Transforming The New York Times: Empowering Evolution through UX

The New York Times continues to lead in user-centered design by innovating and adapting to enhance both user engagement and understanding, aligning product experiences with its journalistic mission. This presentation discusses innovative strategies in user experience at The New York Times, focusing on subscriber experiences and storytelling.

Key Points Covered:

- Mission-Driven Design: Emphasizing the Times' mission to "seek the truth and help people understand the world," the design team prioritizes clarity and engagement to support high-quality journalism.

- UX Design Principles: The team follows five core UX tenets—clarity, time optimization, craftsmanship, accessibility, and trust—to maintain a strong focus on user-centric design.

- Innovative Design Strategies: Product Feature Advancement, Editorial Expression, Long-term Visioning

- Integrating Diverse Content: Examples include the successful integration of popular games like Wordle, which not only entertain but also attract and retain a diverse user base.

1. Transforming
The New York Times
Libby Gery & Kristen Dudish

2. Or, how we use
design exploration
to drive clarity
in the UX.

3. Our mission
We seek the truth and help people
understand the world.

This mission is rooted in our belief that great
journalism has the power to make each
reader’s life richer and more fulfilling, and all
of society stronger and more just.

5. Our product vision
Our vision is to become the essential
subscription for every curious,
English-speaking person seeking to
understand and engage with the world.

This requires evolving the shape of the
product and the journalism at the same time.

6. Clarity
Optimize for time well spent
Uncommonly high standards of craft
Accessible to the curious
Trust is paramount

7. Clarity
The world is complex. Our products help
users to parse complexity by creating
distinctions — what’s new, what’s different,
what’s worth your time. The design of our
products creates clarity by enabling those
distinctions in an experience that is easy
and enjoyable to use.

8. Creating clarity
across many needs
User
Needs
Newsroom
Strategy
Business
Goals
Develop
new
formats to
express
complex
stories
Catch me
up on the
latest news,
quickly
Reduce new
subscriber
churn
+ +

9. Advancing product
features to meet
new user or
business needs
User
Needs
Business
Goals

10. Advancing product
features to meet
new user or
business needs
Games
Make
gameplay
easier
Build habit
through
gameplay
Space for
design-led
exploration

13. User
Needs
Newsroom
Strategy
Advancing journalistic
expression to meet
editorial needs

14. Understand
a complex
news topic
Support
expression of
a dynamic
and evolving
news story
Advancing journalistic
expression to meet
editorial needs
Spotlight
Space for
design-led
exploration

15. Current
Homepage

16. March
2020

17. April
2020

21. November
2020

22. ●Space to diverge and
converge on solutions
●Ability to take
more risks
●Longer timeline for
learning and iteration

User
Needs
Newsroom
Strategy
Business
Goals
User
Needs
●Reactive to the
news moment
●Designed within existing
architecture and workflows
●Quick to ship
and see impact

Games Spotlight

23. User
Needs
Newsroom
Strategy
Business
Goals
Advancing the
UX strategy

24. User
Needs
Newsroom
Strategy
Business
Goals
Advancing the
UX strategy
Envisioning



Space for
design-led
exploration

29. Navigate your device
Navigate the Times
Explore the storyline
Read the story
View an advertisement
Try a related newsletter
Share this story

30. FORMAT Text → Multimedia
MODE Read → Read, Watch, Listen, Interact
GOALS Few → Many
Envisioning

→

31. ●First to notice shifts in
expectations and
behaviors
●Longer timeframe for
exploration

Newsroom
Strategy
Business
Goals
User
Needs
●No constraints in
workflows or capabilities
●Using visual prototyping
to guide vision and gain
alignment on path for the
future

Envisioning

32. Our mission
We seek the truth and help people
understand the world.

This mission is rooted in our belief that great
journalism has the power to make each
reader’s life richer and more fulfilling, and all
of society stronger and more just.

33. Thank you!