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 ran generative research with 12 participants and spoke with the internal team about what they could realistically support. Exploring broadly within a clear scope surfaced what audiences wanted, and the resource limits editors were working with.
How might we:
Build a community that explores the issues, rather than just talk about them?
How might we:
Build a community that explores the issues, rather than just talk about them?
TVO Owned Content
Hosted on TVO.org, We create original content such as:
digital/broadcast series
articles
graphics & imagery
User Generated Content
Content from social media or user submitted on TVO.org such as:
social replies
audio & video
questions
Survey, Instagram grid
First idea
What we did
Issue first
Moved from promotion to conversation
My first homepage led with a survey and an Instagram grid. Feedback showed it read like marketing, so I refocused it on the issues and moved the live stream into each topic page.
Deferred the community channel
I designed a full community space with posts and reactions, but moderating sensitive topics like mental health needed staff we didn't have. We launched comments and live chat first.
First idea
Designed, then deferred.
Audience journey
The Thread Digital Experience
A month-long story, staged to grow with its audience.
Explore the four wireframe stages that turn a monthly topic from an opening prompt into a live event, an on-demand recording, and a complete 30-minute episode.
The month begins with an introductory issue. Core sections create context, surface the first questions, and give visitors an easy way into the topic.
What these wireframes made possible
Stage the story
Release the monthly issue progressively so the experience has a clear reason to return.
Activate live participation
Bring video and chat together in one focused destination for the live moment.
Extend the lifespan
Turn the completed month into a durable recording and a full-length episode.
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.
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.
Comments from interviews, social media and the website can be placed anywhere on a page to highlight part of the discussion. I designed a simple way for editors to bring these different sources into one format.
Woodbridge ON
I work in insurance and assess disability claims. One of the biggest gaps 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 …
“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 treatments for it and if you talk to people, they can help you.”
“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 treatments for it and if you talk to people, they can help you.”
[Add a short summary of the topic]
Ability to control the public facing visibility of each section while showcasing each important topic for the month.
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
Opioid Crisis
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
Opioid Crisis
Components can be data visualizations, or embedded content from TVO.org, Social Media, other Media content
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.
Mental Health
Join us as we discuss in exploring mental health across Ontario
I left TVO in 2023 before I could lead its launch, however these were the main highlights
The company backed my leadership and development of The Thread's digital initatives
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.
After effect brought greater flexibility to editor tools, staging and publishing workflows
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.
When TVO's Executive Director of Digital brought me an idea, the brief was wide open. The Thread engaged thousands of people each month through a broadcast and Instagram, but it had no digital home of its own. How could we turn a monthly show into an ongoing conversation with its community?
When the Executor Director of Digital came with an idea, 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?
Even though the product didn't exist yet, the possibilities started to form…
What is The Thread
When TVO's Executive Director of Digital brought me an idea, the brief was wide open. The Thread engaged thousands of people each month through a broadcast and Instagram, but it had no digital home of its own. How could we turn a monthly show into an ongoing conversation with its community?
Each month, The Thread uses AI to surface the issues people across Ontario are talking about, then explores one in depth. Outside the broadcast and Instagram, there was no single place to understand an issue fully or respond to it.
When TVO's Executive Director of Digital brought me an idea, the brief was wide open. The Thread engaged thousands of people each month through a broadcast and Instagram, but it had no digital home of its own. How could we turn a monthly show into an ongoing conversation with its community?
I extensively conducted secondary research on the emerging challenges faced by news organizations. In addition, i conducted primary research to understand what the team and individuals needed with an initative like this. 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.
The media and journalism industry faces many issues, often due to
Dwindling read times and engagement with traditional content.
Increasing competition
Younger people shutting off the news completely
To get people interested, we tapped into our creative potential, aiming to captivate users for extended periods by leading the charge in creating community and discussion based conversation and discourse.
I ran generative research with 12 participants and spoke with the internal team about what they could realistically support. Exploring broadly within a clear scope surfaced what audiences wanted, and the resource limits editors were working with.
How might we
How might we:
Build a community that explores the issues, rather than just talk about them?
Build a community that explores the issues, rather than just talk about them?
4 Principles.
Design principles
Engaging our audience where they are. Using every touchpoint deliberately and creating interconnected experiences.
Making sure that each system is easy to use for content editors. Backend systems integrate and don’t create unnecessary complexity.
Content adapts to convey a narrative. It is driven by storytelling and can be readily adjusted to suit the needs of each story.
Attracts attention when users land on the page. Uses colour and imagery to draw users deeper into the story. Visually delightful and memorable.
We scoped each topic page by feasibility, impact and effort, then chose to mix TVO-owned content with content from the audience. Using third-party embeds like YouTube, VideoAsk and Instagram let a small team ship interactive features without building them from scratch.
Hosted on TVO.org, we create original content such as:
Content from social media or submitted by users on TVO.org, such as:
Moved from promotion to conversation
My first homepage led with a survey and an Instagram grid. Feedback showed it read like marketing, so I refocused it on the issues and moved the live stream into each topic page.
First idea
What we did
What we did
Survey, Instagram grid
Issue first
Deferred the community channel
I designed a full community space with posts and reactions, but moderating sensitive topics like mental health needed staff we didn't have. We launched comments and live chat first.
First idea
Designed, then deferred.
The ideal journey follows the path people already took, with one big difference: places to respond. Viewers can now comment on the website and join the live chat on YouTube.
