Redesigning the experience of a beloved Malay-language news institution to enhance access for the next generation of readers
A newspaper is never just a newspaper – for some, it's a critical part of an early morning ritual; for others, it's an artifact that facilitates inter-generational connection between family members. Often, it's a source of inspiration, voice of the generation and cultural northern star. Berita Harian is Singapore's oldest Malay-language daily newspaper, providing coverage of local and international current affairs for an increasingly mixed audience; transcending generations, age-groups and nationalities. When Berita Harian made the shift into the digital realm, their default instinct was to establish an online presence that was as close to their original direction as possible, however this proved to be a barrier for the newer generation. The news platform needed to meet its more culturally-diverse, tech-aware audience where they were at, through the various channels and devices on which they engage virtually.
How We Did It
Our process
Discover
Methods & tools used
- Internal stakeholder & in-depth user interviews
- Alignment exercises
- UX audit of digital
- Data / metric review
- Recorded heuristic user testing of (old) website
- Sacrificial concept sharing
Define
Insights
We uncovered that a younger Malay audience could be part of the target market; and that despite their bilingualism and the diverse choice of other media formats available to them, this audience desired a stronger, distinct Malay perspective and voice in their local Singapore news and the news in general.
Develop
Solutions & Approaches
- Reimagining content formats
- Creating new digital tools and experiences
- Going back to the roots and reconnecting with familiar names in journalism
What we delivered
Deliver
Outcomes
Research
- Internal stakeholder & in-depth user interviews
- Alignment exercises
- UX audit of digital
- Data / metric review
- Recorded heuristic user testing of (old) website
- Sacrificial concept sharing
Design
Outcomes
Design
- Complete redesign of the web experience for Berita Harian for use on phones, tablets, and computers.
- An on-the-fly, in-platform translation feature from Malay to English.
- More habit-forming features to keep focus on the product (from free access to all Covid-19 related articles to highlighting key themes for users appearing in top-navigation).
- Adding a podcast widget on the home page.
- Fully tested design solutions for future iterations and directions of the platform.
- A system built on Atomic Design principles.
- A working, tested, web redesign in 4 weeks; down from a previous 6-8 month redesign plan.
Business
Outcomes
Business
- A working, tested, web redesign in 4 weeks;
- down from a previous 6-8 month redesign plan.
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