“Illuminating, not condescending”: Creating UX principles for our app

In spring of this year, we were challenged to create a new vision for The Economist app. We were not looking to replicate the much-loved print magazine. Instead, we aimed to create a digitally native experience for readers so they could carry the best of The Economist in their pocket anytime, anywhere.

We needed to get emotional. To engage both loyal and occasional readers, we began clarifying how we wanted the app to make them feel. To answer this, we brainstormed ideas with 24 key product stakeholders, including product managers, engineers and designers. Together we created over 1,000 sticky notes that helped inform our brand direction.

Our colourful Mural board, a great collaborative tool that we used to facilitate our brand workshop

Then we took all of our findings and created 3 key words that described how we wanted our users to feel during all UX interactions within the app. Following each principle, we described both what we wanted to become, and also what we wanted to avoid becoming — in other words, how we could risk taking the principle too far. The goal of these traits was to serve us when designing every touchpoint of the app.

They are as follows:

1. Stimulated

Illuminating, not condescending

Innovative, not gimmicky

Irreverent, not offensive

2. Engaged

Comprehensive, not overwhelming

Challenging, not confusing

Fair-minded, not compromising

3. Connected

Global, not unfocused

Growing, not diluting

Social, not superficial

These 3 key words and word groupings were a catalyst for understanding not only how we wanted our users to feel, but how they enhanced our overall user journey:

A brief visualisation of our UX principles

A cyclical pattern, readers would enter the app being stimulated, browse and become engaged, then feel so connected to the brand in the hopes that they would not only become a loyal subscriber themselves, but go a step further and recommend The Economist as essential reading to others.

These principles are living ideas we can carry through the entire design process, making sure each decision serves the product and the user as best as possible.

Without workable UX principles, creating consistent experiences can be a guessing game. With core UX principles, you have practical guidance you can share with every key stakeholder to align your product goals and drive your designs forward — with users at the centre.