A mini-magazine app designed to reach a younger audience
Project background
The Economist wanted a concept experience for imaginary daily version of the magazine. This rapid project was lead by Rohit Agarwal for Snapp. The idea was for a small, completable, disposable news hit for the start of the day.
This app became: The Economist Espresso
Conceptualising the experience
The concept was inspired by news headlines, with curated short-form content, intended to be read in a daily single sitting, focusing on the day's news. To encourage this behaviour, the interface afforded reading one article and to flowing into the next.
We wanted to also encourage a completion-ist behaviour, the user's progress through the current edition by ticking read articles, and displayed prominently in the header bar. Once the user had completed all the articles, they were presented an "Issue completed!" screen, to end of the day's edition.
Interface design
The design combined the rich imagery used by the Economist, with a clear reading experience. To reach a younger audience, the UI was simple and fluid, with dynamic animated transitions. The colour of the UI changes depending on the sections of an issue. This is to create a more vibrant, less repetitive experience, while creating a familiar association with the news type.
