Delfino Medios is an independent journalism startup
I got hired as Creative Director and UX/UI Designer to make news appealing to digital audiences.
My role includes brand execution, mobile-first experience for responsive website, newsletter and marketing initiatives.
A digital-native journalism startup needed to build a platform to support the high-quality content the editorial team creates every day and expand its audience beyond social media. I use my usual stack of tools to manage this project and provide weekly status to the different stakeholders.
I used XD, Sketch, Figma, and Invision to create quick lo-fi wireframes and prototypes, I also used Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to create assets and campaigns. The team uses Google Drive and Trello to manage the production work.
As part of the design process I did basic research - due the budget constraints I use Google's UX playbook for news sites for best practices. Also, I frequently use quick lo-fi wireframes while discussing with the Editorial team in the early stages of the project.
As part of my role, I validated the interactions from the user's perspective with potential subscribers. Doing guerrilla testing with 5 new customers after creating quick prototypes. One of the interesting aspects of this project is that initially, the "Persona" was not part of the scope, I relied on the Editorial team experience and also on the social media profiles that interact with the page to identify the customers are educated, from the middle of the country, 45 y/o average, both male and female.
Sometimes I decide to twist or play around with the UX/UI rules or best practices, and this type of project is a great example of this. Sometimes because of budget, timelines, or because we don't necessarily have the tools, we need to use creativity to find a solution. I like to be resourceful!
From Low-Fidelity Wireframes to final User Interface
I supported the business by creating an easy subscription model
In parallel, while doing the user experience for responsive web, I was also designing campaigns to promote the startup's different channels such as international and sports news.
The core business is news, their main product is a political newsletter but their investors and board pushed for expansion to broaden their audiences. Besides the daily political report, the editorial team now publishes world and non-traditional sports, good news, and entertainment.
One of the great challenges as a designer is to create visual elements to support the content
I do infographics for different topics such as country exports, universities, and chemicals affecting agriculture. But also, I do daily covers for the main reports.
I designed a story-telling pitch deck to attract and maintain sponsors
The results of my collaboration helped the project win a National Journalism Award for innovation and social impact, also an e-Commerce Business Award in 2019. The project has consistent monthly sponsors and paid memberships for exclusive content. The newsletter is reaching 45k free subscribers; and more than 100k followers on social media platforms.
But the most relevant impact is that public and political figures share the graphics I design for the project amplifying the reach to educate audiences and promote political transparency and citizenship.