Unlocking the Design Thinking Process: Lessons from Redesigning the New York Times App

Imagine being tasked with a design project, armed with vague instructions (cue in “Make it pop!”) and a looming deadline. Your reputation and the expectations of your team, manager, stakeholders, and even kittens are at stake. The pressure is real, and you want to deliver a quality, usable product that meets everyone's expectations. Fortunately, there's a tried-and-true approach that can guide you through any design project: the design thinking process. In this article, we'll explore this process through a case study involving the redesign of the New York Times app, led by Johny Vino.

Understand Your Users:

To create a successful design, you must start by understanding your users. This involves a plethora of tools and methods, whether you conduct research yourself or leverage insights from external sources like academic journals, public libraries, open data repositories, internet searches, and white papers published by reputable organizations. It's crucial to clearly define your target users to ask the right questions. In the New York Times app case study, the team focused on researching the habits of young people. Instead of forcing new habits, they aimed to align the app with existing user behaviours. The research delved into how people currently consumed news and used their phones, providing insights into user preferences and behaviour. Understanding the user's environment is key to forging an emotional connection. Remember, past behaviour often predicts future actions.

Create with Purpose:

Armed with research insights, it's time to create your design. However, it's vital to keep your design solutions rooted in the research results. While creativity is essential, your designs should align with user expectations and mental models. Aesthetics matter, but usability and utility are paramount. In the New York Times app case study, the team observed user-device interactions and seamlessly integrated these behaviours into their design decisions. They placed significant emphasis on crafting designs that seamlessly melded with users' daily lives, introducing personalization and recommendations driven by usage patterns, ultimately delivering a more customized user experience.

Test and Iterate:

The design thinking process is an iterative journey. It's crucial to test your designs continuously to validate your ideas and make necessary improvements. Testing can take various forms and occur at different stages of the design process. Whether it's involving users, team members, or stakeholders, the feedback you gather is invaluable. Testing allows you to identify pain points, uncover usability issues, and refine your designs to meet user needs effectively. In the New York Times app case study, iterative testing was a core element of the process, ensuring that each design iteration brought the team closer to delivering a superior user experience.

Design thinking is more than just a process; it's a mindset that empowers designers to create products that truly resonate with users. The case study of the New York Times app redesign exemplifies how understanding your users, creating purposefully, and continually testing and iterating can lead to a successful design project. By embracing these principles, you can navigate the challenges of any design task, ensuring that your final product not only meets expectations but also delights users and stakeholders alike. So, the next time you're faced with a daunting design project, remember the design thinking process—it might just be your secret to success.