The Thread with Nam Kiwanuka
The Thread with Nam Kiwanuka
The Thread with Nam Kiwanuka
Creating an Issues Driven Community (not show)
Creating an Issues Driven Community
(not show)
Building a digital experience for an AI informed, current affairs program hosted by Nam Kiwanuka
Building a digital experience for an AI informed, current affairs program hosted by Nam Kiwanuka
The Task: To create a new digital experience for that curates topics for The Thread while developing a custom CMS in the backend for editors
The Client: TVO
My Role: UX Designer and Researcher
Skills involved: user research, usability testing, affinity diagram, customer journey mapping, interaction design, prototyping, wireframing
Tools: Figma, Adobe Suite (XD), Miro
Timeline: Ongoing
this case study currently works best on desktop and tablet
(for now)
this case study currently works best on desktop
(for now)
How can product design support a journalism initiative?
I was faced with an ambitious task. How can we take a show, which currently has no digital presence other than Instagram, and explore ways to improve communication and interaction with our community on our digital platforms?
The Thread, engages thousands of people each month on a specific topic through Instagram and a monthly broadcast on TVO
The Overall Need? A platform that tells the story for each months issue based
"Thread".
Currently, There isn't a real way to communicate each monthly "Thread". The show presents topics, but does so only as a monthly broadcast and Instagram account. There isn't a way to explore issues in real depth.
News outlets are contending with decreased engagement, stiff competition, and
younger audiences tuning out altogether.
I extensively conducted secondary research on the emerging challenges faced by news organizations. There was a real focus on
Dwindling read times and engagement with traditional content.
Increasing competition
Younger people shutting off the news completely
Organizations are now faced with a pressing need to tap into their creative potential, aiming to captivate users for extended periods on their websites, especially when it comes to important issues.
I validated my insights and guided the future direction with a few design principles
I validated these findings by talking to four (4) stakeholders and understanding the project's overarching goals and needs. TVO is a publicly funded media company so I always keep an open dialogue since we need to be smart with our resources and the features we develop.
By incorporating this valuable feedback, I successfully synthesized the collected data into design principles that would serve as a guiding framework for the project.
We scoped out the different types of "content" for each topic page, based on
Feasibility, Impact and Effort
We had many conversations on what level of complexity we were going to introduce on a single topic page. however, it was decided me would support a mix of content types and platforms. The primary reason was
Its a back and forth conversation and we want as many opportunities for engagement to be visible to the user
By implementing 3rd party embeds and platforms we can speed up development times of certain features
To boost cross-platform engagement and optimize our social platforms and web content, strategic decisions are increasingly favoring algorithmic content, as seen in platforms like YouTube.
TVO Owned Content
User Generated Content
Hosted on TVO.org, We create original content such as:
digital/broadcast series
articles
graphics & imagery
Content from social media or user submitted on TVO.org such as:
social replies
audio & video
questions
The user journey becomes a more interactive, personal experience.
The ideal state outlined below, is very similar to the current user journey however, the major difference is the addition to platforms. With this journey map, users would now be able to comment and reply on our website as well as YouTube
The platform is about connections, community and clear, easy to read facts.
The Thread's aim is to break down the barriers of the traditional notion of "journalism".
By having conversations and meeting people where they are, there can be more context than just a headline.
How might we?
Build a community that explores the issues, rather than just talk about them?
Explorations
During the exploration, I can up some rough designs that illustrated some components of the original idea.
Homepage - Live video and survey
Initially, the website incorporated a survey and an Instagram feed, but upon receiving feedback and careful consideration, I realized the need to shift its focus towards the issues themselves and position it as a platform for expressing ideas and less on "traditional" advertising tactics
Homepage
First Iteration
First Iteration
Initially thought as a survey
Instagram grid feed was the original design
Live streams moved from Homepage to Topic pages
Topic Pages - Community Channel
With a community channel, we would be able to create a safe space for people to talk freely outside of traditional social media formats. With posts, videos, and reactions, it would not be unlike other social media channels. However, potential problems of moderation and manpower forced this feature to be deferred and explored at a later time.
