TVO Today
TVO Today
TVO Today
Bringing TVO's journalism and documentaries to iOS and Android
Bringing TVO's journalism and documentaries to iOS and Android
One app for articles, series and offline viewing, designed for two platforms at once.
My Role: Lead designer for the TVO Today apps: research, information architecture, video player, downloads and offline
Team: Current affairs and documentary division, developers, product, data
Timeline: 1.5 years for major release, ongoing interations after
Tools: Figma, Miro
The Problem: TVO's digital experience was dated to the younger audiences driving its growth, and required new app capabilities
What I delivered: Native iOS and Android apps combining articles, documentaries and series, with downloads and offline mode
Outcome: 4.2 star rating on the App Store and Google Play and an inital 6% increase in daily engagement
What I owned
I led design for the apps from research to release. I owned the information architecture, the video experience and the download system, and ran usability testing on prototypes. I also pushed for changes to how our team worked, including having more 1:1 touch points with developers and bringing greater unity and shared knowledge among our teams
Younger audiences were driving growth, but the experience felt dated
Gen Z and millennials were driving TVO's digital growth, and usage jumped 12% when COVID-19 hit. The experience they arrived at was outdated, and there was no app. TVO also wanted to reach more diverse audiences and tell more stories from an Ontario perspective.
*Based on GA analytics between 2020 & 2021
When COVID-19 hit, a 12% spike in usage underscored the urgent need to modernize an outdated experience.
25-34
52%
40%
25-34
Gen-Z and Millennials significantly boosted TVO's growth pre-pandemic.
COVID 19
2021
When COVID-19 hit, a 12% spike in usage underscored the urgent need to modernize an outdated experience.
25-34
*Based on GA analytics between 2020 & 2021
40%
52%
Gen-Z and Millennials significantly boosted TVO's growth pre-pandemic.
25-34
2020
COVID 19
2021
When COVID-19 hit, a 12% spike in usage underscored the urgent need to modernize an outdated experience.
25-34
*Based on GA analytics between 2020 & 2021
40%
52%
Gen-Z and Millennials significantly boosted TVO's growth pre-pandemic.
25-34
2020
Three constraints that shaped the design
Working with the current affairs and documentary division, a small team had to:
Fit articles, documentaries and series into one app
Build for iOS and Android at the same time
Allow video downloads that expire after 30 days, to respect streaming rights
My job was to design an information architecture that worked for both readers and viewers.
People wanted credible content, and a way to switch off
In the interviews I conducted, trust in journalistic sources mattered most. But people also wanted to relax and step away from the news cycle, so format variety and a calm, organized app mattered just as much.
Three constraints that shaped the design
Working with the current affairs and documentary division, a small team had to:
Fit articles, documentaries and series into one app
Build for iOS and Android at the same time
Allow video downloads that expire after 30 days, to respect streaming rights
My job was to design an information architecture that worked for both readers and viewers.
People wanted credible content, and a way to switch off
In the interviews I conducted, trust in journalistic sources mattered most. But people also wanted to relax and step away from the news cycle, so format variety and a calm, organized app mattered just as much.
Visuals and hype keep me engaged
Journalistic Sources are important
Organization is Key
I like consuming quality content but, I also need to tune out.
These became the app's structure:
Separate read and watch tabs
A clean series view
Downloads for watching offline
Three constraints that shaped the design
Working with the current affairs and documentary division, a small team had to:
Fit articles, documentaries and series into one app
Build for iOS and Android at the same time
Allow video downloads that expire after 30 days, to respect streaming rights
My job was to design an information architecture that worked for both readers and viewers.
Three constraints that shaped the design
Working with the current affairs and documentary division, a small team had to:
Fit articles, documentaries and series into one app
Build for iOS and Android at the same time
Allow video downloads that expire after 30 days, to respect streaming rights
My job was to design an information architecture that worked for both readers and viewers.
People wanted credible content, and a way to switch off
In the interviews I conducted, trust in journalistic sources mattered most. But people also wanted to relax and step away from the news cycle, so format variety and a calm, organized app mattered just as much.
These became the app's structure:
Separate read and watch tabs
A clean series view
Downloads for watching offline
Visuals and hype keep me engaged
Journalistic Sources are important
Organization is Key
I like consuming quality content but, I also need to tune out.
People wanted credible content, and a way to switch off
In the interviews I conducted, trust in journalistic sources mattered most. But people also wanted to relax and step away from the news cycle, so format variety and a calm, organized app mattered just as much.
Visuals and hype keep me engaged
Journalistic Sources are important
Organization is Key
I like consuming quality content but, I also need to tune out.
These became the app's structure:
Separate read and watch tabs
A clean series view
Downloads for watching offline
One app for reading and watching
With limited time and a small team, we focused on what research said people expected: fast access to articles and video in one place. A native app also let us add personal features the website couldn't offer, like downloads.
