Streamlining news aggregation with easy customization

overview
SmartNews uses machine learning to combat filter bubbles by analyzing millions of articles, signals, and user interactions to deliver the top 0.01% of stories and provide diverse news perspectives. FutureDraft was hired to improve SmartNews' discovery and onboarding processes during a feature update.
my role
User Research
Product Design
Mobile Design
User Research
Product Design
Mobile Design
User Research
Product Design
Mobile Design
User Research
Product Design
Mobile Design
context
As part of the FutureDraft team, we explored fresh methods for onboarding and delivering news feed content to boost engagement and showcase the personalized experience. We also tested different features to emphasize SmartNews’ commitment to delivering politically balanced content.
agency
team
client
FutureDraft
client
Product
SmartNews
launched
2021

Crafting a tailored newsfeed

Personalized discovery lies at the core of the SmartNews experience. Articles and sources are curated using users' location, and activity.

Given the abundance of information, we brainstormed several ideas to make the news feed easy to navigate while also highlighting the available customization options.

We explored over 20 layout combinations for the news feed, aiming to leverage SmartNews’ machine learning algorithm to deliver a personalized feed aligned with users' preferences, all while maintaining optimal performance.

01. Newsfeed options exploring different customization options
02. Layout options to render a dense amount of information

With an emphasis on maintaining political balance and incorporating diverse viewpoints, SmartNews' engineered a "News from all Sides" feature. We focused on providing users with intuitive options to curate their content preferences seamlessly. Our goal was to make the process feel effortless and frictionless, allowing users to tailor their news consumption experience to their individual tastes without encountering any obstacles; we explored ideas such as muting topics, swiping to see more or less, and choosing a perspective.

03. Features tested to refine and customize news topics and frequency
04. A selection of wireframes we tested and used to refine high fidelity prototypes