Background
Audience
News Consumption
Information Flow
CNN’s rapidly increasing digital audience
U.S. TV + Digital 134M
CNN has a global base of 195M followers, with 68% of it's viewers situated in the U.S. as TV and digital consumers.
U.S. Digital 127M
Within the U.S. TV and digital, 94% is accounted for by the digital segment.
U.S. Mobile 106M
Among the U.S. digital audience, 83% are mobile users.
68% of global
viewership
94% of viewership
in the U.S.
83% of U.S.
digital viewers
Analyzing CNN's current user demographics highlighted a gap in engagement levels among Gen Z users on its most popular platform, the CNN app.
Value exchange map
Supply
Cycle
Competitors
Local People & Groups
Promoters
TV & Radio
Media
Community Organizations
Local Businesses
Social Media
Religious Organizations
Neighbors
Local Issues
NGOs
Schools
Issue Organizations
Distributors
Manufacturers
Global Partners
Content Partners
Suppliers
Wholesalers
Advertisers
Tech Partners
Retailers
Society
[1] Picard, Robert G. "Value Creation and News Organizations.", April 2006.
[2] Nyamnjoh, Henrietta. "Journalists' Perceptions of Social Media as Sources of Information in Cameroon.", May 2024.
"The value of journalism has traditionally been cast as its social value based on populist democratic ideals of the value
of an informed and educated public…” [1]
In journalism practice, sources make the news. With the world today facing numerous crises… getting sources in journalism practice has become more challenging and this is negatively affecting the profession. [2]
Gen Z primarily rely on social media for news but struggle to verify sources. While they trust legacy media like CNN for credibility, they feel these outlets do not accurately reflect their perspectives and interests.
Key Stakeholders Shaping Gen Z's News Perception
Peer Network
The younger generation believes social media better connects them to their friends' lives and emotions. While many share their accomplishments online, few discuss their religious or political beliefs.
Opinion Leaders
The younger generation often gets news from personalities and influencers on social media but doesn't find them trustworthy, believing their personal biases may affect their reporting.
Problem Statement
A digital platform is needed to address Gen Z's social media news consumption by combating misinformation, fostering safe discussions with family and peers, promoting balanced perspectives, and supporting the development of their personal identities and beliefs.
Digital Discourse
Knowledge & Trust
Identity
Opportunity Space
Workshop and testing
Hypothesis
Different news content can have either a positive or a negative emotional affect.
Goal
To get participants comfortable and engaged by facilitating a light-hearted introduction to the topic of "GenZ news diet."
Activity 01: Icebreaker
Participants are introduced to four news articles from different categories (health, finance, politics, tech) and are encouraged to express their initial emotion through an emoji or a word.
Activity 02: Journey mapping
Participants are encouraged to create a journey map based on the most recent news they remember. In a conversational format, they answer qualitative questions to help us understand their motivations and struggles along the way.
Hypothesis
People are more likely to react to a news article if they find it relatable.
Goal
To understand which
types of news have the most impact, how people encounter them, and the purposes they seek
through them.
Activity 03: Incidental news
Participants are shown news content in short video format and asked to rate three videos on a scale of 1-5 based on how relatable, honest, interesting, and original they find them.
Hypothesis
Younger demographics that follow opinion leaders view them as more trustworthy than legacy media.
Goal
To visually map and prioritize the traits that build trust in opinion leaders on social media.
Opportunity 01: Digital Dinner Tables
Support discussions in digital spaces with media literacy
Enhance digital spaces to better support discussions by integrating media literacy tools.
Opportunity 02: Entertainment Factor
Support diverse content consumption formats
Amplify news watching experiences on social media platforms without compromising integrity.
Opportunity 03: Relatability Factor
Enable personalized content while maintaining credibility
Offer a multi-format news consumption experience while ensuring the news remains credible.
Opportunity 04: News Fatigue
Provide actionable follow-ups while reducing fatigue
Minimize friction in content screening and provide actionable follow-ups on issues that matter to users.
01
Screening process for selection of incubees
Verify the opinion leaders are from diverse backgrounds and align with the values of fact-based commentary.
02
Data Privacy and Transparency
Reinforce clear communication around the goals of the program and that opinion leaders disclose their involvement with CNN appropriately.
03
Avoid Perpetuating Silos
Ensure that opinion leaders are leveraging their following in a responsible way while also avoiding polarization.
Ethical Considerations
For a collaboration involving multiple stakeholders, it is crucial to maintain open communication about each participant's purpose, roles, the nature of the collaboration, and the expected outcomes. These ethical considerations ensure the outcomes align with diversity, equity, and inclusion while maintaining a safe environment for personal data, both during its production and distribution.
Design Directions
a layer of credibility
and sources
Younger Audiences
to present
by adding
while providing
news to
to get a different
perspective of
trains
their own spin
that resonate with
CNN
Opinion Leaders
their content
01
Incubator Program
Focused on source of content creation, the Incubator Program trains opinion leaders in journalistic practices for
better-informed news commentary. This ensures that their virtual content is ethically compliant, unbiased, and
factually accurate, further legitimizing their platform.
Goals
Train influential opinion leaders to combat accidental misinformation and partner with them to provide commentary on CNN news stories
on popular content platforms.
Product + Service
Create infrastructure to train opinion leaders and support media creation while maintaining journalistic integrity. Develop a service to mentor and engage with opinion leaders.
Social Impact
Expand the reach of credible news while adapting to changing news consumption behaviors.
Expected Impact
Adoption of
Cited Sources
Strengthen CNN’s reputation as a
reliable news source
by consistently delivering accurate, and unbiased news.
