The New York Times
Exploring How AI-driven Features Can The NYT App Experience
Project Summary 📝
OBJECTIVE
To explore how AI could make The New York Times app more personal and engaging, helping users connect with content in a way that feels tailored to them. With AI becoming more prevalent (and even The New York Times embracing it into their work) I wanted to understand its potential in editorial spaces, blending my interest in design, technology, and storytelling.
ROLE
Product Designer
RESPONSIBILITIES
Conducted end-to-end design work, including user research, ideation, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing
Developed AI-driven solutions such as personalized content recommendations, smarter search tools, and tailored news summaries
Ensured these new features were seamlessly integrated into the existing NYT app, maintaining NYT's brand identity
PROJECTED IMPACT
By utilizing AI to tailor content, the New York Times can anticipate a significant increase in user retention, particularly among its 10 million paid subscribers. Personalized recommendations will also make it easier for readers to discover new content that align with their interests, particularly NYT Cooking and Games, which have contributed to substantial subscriber growth for The Gray Lady.
MISSION ALIGNMENT
Aligning with The New York Times' Mission 🎯
Upholding Core Values
The New York Times is dedicated to seeking the truth and helping people understand the world. This project aligns with that mission by leveraging AI to present news in a way that is more personalized and engaging. By improving content discovery and making news summaries easier to digest, the project ensures that more readers can access high-quality journalism in a way that suits their individual needs.
PROBLEM DISCOVERY
User Research 📚
User Interviews
To inform the design, I conducted semi-structured interviews with a diverse group of users to understand their needs and pain points. I focused on challenges with finding relevant content and exploring new topics.
Key Takeaways
Hard to Find Relevant Content
Users want a way to quickly understand articles before committing to reading the, making it easier to find relevant content.Trouble Discovering New Topics
The app lacks intuitive research tools for users to explore and uncover new content beyond their usual reading habits.
THE PROBLEM
Users struggle to find relevant content and explore new topics, reducing engagement and retention.
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
Benchmarking 🔵
To identify opportunities for improvement, I compared The Times app to both direct competitors (like The Washington post, BBC News, Apple News, and CNN) and newer AI-powered news tools (like Techpresso, News Minimalist, Simply News, and Ground News)
Full circles meant that the feature was flushed out, half circles meant that the feature was starting to be explored, and empty circles meant that I didn't find this feature in the app or tool.
Key Takeaways
Direct competitors focus on broad content coverage and accessibility features
AI-powered tools excel in personalized recommendations, topic discovery, and ease of navigation
By analyzing these trends, I identified where the NYT app could improve, such as smarter recommendations, quick article summaries, and more personalized discovery tools.
EXPLORATION 1
Quick Summaries 🗒️
The Problem
Users often find it difficult to determine if an article is worth reading, leading to frustration and disengagement.
My Solution
AI-powered summaries provide brief highlights of articles, helping users quickly assess relevance before diving in. This streamlines browsing and reduces decision fatigue
Iteration 1
Features a dropdown where readers could choose between seeing a summary of the article either as a paragraph or as a bulleted list.
Iteration 2
Exploring summary features, I considered letting readers choose the paragraph length, similar to how users can control their AI interaction. They could also opt for bullet points for a quicker overview
EXPLORATION 2
Daily News Snapshot 📸
The Problem
Users want a quick and efficient way to stay informed without having to manually browse multiple articles.
My Solution
A personalized daily news summary on the home screen curates and highlights the most relevant stories for the user. This feature offers a quick, tailored overview of the day’s top news, saving time and keeping users engaged.
EXPLORATIONS
A quick snapshot, curated for each reader
EXPLORATION 3
Smarter Searching 🕵️
The Problem
Users struggle to find specific articles or explore topics of interest due to an overwhelming amount of content and limited search optimization.
My Solution
The enhanced search tool offers personalized suggestions, trending topics, and better categorization. It adapts over time to better match user preferences, ensuring seamless content discovery.
EXPLORATIONS
Exploring new ways to search
User Testing 📊
I tested the prototypes with five participants, both frequent and casual NYT readers.
Key Takeaways
Impact & Next Steps 🚀
Projected Impact
By integrating AI-personalization, these features have the potential to:
Enhance newsroom efficiency
The Times already implements AI for back-end processes. This project further builds on creating efficiency without compromising journalistic integrity. [Source]
Improve content personalization
80% of news organizations are projected to use AI for improving content personalization and recommendations by 2025. [Source]
Turn news into a conversation
By 2025, news consumption is expected to evolve into an interactive, conversational experience, with AI enabling personalized dialogues about news topics. This project can be the stepping stone in that direction. [Source]
Looking to the Future
Expand usability testing
Conduct broader A/B testing to refine AI-driven recommendations and ensure accuracy.
Explore additional AI features
Consider features like voice-based news summaries to enhance user experience.
Reflection 🌟
This project taught me the value of leveraging AI to solve real user problems. By focusing on user needs, I designed features that enhance personalization and engagement while ensuring the app remains intuitive and valuable for readers. It also reinforced the importance of blending innovation with NYT’s trusted brand identity.