BBC MICRO REDEFINES HOW YOUR NEWS IS DELIVERED.
A mobile app concept that provides a new way to connect to the BBC's multiple platforms. You receive customized, bite-sized content, twice a day through interactive notifications.
strategy, user experience, motion design
The project.
The BBC provides a range of television, radio, and online services and are most prominently known for news reporting as well as producing original content. Although they create content across their many channels for all demographics, engagement is lower amongst 15-24 year olds. This is an industry wide shift; millenials are turning away from traditional broadcasting in favor of online media.
So, we created BBC Micro, which redefines how your daily news is delivered. This mobile application let's you receive customized, bite-sized content twice a day through interactive notifications.
My role.
This was a submission to the D&AD design competition for the BBC. I was a designer on a team of 6 and we created this project over the course of 3 weeks. I was in charge of coming up with the idea behind the project, the strategy and user experience, as well as the interactions for the application. We submitted the project and were awarded top 10 out of hundreds of entries.
Insights.
There were three key insights that drove our project. The first was the idea of targeting the "bored in line" network; a group of people who constantly check their phones for mere seconds while waiting in line for a coffee or for the bus. The second insight was the idea of "snackable," or consice and to the point content. We felt the trend for this content fit really well into the idea of targeting the bored in line network. The last insight that drove the project was the idea of "the loop." The loop is a period of time, usually in the beginning of the day and at night, usually around 15 minutes where people catch up on all the emails, social media posts and celebrity gossip they missed out on.
Interface.
BBC Micro reduces the cognitive overhead in trying to find the type of content you want from across BBC’s many channels by delivering customized, summarized posts straight to you, allowing the user to consume exactly the type of content they want, quickly and easily, exactly when they want it.
The app that fits seamlessly into your lifestyle, and reduces the friction of trying to consume content. Value is created as young customers become used to engaging with this content, eventually returning to channels such as radio, television, and online portals to consume more of it.
Onboarding.
As many of the features in the app were gesture based, onboarding was required to explain basic navigation, customization, and some hidden features
Notifications.
An interactive notification pops up on your phone at your requested time. Notifications are one-pagers that can be browsed as a deck of cards through a pinches and swipes.
Feed.
Once the reader is in the app and is browsing through articles, they're brought to their customized feed. Browse by swiping left or right, and save states will remember where you were in the article. Pulling down will refresh the feed.
Tags.
Each post is tagged with keywords that are displayed at the top. Tapping one will fill the feed with stories containing that keyword.
Bookmark.
The marker acts as a reading guide; pull it out and the reader has access to sharing and saving tools.
Responses.
Readers can quickly share an emotion they felt that was relevant to the article. We opted for a lightweight, emoji based response as the intended app is meant for quick and short interactions.
Customization.
Readers have the ability to pick the categories they want in their customized feed and they can choose the specific times they want to receive their packages.
The process.
BBC Micro was designed to fit into existing behavior patterns by having the content delivered directly to youth, rather than making them search for it. Pulling from interesting, relevant articles from BBC generated content, the app summarizes and packages content into a notification that is easily accessed or dismissed, acting as an overlay that does not distract from on-going activities.
Version 1.0
The idea was that this can ease users back into engaging with BBC content in a low stakes manner, without affecting other BBC services and the other demographics that make up their audience. BBC Micro bridges the gap by providing filler content that leads back to consuming content through the radio, online services, or traditional broadcasting in a lightweight at non-obtrusive way.
Inspiration.
Take away.
BBC’s competition brief asked for an idea that would lead 15 - 24 year olds back to engaging with their content. They desired an omni-channel approach that moved beyond the single screen of an app or webpage. This project required our team to inject delight and memorability through design-driven approaches grounded in the sector, focusing on touchpoints connected to a specific person, at a specific time and place. We delivered BBC Micro. A mobile app that fits seamlessly into your lifestyle, and reduces the friction in trying to consume content. Value is created as customers become used to engaging with this content, eventually returning to channels such as radio, television, and online portals to consume more of it.
For me, through this project I learned the importance and power of iterations and proper scope. Changing how you frame the project, the target audience, even by a couple years changes your persepective on design. Aside from this, the BBC micro project allowed me to practice and get better at leading a team of creatives. Allowing every team member to have the chance to make an impact on the design is difficult when you're trying to balance the product. Thankfully I had a great team to work with and everyone was willing to compromise on their ideas in order to make this successful project.
For an ever deeper look at the project, download the process book