Blick.ch Redesign

DESIGN LEAD · Q1 2023 – Q4 2024

The redesign overhauled the user experience, leading to improved content discovery and increased user engagement. It also provided better content recirculation beyond the homepage. Additionally, we introduced a 70% increase in ad monetization opportunities to counter a stagnating market without adding friction for users.

Reimagining the news experience and ad strategy.

Challenge

The Blick.ch news platform faced an overcrowded homepage, leading to 80% of traffic being confined to it, and users dropping off at just 25% down the page. A shallow “snacking” home>article>home user journey limited content discovery. Additionally, a dwindling advertising market threatened the existing monetization strategy.

Solution

We completely redesigned the homepage structure to be more rigid and help users easily find the content they want. A new cascading content layout now establishes a clearer hierarchy between breaking and regular stories, which encourages users to scroll and discover more. On the article level, we introduced recirculation components to provide users with opportunities to dive deeper into a topic. For the desktop experience, a new side column significantly increases ad space without disrupting the reading flow.

Impact

25% increase in homepage scroll depth

10% increase in session duration

20% increase in overall ad slots

All quantitative metrics have been anonymized or modified to protect sensitive business information.

My Contributions

UX Research, UX Strategy, UX Design, UI Design, Workshop Facilitation, Design System, Design Handoff, Stakeholder Management

Team

CPO, CCO, Editor-in-Chief, Head of IT, PM, PO, Tech Lead, Web/iOS/Android Architects, Developers, External Design Agency

Blick.ch Redesign

DESIGN LEAD · Q1 2023 – Q4 2024

The redesign overhauled the user experience, leading to improved content discovery and increased user engagement. It also provided better content recirculation beyond the homepage. Additionally, we introduced a 70% increase in ad monetization opportunities to counter a stagnating market without adding friction for users.

Reimagining the news experience and ad strategy.

Challenge

The Blick.ch news platform faced an overcrowded homepage, leading to 80% of traffic being confined to it, and users dropping off at just 25% down the page. A shallow “snacking” home>article>home user journey limited content discovery. Additionally, a dwindling advertising market threatened the existing monetization strategy.

Solution

We completely redesigned the homepage structure to be more rigid and help users easily find the content they want. A new cascading content layout now establishes a clearer hierarchy between breaking and regular stories, which encourages users to scroll and discover more. On the article level, we introduced recirculation components to provide users with opportunities to dive deeper into a topic. For the desktop experience, a new side column significantly increases ad space without disrupting the reading flow.

Impact

25% increase in homepage scroll depth

10% increase in session duration

20% increase in overall ad slots

All quantitative metrics have been anonymized or modified to protect sensitive business information.

My Contributions

UX Research, UX Strategy, UX Design, UI Design, Workshop Facilitation, Design System, Design Handoff, Stakeholder Management

Team

CPO, CCO, Editor-in-Chief, Head of IT, PM, PO, Tech Lead, Web/iOS/Android Architects, Developers, External Design Agency

Blick.ch Redesign

DESIGN LEAD · Q1 2023 – Q4 2024

The redesign overhauled the user experience, leading to improved content discovery and increased user engagement. It also provided better content recirculation beyond the homepage. Additionally, we introduced a 70% increase in ad monetization opportunities to counter a stagnating market without adding friction for users.

Reimagining the news experience and ad strategy.

Challenge

The Blick.ch news platform faced an overcrowded homepage, leading to 80% of traffic being confined to it, and users dropping off at just 25% down the page. A shallow “snacking” home>article>home user journey limited content discovery. Additionally, a dwindling advertising market threatened the existing monetization strategy.

Solution

We completely redesigned the homepage structure to be more rigid and help users easily find the content they want. A new cascading content layout now establishes a clearer hierarchy between breaking and regular stories, which encourages users to scroll and discover more. On the article level, we introduced recirculation components to provide users with opportunities to dive deeper into a topic. For the desktop experience, a new side column significantly increases ad space without disrupting the reading flow.

Impact

25% increase in homepage scroll depth

10% increase in session duration

20% increase in overall ad slots

All quantitative metrics have been anonymized or modified to protect sensitive business information.

My Contributions

UX Research, UX Strategy, UX Design, UI Design, Workshop Facilitation, Design System, Design Handoff, Stakeholder Management

Team

CPO, CCO, Editor-in-Chief, Head of IT, PM, PO, Tech Lead, Web/iOS/Android Architects, Developers, External Design Agency

Initial look and feel explorations to achieve a bolder design language fit for a tabloid.

Immersive breaking news.

For critical breaking news, we introduced an immersive mobile state that extends the lead teaser image to the very top edge of the screen. By removing standard UI borders and utilizing the full display, we create an immediate visual impact that signals the urgency of the event.

A PoC prototype was tested with real Blick users to assess the appetite for new features and content formats.

From quick snacking
to sustained engagement

Data showed that most users stopped reading after only 25% of the homepage. To address this "snacking" behavior, we moved discovery paths higher up the page to capture attention before users bounced. By reducing cognitive friction and rewarding readers with diverse content formats throughout the scroll, we aimed to create deeper engagement.

The legacy layout (left) relied on high visual noise and constant urgency, which quickly led to user exhaustion. The redesign (right) introduces intentional rhythm between transient and sustained reading moments.

Making each scroll better.

On mobile we focused on creating downward scrolling momentum. Each module starts with a high-impact "lean-forward" teaser to grab attention, followed by smaller "lean-back" items that are easier to scan. To prevent users from bouncing, we strategically placed interactive widgets like video carousels at transition points to reignite interest.

On desktop we used the common F-pattern layout to optimize content hierarchy and increase ad density without compromising readability or the user experience.