These became the app's structure:
Separate read and watch tabs
A clean series view
Downloads for watching offline
A video experience built on our existing player and minimal development
Rather than build new players, I redesigned the experience on top of our existing video SDK for iOS, and only relied on an Android development team since none had been developed. This kept development realistic of our small team
Make expiry visible before it happens
Make expiry visible before it happens
Downloads had to expire after 30 days. A video that silently vanished would feel broken, so I made sure days remaining and the status when the title did expire, to align with user expectations
Downloads had to expire after 30 days. A video that silently vanished would feel broken, so I made sure days remaining and the status when the title did expire, to align with user expectations
Handled the dead end
Handled the dead end
When a title's rights ended completely, it couldn't be renewed. Instead of an error, the app notified that the content was unavailable anymore and deleting was the only option
When a title's rights ended completely, it couldn't be renewed. Instead of an error, the app notified that the content was unavailable anymore and deleting was the only option
COVID 19
25-34
*Based on GA analytics between 2020 & 2021
40%
52%
Gen-Z and Millennials significantly boosted TVO's growth pre-pandemic.
When COVID-19 hit, a 12% spike in usage underscored the urgent need to modernize an outdated experience.
25-34
A video experience built on our existing player and minimal development
Rather than build new players, I redesigned the experience on top of our existing video SDK for iOS, and only relied on an Android development team since none had been developed. This kept development realistic of our small team
Every state from the spec, live. Pick one to put the player in it. Numbers follow the spec: 1.x inline, 2.x fullscreen.
One app for reading and watching
With limited time and a small team, we focused on what research said people expected: fast access to articles and video in one place. A native app also let us add personal features the website couldn't offer, like downloads.
A video experience built on our existing player and minimal development
Rather than build new players, I redesigned the experience on top of our existing video SDK for iOS, and only relied on an Android development team since none had been developed. This kept development realistic of our small team
Every state from the spec, live. Pick one to put the player in it. Numbers follow the spec: 1.x inline, 2.x fullscreen.
Manage Videos
Series episodes are thoughtfully managed in a responsive sheet making navigating from a series to episode simple and straightforward
Expiring Videos
Due to differing streaming rights privileges, we had to ensure that people didn't have access content beyond a 30 day period, therefore, after a video is expired they must renew the content if it is available.
Offline Mode Screen
When offline, a user can still access downloaded content stored on their device.
Manage Videos
Series episodes are thoughtfully managed in a responsive sheet making navigating from a series to episode simple and straightforward
Expiring Videos
Due to differing streaming rights privileges, we had to ensure that people didn't have access content beyond a 30 day period, therefore, after a video is expired they must renew the content if it is available.
Offline Mode Screen
When offline, a user can still access downloaded content stored on their device.
Manage Videos
Series episodes are thoughtfully managed in a responsive sheet making navigating from a series to episode simple and straightforward
Expiring Videos
Due to differing streaming rights privileges, we had to ensure that people didn't have access content beyond a 30 day period, therefore, after a video is expired they must renew the content if it is available.
Offline Mode Screen
When offline, a user can still access downloaded content stored on their device.
The apps launched on both platforms and became a direct way for TVO's audience to follow Ontario and global stories, including offline.
Because of its success, the organization also prioritized an iPad optimized view that launched immediately after the mobile apps.
What i'd do next
Track each section's performance to see what keeps people coming back
Improve accessibility with transcripts and closed captions
Explore a native iPad app, sign-in for personalization, live streaming and audio versions of articles
Other potential improvements include building an iPad app, adding a sign-in feature, introducing live streaming, and offering voice-generated articles and downloads.
Results
Results
Average rating across 100+ reviews on the App Store and Google Play.
4.2
Average rating across 100+ reviews on the App Store and Google Play.
Increase in weekly active users after launch, over 6 months.
6%
4.2
Average rating across 100+ reviews on the App Store and Google Play.
Increase in weekly active users after launch, over 6 months.
6%
The apps launched on both platforms and became a direct way for TVO's audience to follow Ontario and global stories, including offline.
The apps launched on both platforms and became a direct way for TVO's audience to follow Ontario and global stories, including offline.
Because of its success, the organization also prioritized an iPad optimized view that launched immediately after the mobile apps.
Because of its success, the organization also prioritized an iPad optimized view that launched immediately after the mobile apps.
What i'd do next
Track each section's performance to see what keeps people coming back
Improve accessibility with transcripts and closed captions
Explore a native iPad app, sign-in for personalization, live streaming and audio versions of articles
Other potential improvements include building an iPad app, adding a sign-in feature, introducing live streaming, and offering voice-generated articles and downloads.
Track each section's performance to see what keeps people coming back
Improve accessibility with transcripts and closed captions
Explore a native iPad app, sign-in for personalization, live streaming and audio versions of articles
Other potential improvements include building an iPad app, adding a sign-in feature, introducing live streaming, and offering voice-generated articles and downloads.