Hanzhi Chen
About
Uncover.
A digital magazine aggregator platform that serves as a guide via highly curated content that captures the trend and enhances the authentic magazine reading experience.
Team
Individual
Durations
8 Weeks
Role
UX Researcher,
Designer
Time
March-June 2023
Tool
Figma
Home page.
Users can see the main sections for navigation.
Weekly Curated Magazine.
It is handpicked by the platforms’ editors to curate a collection of articles, stories, or highlights from the platform's content weekly. It serves as a guide to help users navigate magazines Uncover aggregates.
It incorporates multimedia elements like videos, podcasts, and infographics into articles.
Users can further click on different elements, make comments, and post their thoughts.
Mood Board.
Users can archive screenshots, visual elements, and notes.
They can export curated mood boards for print or download.
They can click on each element and comment.
They can invite friends to collaborate.
They can access mood board templates for convenience.
Search
Community
Profile
Profile
Research
Research & Ideation.
Design Thinking Process
Design
Prototype
Ideation
user testing
Context
I am a magazine lover - not only for the articles but more importantly, I believe the traditional layout and well-designed pages are the crucial visual storytelling of the reading experience. I want to restore that part and help users to explore inspirations through this format.
I conducted primary and secondary research to understand my users, existing solutions, and potential improvements. I talked to 7 users, including 2 extreme users, to discover:
Research
Magazines' design/aesthetic aspect is essential to the digital reading experience.
Users consider reading magazines as a way to gain inspiration, and knowledge, and learn about the world.
Users want more interactive elements.
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Phase 1.
Identifying the Problem
Digital magazine platforms fail to maintain the appealing visual layout of magazines and provide curated navigations so that readers find it hard to engage and get inspiration.
Cynthia is a magazine lover who enjoys exploring diverse topics and gaining new perspectives. She is captivated by the power of visual storytelling and has a deep appreciation for the magazine's aesthetic.
Primary and secondary research in Figjam
Conducting user research and presenting lofi wireframes
Existing solutions
Summary of Limitations
Poor navigation/Lack of curated categories
Lack of interactive elements like videos, podcasts, and infographics.
Lack of user-generated features like community
Restricted visual storytelling and aesthetical layouts
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How Might We...
improve navigation on the magazine platform by incorporating more curated items?
motivate users to read magazines and interact with others?
provide simple interactive features that can enhance the reading experience on the magazine platform?