Shades
New Feature Design | 2024
Overview
This project enhances Shades, a personalized news app, by introducing a filtering feature to improve user experience. Using the Evergreen database, I added functionality that categorizes homepage posts by topics like politics, fashion, and culture, allowing users to tailor their newsfeeds.
Goals
The goal of the Shades redesign is to make the app more user-friendly by adding a filtering feature to the homepage, so users can quickly find the content they care about most. By using the Evergreen section’s database to organize posts into categories, the homepage stays fresh, intuitive, and easy to navigate. This feature is all about personalization—helping users feel in control while spending less time searching and more time exploring. It fits right in with Shades’ sleek design, keeping things simple, functional, and tailored to deliver a better overall experience.
The problem
Shades’ homepage lacked a way for users to sort through the overwhelming variety of content, making it harder for them to find what they were truly interested in. While the Evergreen section offered high-value, lasting content, it wasn’t fully utilized to enhance the user experience on the homepage. The absence of clear categorization and personalization options made navigation less intuitive, potentially frustrating users and leading to shorter app sessions. This gap not only impacted user satisfaction but also missed an opportunity to strengthen engagement and loyalty.
The solution
To address the lack of personalization, I created a filtering option that gives users control over their browsing experience. The feature categorizes posts by tapping into the Evergreen database to make the homepage more organized and user-friendly. This redesign is all about making the app feel tailored, saving users time, and helping them connect with the stories that matter most to them.
Key features
The filtering feature allows users to sort homepage content by categories like politics, culture, and lifestyle, pulling directly from the Evergreen database to ensure posts are organized and relevant. Designed with accessibility and simplicity in mind, the feature integrates seamlessly into the homepage navigation, offering a smooth and intuitive way to personalize the news experience. It includes clean, minimalistic design elements to keep the interface clutter-free while ensuring users can effortlessly find and explore content that aligns with their interests.
The impact
The new filtering feature improves how users interact with Shades by making navigation faster and more intuitive, ultimately leading to longer app sessions and greater user satisfaction. By turning the homepage into a personalized space, this redesign fosters deeper engagement and loyalty, showing that Shades values its users and is committed to delivering content in a way that fits their preferences.
