About Client:
Name: Demopublic Media Pvt. Ltd.
Services: User Interface Design, User Research
Website: https://kathmandupress.com
Objective:
Design a reader-friendly and attractive news website which does not prioritize breaking-news.
Tools and Technologies:
- Figma
- UI Design
- UX Design
- User Research
Challenge:
I only redesigned this website. There was already an existing and functioning news portal and they wanted to change the overall look and feel making it more reader-friendly while still keeping the brand essence.
I had already worked in various departments of some media houses of Nepal, both print and digital, so those experiences came in handy. But one of the key challenges of this project was KathmanduPress focused on long feature stories, interviews and cover stories rather than breaking news, unlike most of the news outlets. My goal was to create a visually appealing and reader-friendly website that would provide readers with an immersive experience into the stories of the voiceless and underrepresented communities in Nepal.
My first step was conducting extensive research of news portals of similar scope and understanding the needs and preferences of our target audience, analyzing user behavior/engagement data, and conducting user interviews. Based on this research, I created a design concept that prioritized a clean and simple layout, with large, high-quality images and easy-to-read typography. I worked closely with the editorial team to develop a content strategy that would highlight the most compelling stories while still ensuring that readers were kept up-to-date on current events. Along with this, the website had a section dedicated to promoting tourism in Nepal, for which I had to ensure that the design of this section was, firstly, visually appealing, while still the content was presented in an engaging and informative way.
As I was hired on a contract, I could not work as closely with the development team as much as I would have liked. However, I did my best to convey the idea of the editorial team through my designs, and everyone was very happy with the output.
