Experience
TODAY & NBC News Digital
Latest projects:
Design System and Motion Library In 2018 we launched a redesign of the NBC News app injunction with the redesign of NBCNews.com and creation of a new design system we call Bento. You can read about it's beginnings here, and how it's larger than just a visual design system. This work includes but isn't limited to:
- Establishing continuity across devices. A button here performs the same across web, apps, ott...whatever. The user has less to learn when switching context.
- Providing developers a place to reference atomic information keeps designers efficient, and avoids creating redundant information.
A concept similar to DRY coding method. Avoid repetitive documentation, because every time we repeat, we open the door to inconsistencies. We moved all comps and final designs to Figma. This provides a single source of truth for every component we build as well as a comp that is always up-to-date for stakeholder review.
Dev-ready module blocks. - Move the Bento aesthetic into components & moveable modules.
A common language for design and dev to use to build and enhance future projects. Make it easy and efficient for design to quickly prototype new solutions without a need to recreate the wheel.
A few basic blocks of the system. 
Specifics on the logic surrounding the display of metatdata. - Create a motion library to maintain clean, simple and concise animations Using AfterEffects I'm cataloging our use of motion to emphasis hierarchy, implement predictive interaction patterns, establish permanent spatial awareness, and encourage user exploration. Our library will also reinforce the tenor and personality that will span across across devices and across very different brands with minimum modifications.
TODAY & NBC News App Redesign
TODAY Show app: iOS launch in February 2019 (with continued updates)The TODAY Show app relaunch began as a proof of concept in September 2018 to see just how quickly our templating system could be implemented. We limited the scope to iOS. Within a couple of days we had the TODAY app content successfully rendering in our POC. Small changes to type, font, color and imagery to give the app an fresh look with a familiar foundation. Further improvements and more user testing is elevating refinement of the interface.
- Testing the hypothesis, even the ones we truly believed to be rock solid. Nothing is more humbling or eye-opening than listening to user feedback.
- Provide easy-to-access videos and sections. The majority of users come to the app and sites to view or get additional information on content they have seen on the TODAY Show broadcast.
- Reflect the Bento design aesthetic while staying true to the TODAY Show asthetic. Our design system and development structure allowed for us to spin up and entirely new iOS app in a matter of months.
- Open future opportunities for TODAY app ecommerce. Show viewers and app users are among our most loyal. User research showed us our users are eager to see what TODAY editorial and TODAY Show programming have tested and given their stamp-of-approval to.
- Always be committing! Always be looking for more ways to refine the UX. Continually look for ways to elevate the TODAY Show and NBC News apps in order to differentiate them from other news providers.
- A good idea can come from anywhere. The developers I work with are skeptical. The stakeholders point out a missed opportunity. My mom doesn't know how to stop video from playing. I'm eager to hear it. All these are valid sources, design shouldn't live in a vacuum.
NBC News app, launched 2018 (with continued updates) iOS | Android Before jumping into a new design language and overhaul we asked why have an app at all? What will it bring that mobile web doesn't provide?
- Live audio The single biggest feature request among all our platforms is for live streaming video. Live audio provides immediate and reliable streaming (some say a better way to consume on mobile than video) that is exceeding our expectations for user satisfaction.
- Deliver a video-centric experience. It's now a solid and speedy viewing experience, positioned to provide a future home for live streaming.
- Allow new verticals to ramp up quickly. We made this an app to scale. More sections can be added, more verticals can be promoted, and the latest long or short-form special can be emphasised in a very modular workspace. To prove it we launched a completely brand new TODAY iOS app with an entirely different aesthetic, and completely different demographic in a matter of months.
NBC News channel on Roku
The NBC News Roku channel is an awesome example of straight–up function. It was quickly made in a few weeks many years ago, using an out-of-the-box SceneGraph Roku interface. A true ugly duckling, but the NBC News app was benefitting from the large Roku market to showcase the amount a video available. The app has also always been a heavy-hitter in regards to the amount of video watched versus any other device NBC News or TODAY is rendered on. It outperforms Apple TV, Amazon Fire, mobile apps, mobile web and desktop across every property. The evolution was, and will continue, to be made with the help of over 700 beta volunteers we recruited to test on our Beta channel. Feedback is solicited via Survey Monkey and email.
I had the opportunity to refresh the Roku app, but we couldn't move without understanding why the app was so successful for us. I didn't want to lose a loyal audience who now provides the largest chunk of our video consumption.
- During the first phase of the refresh I assessed what was keeping our audience from spending more time on the app. We changed the experience to auto-start the Top Videos playlist instead requiring the user immediately make decisions. Only on TV or a decidedly video experience would I every want to implement auto-start video.
- Next I created an area for promoting special features, our featured sections and most importantly, live streaming of breaking news events.
- Finally, we set up continual playback. After the Top Stories playlist is complete the app begins playing the next playlist, a familiar TV experience (the only difference being our 'hey are you still there?' messaging to avoid unchecked data usage).
These changes, along with a visual refresh increased time spent by over 25%. Continued improvements and releases are ongoing and a design system update is set to be implemented in late 2019.