Topic pages
First Iteration
A Community Channel with posts and reactions would have been on Topic pages.
Idea is deferred
Refined Iteration
During the exploration, I can up some rough designs that illustrated some components of the original idea.
Home
First Iteration
A Community Channel with posts and reactions would have been on Topic pages.
Idea is deferred
Topic pages
First Iteration
First sub-topic released
Create iterative, active sub-topics
Opening of a Thread Topic
Populate Generative Feedback
Fully Developed Topic Page
All subtopics are active and contain
content for the whole month
Designs
Some Key features that we explored, iterated based on feedback and ultimately developed are:
A Thread Topic Has Multiple States and Sections
Each topic Thread in the backend can have various states that can be toggled. I have crafted the experience to introduce simplified states, like asking a question, at the beginning of each month to more complex states. As the month progresses, additional elements can be activated, including Live Video, Broadcast Video in 16:9 or 9:16 aspect ratios, and the ability to toggle the visibility of different sections.
"Question Response"
Powered by VideoAsk, this platform would enable our teams to receive video, text and audio messages. Not only does it promote interactivity with our show, it also helps us create user generated content in an easy to use format.
Instagram Stories and Feed
Having embeded stories and feeds help promote our content in a subtle and integrated way. Based on feedback, this approach helps archive our previous topics but does so in an easy to view format.
User Comments
We gather extensive feedback through various channels, including on-site interviews and social media platforms. Comments and feedback provided by individuals are crucial to the success of our show. To streamline the process for content editors, I contributed to the development of a user-friendly method for incorporating diverse forms of feedback.
A comment has the flexibility to be placed anywhere on the page and serves as a valuable tool to emphasize specific topics under discussion.
Maggie Smith
WOODBRIDGE ON
I work in insurance and assess disability claims. One of the biggest gap in health care within the mental health area is affordable psychotherapy/psychiatrists and getting access to that and ongoing affordable support. Unfortunately it’s a vicious cycle of declining mental health and lack of .... Show More
Erin Kelly
ADVANCED SYMBOLICS INC.
“ The Main takeaway here is we have to do for our kids what we have done for adults. They have to be educated on how to recognize, to know what that feeling is in their stomach. To understand that if you have anxiety there could be treaments for it and if you talk to people, they can help you. “
Topic Navigation
Ability to control the public facing visibility of each section while showcasing each important topic for the month.
Overview
Mental health
Part 1
Opioid Crisis
Part 2
Mental health in health care
Part 3
The Justice System
Part 4
Health care during the ...
Data visualizations and embeds
Components can be data visualizations, or embedded content from TVO.org, Social Media, other Media content
1 in 5 people believe they are mentally stressed
39% of Ontario high-school students indicate a moderate-to-serious level of psychological distress (symptoms of anxiety and depression). A further 17% indicate a serious level of psychological distress.4
The Thread Live
Our YouTube Live show, "The Thread Live," takes center stage as an integral part of our platform. When a new episode goes live, users can engage in topic discussions directly on our website through the embedded YouTube Episode.
This interactive experience allows users to ask questions directly to our guests, and we even showcase selected guest comments on the screen during the show.
User flows for Downloads
To ensure our app functions optimally, we mapped out the logic required to download content for users. This is done while adhering to our organization's mandate and distribution contracts. The following are included in this process:
Properly tagging and organizing authorized content for API calls
Limiting downloads to 30 days with an option to renew
Planning for offline access to content
Highlighting our value proposition while maintaining a seamless offline experience.
Mental Health
Join us as we discuss in exploring mental health across Ontario
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Top Chat
Say something ... (Slow mode is on)
Your Chat
Impact:
While not officially launched yet, the impact of this experience is significant.
Not only was this work highlighted in our latest company meeting as "as an exciting product to elevate our journalism" It was a product that was prioritized because of the work that I was able to present and the overall benefits it would have to our journalistic offerings.
Its also exciting because of the new backend benefits it will bring to our authors and editors. It provides more flexibility and control to publish and unpublish different sections, while creating a more intuitive experience to edit.
Credits
Eric Hanson - UX Research, UX Design
Van Shaw - UI Design