The Economist — From MVP to App of the Day
Overview
Design and build a new mobile application that unifies The Economist’s weekly magazine and digital-only content into one seamless experience.
Problem Statement
In 2017, The Economist had 11 separate iOS apps and 13 for Android. Content was fragmented across multiple streams, and most print subscribers were not engaging with their digital access.
Goals
- Deliver a high-quality mobile experience for new subscribers
- Help existing subscribers easily access all The Economist content in one place
Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Through interviews and usability testing with existing and
potential subscribers, we uncovered friction points that
guided our MVP vision.
A compact, three-person
team — consisting of a Project Manager, Developer, and
myself — built in 3 months the first functional prototype.
The MVP focused on presenting the print magazine in a
streamlined, easy-to-read digital format.
I was responsible for mapping user journeys, crafting
wireframes, and defining both the UI and visual
direction.
Following the successful MVP release, we
received approval to build the full-featured mobile
application.
User Research & Iteration
As the project grew, so did our team. With dedicated user research integrated into every sprint, we adopted a dual-track agile process — discovery (UX and research) and delivery (development and QA) running in parallel.
Over the course of the project, I created
more than 50 prototypes — from rapid
A/B test versions to polished, high-fidelity flows — ensuring
design decisions were validated with real users before
development.
This process allowed us to stay closely
aligned with user needs while maintaining delivery velocity.
Final Solution
After 10 months of development, the new
Economist app launched in May 2018
for iPhone users. The app seamlessly integrates website
content, print and audio editions, and
Espresso — the brand’s daily
briefing.
Within the first six months, the app
was recognized twice by Apple as
“App of the Day,” reinforcing its
success and quality.
Note
All information in this case study was publicly presented at The Eastcode event - The Economist and Globallogic - Modern mobile app development - June 7th, 2018
