Directory of AI tools and news
Increasing Engagement through Strategical Redesign of theoutpost.ai
Role
Product designer
Platform
Webapp
Tool stack
Figma, Dropbox, Davinci resolve, Final cut pro
Project Duration
6 weeks
Project description
TheOutpost.ai is a web app that provides a curated list of AI tools and the latest AI news
My role & responsibilities
Increase user engagement by adding a new feature to the site, Also attract unique visitors.Among 100 unique visitors, only 24 returned.
Increase the number of visitors through marketing by creating a launch video and social media posts, as well as short videos for YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.
Facts
Although offering a variety of curated AI tools and a list feature. Outpost.ai struggling to retain users
Among 100 unique visitors, only 24 returned.
The average duration time per user was 34 seconds.
In the first quarter after its launch, we gained only 20 subscribers.
What we wanted to achieve
Increase Session Duration
Improve User Retention
Increase Unique Visitors
Brainstorming
We analyzed the data, identified each problem, and realized we needed multiple solutions.
We aimed to introduce a feature that boosts engagement, increases repeated users, and attracts more unique visitors.
Here are the ideas with the highest ratings from affinity mapping
Create a podcast library discussing AI innovations and events.
Add a video streaming section about tool launches, related news, and AI expert interviews.
Create an events section to inform users about upcoming AI events, locations, topics, and community meet-ups
Add a news section with daily curated AI news updates.
Create a newsletter featuring weekly articles on top events, launches, news updates, and daily AI tech affairs.
Unpacking the Ideas
Podcast
To address the issue of recurring users, incorporating a podcast could be a strong strategy. It’s likely that our users will develop a habit of tuning in regularly.
Video Streaming
Similar to a podcast, this approach can help attract recurring visitors and potentially increase session duration.
Event section
By informing AI enthusiasts about live events, we can keep them updated on how they can evolve with the idea. This approach may attract unique visitors. as well as build the community.
Newletter
Creating a weekly newsletter that includes summaries of AI news, launches, and events can help increase user retention rates. It will also make loyal user base.
News
Providing curated news specifically related to AI can help users develop a habit of using our platform, attract unique visitors, extend session duration, and increase the number of recurring users. This approach could be a groundbreaking solution to many of our challenges.
Evaluating the ideas:
To give the ideas life, we first talked with the tech team to find out how much work it would take to build the features, considering our launch timeline.
We also looked at the effort needed for design and the potential impact of each idea.
Finalising ideas
As it’s coming out that, Podcast and video will take more efforts and less impact, so we decided that we will use other platforms like youtube and spotify to make awareness about the AI innovations and gain the user from there itself.
The other three Ideas - Event, NewsLetter and News section were in the High impact and low effort line, we decided to move forward with those ideas.
News section
I was responsible for adding the news section to the site. To start, I started with the secondary research and analyzed user personas that was created earlier. I also performed a competitive analysis and found that there were no competitors focusing solely on AI news. Since we were introducing something new to our users and site, I needed to prioritize the news section.
During our brainstorming sessions, we discussed whether users should see news or tools first. We considered that news is something users would check daily, whereas tools are used only when needed. This insight led us to prioritize the news section prominently to attract daily visitors and keep them engaged with fresh, relevant content.
Starting with Interface
To decide on the layout, I reviewed dedicated news platforms like CNET, The Hindu, Livemint, The Verge, and Google News. I found these platforms to be very crowded, with high cognitive load, lack of clear advertisement guidelines, repetitive news, and accessibility issues.
based on the analysis of other news platforms, I proposed to the team that we should feature a limited number of news items, each with a dedicated image and clear priority. The content should also be curated. After discussing the proposal with the team, they agreed to this approach
Wireframes
I began by sketching the layout on paper, have to make sure it should flexible enough to adapt to future changes (like varying amounts of news) and included space for advertisements, as required by business decisions.
After several iterations of wireframes, the team approved the design. I then turned these wireframes into high-fidelity designs. Thanks to our earlier work on a scalable design system, I was able to use it effectively, minimising additional effort for the news section.
Hi-Fi Screen
Outcomes
After 30 days of the launch, the results matched our expectations
we attracted 600 unique visitors, saw a 60% increase in user retention, and gained 90 new subscriptions. The average session duration also increased to 80 seconds per user.
Marketing
The Outpost continues to grow, with daily progress and new ideas being implemented. I also contributed to marketing efforts by creating engaging videos for launches and the weekly newsletter using tools like Final Cut Pro and DaVinci Resolve. These efforts helped us attract unique visitors to the site