Introduction

• Brief: Bring the award-winning Irish Medical News site to iPhone.

• Challenge: Busy health pros need quick, readable access to top articles and live updates.

• Goals: Optimize news and Twitter feeds for mobile, keep it fast and frictionless.

Discovery Phase

• Stakeholder chats: Editors wanted the same credibility and speed as the desktop site.

• Business needs: Boost digital reach, retain existing readers, and attract new ones on mobile.

• User needs: Doctors and health workers want headlines and updates on the go—no clutter.

Problem Framing

• Problem: The desktop news experience didn’t translate to small screens—too much info, too little time.

• Success: Users can scan, tap, and read top articles in a few seconds.

• Constraints: iOS-only, must pull live content, minimal dev resources.

User Research

• User interviews: Health pros shared how/when they check news (waiting rooms, commutes).

• Competitive scan: Most medical news apps were slow, clunky, or hard to read.

• Market finding: Push notifications and trending content drive engagement.

Synthesis

• Personas: On-call doctors, GPs, and med students—all need fast, simple news.

• Journey maps: From app open to headline scan to article read.

• Insights: Prioritize trending and most-read; keep navigation dead simple.

Solution Development

• Info architecture: Home screen for top articles, tabs for Twitter and trending.

• Wireframes: Quick sketches, then clickable prototypes for swipe/tap flows.

• Visuals: Clean, mobile-friendly, big touch targets, easy on the eyes.

Testing

• Usability tests: Doctors and students tried early builds—flagged slow loads and confusing tabs.

• Feedback: Streamlined nav, improved load times, clarified article previews.

• Iterations: Refined visuals and flows based on real-world feedback.

Implementation

• Handoff: Annotated screens and flows sent to devs.

• Collab: Worked closely to ensure live content and Twitter feeds displayed cleanly.

• Go-to-market: Promoted in print, on the site, and through direct outreach.

Results & Impact

• Metrics: Strong downloads, high retention, positive App Store reviews.

• User adoption: Doctors and med students made it a daily habit.

• Business impact: Expanded brand reach, cemented IMN as a go-to source on mobile.

• Lessons: Mobile news must be fast, focused, and friction-free to win over busy pros.