyone. By leveraging community verification, we empower users to decide what information to promote or challenge, without imposing censorship. Our goal is to preserve valuable information and foster connections in a way that reflects the collective input of our community.
Ultimately, we aim to democratize participation, allowing everyone to engage inclusively and reach consensus. While we integrate AI into our platform, it will always serve in a supportive and ethical role, never replacing the essential human element. Privacy will be our top priority, and we will ensure it remains a fundamental consideration alongside functionality and commercial interests.
My way of work
Starting my design process, I first dug into user research, by interviewing some of my friends. This helped me figure out what users needed and who they were. I created user stories and mapped out their journeys by movie plan scenarios. From there, I built on the user journeys by working out the different steps users would take. I turned these into interaction points and made a paper prototype. After this, having felt content with my paper prototype. I translated my paper wireframes to digital. To make sure everything was on track, I tested it out with real people and gathered valuable feedback. Their thoughts helped me make the design even better.
Working on the idea & prioritizing user flows
Selecting the seats of choice, I started brainstorming, Jotted points: Created Stories and scenarios, user personas, collected data about competitors and then i brainstrome some initial screens to visualize the app views. After being content with the layout, and UI skeleton, I completed mapping the core flow.
Design Process
User Personas
Journalist Persona: This persona is an experienced journalist who is always on the lookout for new stories and breaking news. They need to have access to timely and accurate information to write compelling stories. They are interested in news from a variety of sources and want to be able to easily find and access the latest news.
Student Persona: This persona is a student who is interested in current events and wants to stay informed about what's happening in the world. They are interested in news that is relevant to their studies and future career. They want to be able to easily access news articles and read them quickly.
Researcher Persona: This persona is a researcher who needs to stay up-to-date on the latest research and developments in their field. They are interested in news that is relevant to their work and want to be able to easily access and share news articles with their colleagues.
Avid News Reader Persona: This persona is an avid news reader who is interested in a wide range of news topics, from politics to entertainment. They want to be able to easily find and access the latest news articles and enjoy reading articles from a variety of sources. They are also interested in being able to customize their news feed to their interests
User Flow
UI Screens
Results, Learnings & Next Steps
With a few iterations, I completed the designs. In the design phase of the app, I discovered that the initial ideas are the start of the creative process. Testing and sharing designs with others help to improve and refine them. The project served as a great learning in the UX design process. I learned how to make do with Figma. Explored and practiced Gestalt principles for visual design.
Conducted a small usability study to gather feedback on my designs. Also understood the value of feedback and its impact on design choices. Next? If I can spend time on the project, I would love to do more research and try to find areas of improvement. Make the visual designs more "wow" and work on the needs of the secondary persona group.
THE END
Thankyou 🙏🏻
I appreciate your time and attention, I hope you have liked the work.
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