The People's Friend

UI/UX / Product design / Information Architecture 

Brand: The People’s Friend, with over 150 years of history, specializes in fiction stories and lifestyle content; it's a part of DC Thomson brand portfolio
Duration: Apr 2024 - Sep 2024
My role: UI/UX & Product designer 
Team & Collaborators:  Worked alongside PM, Engineers, Product Manager; collaborated with Editorial, Marketing, SEO, New Product Development team
Brief: A full redesign and modernization of the TPF website to improve UX, reorganize information architecture, increase magazine subscriptions, grow newsletter sign-ups, and contribute to new product development workshops

To boost print magazine subscriptions, I added a prominent subscription ribbon above the navigation bar and a ‘Subscribe’ button across all devices. I crafted copy that clearly communicates the product’s benefits and designed a subscription promo block to make the offer more engaging. Additionally, I placed a magazine promotion block in the footer to further encourage subscriptions.

I led a full redesign of the website to modernize its look and align with the print magazine’s rebranding. To improve accessibility for women 60+, I chose a more legible typeface, increased contrast, and adapted brand colors for the web. I also made UX improvements to enhance content discoverability and strategically placed newsletter sign-ups and subscription promotions to support business goals.

I reworked the information architecture together with SEO specialists, the editorial team, and developers, ensuring it aligned with the content strategy and optimized the user experience. The navigation was redesigned to be more streamlined, taking up less space and fitting the new branding. This redesign highlighted key content categories and included a prominent "Subscribe" CTA to support business goals.

I restructured the fiction stories section by creating hub pages for daily serials and short stories, along with subcategory and individual story pages. Navigation between episodes was improved for a seamless user experience. We experimented with converting stories into audio format and added an audio player to gauge interest. AI-assisted story summaries and genre labels were implemented to help users quickly find stories, enhancing both user experience and SEO. The layout was redesigned for better readability and easier navigation, with recommended stories from similar genres.

I played an active role in the New Product Discovery workshops, collaborating with the team to create an innovative product that aligned with the current brand and future goals. I participated in ideation sessions, built rapid prototypes, and tested them with users, gathering valuable feedback. The challenge was to balance the right ideas in the prototype without overwhelming users. I also conducted interviews to gather initial insights on features and propositions. Throughout the process, we outlined key challenges, long-term goals, and sprint questions to guide our development and ensure the product met user needs.