This year I was asked to concept, research, design, and pitch a magazine app to a potential client. The end product would be the presentation of a workable prototype within the application Figma. This was an in-depth project that included user research, competitive analysis, creation of wireframes, a component library, and a final prototype.

The following case study will dive into each step of this project and the final product that could be neatly and concisely presented to a potential client in the future.

Problem Statement

Professionals within the creative field often struggle to find a magazine app that will aid them in being more efficient and passionate in their work. This struggle can either relate to finding a source of creative inspiration or a way of relaxing after a long day of creating. Current magazine apps tend to be poorly designed, overrun by ads, and lack personalization. This has led to many individuals seeking a more refined app that helps them browse through carefully curated magazines.

This magazine app is designed for creatives aged 25 - 35, who are looking for a refreshing way to discover new content and become inspired. These individuals are looking for personalized content, offline access and creative collaboration, all presented in one user-friendly, simplistic design.

By offering a unique way to curate and collaborate on magazine content without distractions, this app will create a deeper connection between the app user and their creative outlet. Success will be measured through surveys, increased subscription numbers, and boosted engagement with articles.

Initial Research

The first step that I took with this project was to conduct some research within my target market for the app. This was done through a survey that I created and sent out to various creative minds in my area. I was able to collect over 20 responses to the survey, allowing me to better understand what people are looking for in a magazine app. Below are a few examples of questions that appeared on the survey that was sent out:

What is the most important feature you look for in a magazine app?

How do you prefer to discover new content in a magazine app?

How often do you open up
your magazine app?

What device do you normally
use to access magazines?

What are some of your favourite magazines?

Below is an example of one of the survey questions and the responses that were collected.

User Personas

From the above problem statement and survey results, I was able to develop a set of two user personas that would help me to determine what kind of features and content to include in my future magazine app development.

Meet Emilia and Miles, both creative individuals who are looking for a better platform for inspiration.

Competitive Analysis

If a consumer were to search 'Magazine App' into their device, they would find from the results that there are a lot of different apps to choose from. Three popular ones that were found during my research were Readly, Magzter, and Flipboard. Below is an analysis that I created for each of these different apps, outlining their strengths and their weaknesses.

Creating a Moodboard

The next step in my process was to find inspiration from the real world. My moodboard was simple and inspired by the brand that had already been established for my magazine. The work that went in to the creation of Focus will be another case study created in the future. This particular moodboard incorporated the overall feel and colour of the app, as well as type selection and considerations.

Planning & Concepts

The next step in the process was creating a plan for the app and specifically how it would function and work with the user. The first thing that I did in this step was to create user flows based on all of the research that I had been able to summarize. I created two separate user flows that would be combined in the final prototype I was about to create.

After a flow was established, wireframes were created for all of the screens that a user would see on their app. Below is a glimpse into some high-fidelity wireframes that were created during my process.

App Brand Elements

As Focus was an already established brand with its own look and feel, all of the app's elements would be built to match that. This was a challenging part of the process as it can be hard to keep every element consistent. However, through feedback and testing, all the elements successfully work as a whole and compliment each other. Below is a compilation of these elements.

Final Prototype

This is the final prototype that could potentially be handed to a client in the future. This prototype includes the onboarding of a new user as well as the home page of the app. The carousel below features some of the screens developed for the app.

User Testing

As a designer, it is important to get feedback on the work that you are creating for public use. After my prototype had been created, I showed it to various friends and fellow designers. They provided helpful comments on my work and this is the feedback that I received:

“The onboarding process is quick, but it could use a short intro tutorial to explain features like that may be a little bit confusing”

“Once inside an article, the flow is good, but the back button could be more prominent to avoid confusion when users want to return to the main feed.”

"A better way to save, bookmark, or highlight an article when you're on an article page would be helpful for the user."

This feedback will be taken into consideration if I continue to build out this app in the future.

What Did I Learn?

One of the most important things that I learned in this process was that the planning stages of a project are just important as the designing phase. This is because all of the initial research and planning helps you set a clear direction for your app and makes working in Figma easier.

I also learned how much solid research, thoughtful planning, and feedback it takes to create an app that is functional and user-friendly. There is a lot more to an app then how it looks. It is also about discovering key pain points and user preferences, and delivering an app that leaves them satisfied.