Creating a digital environment
elEconomista Digital Experience —
elEconomista is Spain's leading economic newspaper, covering topics like economy, politics, and trading. Traditionally focused on print, elEconomista is now transitioning to a fully digital platform to meet the need for real-time updates, especially in trading. My role was to define and enhance the user experience during this digital shift, ensuring easy access to up-to-date financial news.
From Paper Readers to Digital Users
Transitioning our regular readers from analog to digital presented a significant challenge. We aimed to develop a product that not only resonated with our existing audience but also attracted new users, positioning our platform alongside leading digital newspapers. Initially, our digital structure mirrored traditional print behavior, which limited our potential. To overcome this, we needed to thoughtfully map out user journeys and design intuitive user flows that embraced modern UX patterns, ensuring a seamless and engaging experience for everyone
Our goals
Design the product's digital personality
We needed to rebrand the entire digital product, aligning it with the print version’s guidelines while adapting it to modern and competitive market standardsCreate an intuitive digital flow
We needed to develop a user-friendly flow that seemed intuitive for non-so-digital users as well as to new coming readers.Restructure the information architecture
Redesigned the platform’s architecture to simplify navigation, reducing steps and improving access to key content.Improve and document existing processes
Streamlined processes and created clear user flows diagrams for efficient execution and consistent future updates across the platform.
Understanding user's needs
To create a more coherent and user-friendly product, we first needed to understand how the web flow was constructed. We meticulously mapped all potential user flows and identified the main touchpoints, as well as the main pain points present in the current web version. This process also involved defining a user journey and user persona to compare interactions with the paper version. Additionally, we established UX patterns and conducted a heuristic analysis, which helped us refine the design and enhance the overall user experience.
Research
01. Benchmark
We analyzed competitors and industry standards to understand market trends and identify opportunities for innovation. This process helped us refine design decisions, ensuring the product remained competitive.
02. User behaviour analysis
We used heatmaps on Hotjar to track user movements and interactions, helping us identify optimal locations for important content and buttons. Increasing click rates and guiding users to key sections.
03. UI Audit and code refining
We cataloged all components across the website, including colors, typography, and icons, to create a more unified and consistent user experience, standardizing design elements and CSS implementations to enhance functionality and performance.
04. Information structure mapping
We analyzed how users perceive and engage with segmented information, focusing on how they consume data, while maintaining the structured approach of a newspaper.
Creating a digital newspaper experience
Crafting a distinct identity involved close collaboration with stakeholders and management to define the graphic style and UI design. This approach helped lay the foundation for a cohesive and visually engaging digital product that aligned with the company’s brand values.
The design process for the digital newspaper was particularly challenging, as the company wasn’t accustomed to a digital-first approach. Leadership initially believed that more content equaled more value for readers, a mindset we needed to change. Before introducing new sections like subscription features and the user area, we first had to establish a strong graphic identity and cohesive UI design. Our priority was to create a user-friendly experience that fostered authentic engagement, ensured cross-platform compatibility, and adapted to various content types, all while keeping user-centered design at the forefront.
Defining clear goals to persue a seamless, adaptable and functional design
01. Wireframing
We defined the layout for the early stages of several processes.
02. Creating UI components
Designed and developed components based on pre-existing foundations.
03. Prototyping
Created final screens and presented them to stakeholders.
04. Developing the solution
Developed all HTML and CSS based on the approved designs.
Enhanced User Experience
Final results
We successfully reduced the bounce rate, encouraging users to spend more time on the site by scrolling and reading related news. Drop-off rates were minimized, with fewer misclicks as more users completed previously abandoned flows. Additionally, users developed a habit of returning to the platform, building trust and significantly improving the retention rate. This, in turn, led to a higher user satisfaction score, reflecting the positive impact of the improved experience.
Positive Brand Perception
We improved customer trust and perception by creating a cohesive digital universe that retained the essence of the print newspaper. The graphic material stayed true to the brand’s identity, ensuring that readers still felt a strong connection. With a clearer news layout and a more user-friendly UI, navigating the website became effortless, enhancing the overall reading experience and reinforcing the brand's reliability in the digital space
Optimized processes
We significantly improved internal workflows by enabling stakeholders to check and update the website more quickly and efficiently. Our team streamlined the code, making it more efficient, which reduced load times and boosted our Google performance, leading to higher rankings.
Even the CEO congratulated us on the success of these digital environment changes and the positive impact on the company's online presence.
Higher Conversion Rates
We achieved over a 50% increase in monthly subscribers and significantly boosted awareness and usage of the user area, which had previously been underutilized and largely unknown to users, thanks to enhancements made to the subscription and funnel processes for elEconomista's digital products and Ecotrader (the brand's trading platform).