Audience journey
The Thread Digital Experience
A month-long story, staged to grow with its audience.
Explore the four wireframe stages that turn a monthly topic from an opening prompt into a live event, an on-demand recording, and a complete 30-minute episode.
The month begins with an introductory issue. Core sections create context, surface the first questions, and give visitors an easy way into the topic.
What these wireframes made possible
Stage the story
Release the monthly issue progressively so the experience has a clear reason to return.
Activate live participation
Bring video and chat together in one focused destination for the live moment.
Extend the lifespan
Turn the completed month into a durable recording and a full-length episode.
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.
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.
We dive into a topic affecting Ontarians every month. Hosted by Nam Kiwanuka and informed by AI technology Polly.
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.
We dive into a topic affecting Ontarians every month. Hosted by Nam Kiwanuka and informed by AI technology Polly.
Comments from interviews, social media and the website can be placed anywhere on a page to highlight part of the discussion. I designed a simple way for editors to bring these different sources into one format.
Comments from interviews, social media and the website can be placed anywhere on a page to highlight part of the discussion. I designed a simple way for editors to bring these different sources into one format.
Woodbridge ON
I work in insurance and assess disability claims. One of the biggest gaps 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 …
“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 treatments for it and if you talk to people, they can help you.”
Ability to control the public facing visibility of each section while showcasing each important topic for the month.
Ability to control the public facing visibility of each section while showcasing each important topic for the month.
Components can be data visualizations, or embedded content from TVO.org, Social Media, other Media content
Components can be data visualizations, or embedded content from TVO.org, Social Media, other Media content
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
Opioid Crisis
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.
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
I left TVO in 2023 before I could lead its launch, however these were the main highlights
The company backed my leadership and development of The Thread's digital initatives
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.
After effect brought greater flexibility to editor tools, staging and publishing workflows
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.
We scoped each topic page by feasibility, impact and effort, then chose to mix TVO-owned content with content from the audience. Using third-party embeds like YouTube, VideoAsk and Instagram let a small team ship interactive features without building them from scratch.
We scoped each topic page by feasibility, impact and effort, then chose to mix TVO-owned content with content from the audience. Using third-party embeds like YouTube, VideoAsk and Instagram let a small team ship interactive features without building them from scratch.
We scoped each topic page by feasibility, impact and effort, then chose to mix TVO-owned content with content from the audience. Using third-party embeds like YouTube, VideoAsk and Instagram let a small team ship interactive features without building them from scratch.
We scoped each topic page by feasibility, impact and effort, then chose to mix TVO-owned content with content from the audience. Using third-party embeds like YouTube, VideoAsk and Instagram let a small team ship interactive features without building them from scratch.
We scoped each topic page by feasibility, impact and effort, then chose to mix TVO-owned content with content from the audience. Using third-party embeds like YouTube, VideoAsk and Instagram let a small team ship interactive features without building them from scratch.
We scoped each topic page by feasibility, impact and effort, then chose to mix TVO-owned content with content from the audience. Using third-party embeds like YouTube, VideoAsk and Instagram let a small team ship interactive features without building them from scratch.
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 ran generative research with 12 participants and spoke with the internal team about what they could realistically support. Exploring broadly within a clear scope surfaced what audiences wanted, and the resource limits editors were working with.
Design principles
Engaging our audience where they are. Using every touchpoint deliberately and creating interconnected experiences.
Making sure that each system is easy to use for content editors. Backend systems integrate and don’t create unnecessary complexity.
Content adapts to convey a narrative. It is driven by storytelling and can be readily adjusted to suit the needs of each story.
Attracts attention when users land on the page. Uses colour and imagery to draw users deeper into the story. Visually delightful and memorable.
How might we:
Build a community that explores the issues, rather than just talk about them?
We dive into a topic affecting Ontarians every month. Hosted by Nam Kiwanuka and informed by AI technology Polly.
Audience journey
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.
The ideal journey follows the path people already took, with one big difference: places to respond. Viewers can now comment on the website and join the live chat on YouTube.
The Thread Digital Experience
A month-long story, staged to grow with its audience.
Explore the four wireframe stages that turn a monthly topic from an opening prompt into a live event, an on-demand recording, and a complete 30-minute episode.
The month begins with an introductory issue. Core sections create context, surface the first questions, and give visitors an easy way into the topic.
What these wireframes made possible
Stage the story
Release the monthly issue progressively so the experience has a clear reason to return.
Activate live participation
Bring video and chat together in one focused destination for the live moment.
Extend the lifespan
Turn the completed month into a durable recording and a full-length episode.
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.
We dive into a topic affecting Ontarians every month. Hosted by Nam Kiwanuka and informed by AI technology Polly.
Woodbridge ON
I work in insurance and assess disability claims. One of the biggest gaps 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 …
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.
Comments from interviews, social media and the website can be placed anywhere on a page to highlight part of the discussion. I designed a simple way for editors to bring these different sources into one format.
Ability to control the public facing visibility of each section while showcasing each important topic for the month.
[Add a short summary of the topic]
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.
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
Opioid Crisis
Components can be data visualizations, or embedded content from TVO.org, Social Media, other Media content
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
I left TVO in 2023 before I could lead its launch, however these were the main highlights
The company backed my leadership and development of The Thread's digital initatives
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.
After effect brought greater flexibility to editor tools, staging and publishing workflows
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.