Concept + Experience + Visual Design
The iOS app is the go-to experience for CNET’s most dedicated users. Though these users have the highest affinity for the brand, their needs are unique. They come for daily tech news updates, occasional purchasing advice, and exclusive deals on products. As lead designer, I had to understand these nuanced differences to design an expierience that was lightweight and useful enough to keep users coming back while also making sure the business needs were met.
A major feature of this app is the custom video integration on articles. Video plays were a major KPI but presented a challenge. Because video is often over-emphasized and autoplayed, users feel like they don’t have control and this breaks down trust.
To avoid a negative reaction I designed a system that integrated the video seamlessly into the article template. This reduced friction and contributed to a massive improvement in video plays and ad impressions.
On arrival the video is scaled up to fit the hero container then resizes to its natural aspect ratio as the user scrolls.
With the roll-out of iOS 13, Apple reached out to CNET to be a leader in Dark Mode integration. I developed this alternate design system in a week enabling the app to be featured on the front page of the App Store the day iOS 13 launched. This feature resulted in an all-time high 250% increase in weekly installs.