Measurement
Number of sources cited by the content creator.
Click-through-rate
on cited sources by users.
Quality of Audience Engagement
Promote balanced, healthy discussions on news content fostering an informed and engaged community.
Measurement
Analyzing user sentiments through their comments and feedback.
Tracking changes in sentiment over time.
02
CNN Companion & Family Hub
Focused on content consumers, the CNN Companion and Family Hub enable Gen Z to create private spaces with their family members for collaborative discussions on news and current events. This enables Gen Z to express their identity
in a safe environment that values open dialogue, fosters family harmony, and ensures they feel heard and cared for.
Case 01: CNN Companion
Step 01
News Sharing
Receive news on your personal chat
Step 02
Suspicion
News links to social media platform and raises concerns
Step 03
Solution
Scroll down to control center and activate the Deep Scan feature
Step 04
Satisfaction
Background scanning informs
you whether a
news piece is fake
Deep Scan
Bookmark
Family Hub
Audio Story
01
03
02
04
Features
Background scanning
Listen to the news
Save it for later
Switch to Family Hub
Case 02: Family Hub
Step 01
News Sharing
Receive news on your personal chat
Step 02
Deep Dive
Gather news articles from your trusted sources
Step 03
Context
Learn about news in more than one type of format
Step 04
History
Track information you care about in the larger context
01
Data Handling, and Transparency
Provide transparency and user control on data usage and storage, and utilize encryption to safeguard sensitive information.
Ensure clear communication around the features of solution and how it functions.
02
Safe Environment and Healthy Discussions
Provide users with tools to
self-moderate and keep their communications channels
safe and supportive. Create mechanisms that help to
avoid silo-ed information.
03
Feedback, Evaluation, and Help
Allow users to report issues and problems they face directly.
Consult with media literacy advocacy groups to ensure
that media literacy tools are continuously evaluated
and improved.
Ethical Considerations
When participants feel they lack agency in decision-making or are unsure about the data being collected, they may become skeptical. Even in supervised and safe environments, unintentional harm can occur, causing discomfort or information overload. It's crucial to convey to the users that they are valued. Their voices need to be heard and acted upon promptly to ensure a strong commitment to the platform and its creators, fostering trust and engagement.
Expected Impact
Cultivation of Informed Opinions
Deeper understanding and engagement with news because of meaningful discussions within the family hub.
Measurement
Time spent on
discussion threads.
Showing interest in the form of reactions.
Sharing news with other people.
Emotional
Well-being
Provides a supportive environment for users to express their thoughts and feelings about news events.
Measurement
Adoption rate of the platform.
Number of groups created.
Sentiment analysis of discussions, and feedback.
Research Recap
Who are we designing for?
Our main audience is Gen Z, consisting of individuals born between years 1997 and 2012.
What did we find about them?
Gen Z source their news from social media platforms.
They feel misrepresented by the legacy news media.
Gen Z feel frustrated with the news they get online.
What do they need?
To actively contribute in discussions.
To receive support from loved ones and technology.
To feel a sense of belonging within their inner circle and the broader community.
Following our presentation with CNN partners, both our team and their leadership favored design direction 2, which focused on developing the CNN companion and family hub concept.
Testing Phase
Analyzing the needs of Gen Z led us to adopt the Feeling Heard Framework, which consists of five metrics: voice, attention, empathy, respect, and common ground. Using this approach, we evaluated the impact across defined outcomes. To test our value proposition, we conducted remote sessions with 3 sets of intergenerational family members, using paper prototypes and sticky notes.
The "Feeling Heard" Framework
Voice
…I could say what I really wanted to say
Attention
…the other paid attention to what I said
Empathy
…the other was empathetic
Respect
… the other showed genuine interest in me
Common Ground
…we were on the
same wavelength
Source: Roos, Carla Anne, Tom Postmes, and Namkje Koudenburg. "Feeling Heard: Operationalizing a Key Concept for Social Relations." PLOS ONE 18, no. 11 (2023): e0292865. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0292865. Link
Our test findings showed that participants placed higher importance on voice, attention, and respect, while indicating less critical need for empathy and common ground compared to the other factors.
We conducted workshops with experts from the media landscape
Megan Fromm
Education Manager
National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE)
Peter Adams
Senior Vice President of Research and Design
The News Literacy Project
Megan's experience in teaching media literacy provided fresh insights, leading to an innovative design approach towards media literacy for care.
Peter Adams' expertise in developing digital tools to combat misinformation influenced the initial design decisions for CNN Chat.
Solution
00
Onboarding CNN Chat
Easily find the new "Chat" space in the bottom navigation panel. During your first onboarding, a welcome message will introduce you to "Chat", and the features it has to offer. The call-to-action will take you to the "Chat Homepage", where you can import contacts and create groups based on shared interests, general awareness, or political alignment.
The new "Chat" space in the
bottom navigation panel of the
CNN app homepage.
The welcome popup introducing
what "Chat" is, and highlighting
the features that it offers.
Add people to "Chat" and start creating groups using the icons
in the top navigation panel.
01
Source Verification
When sharing sources from third-party platforms on CNN Chat, a "verified source" tag shows if the content is from a recognized news organization and includes the heading and link to the original article.
Outcome
People are encouraged to voice their opinions and share news more freely.
It avoids the spread of misinformation.
It saves you time on verifying sources by yourself, and helps identify legitimate new sources.
Target "Feeling Heard" metric
Voice
The blue "Verified Source" tag in the top left corner of the thumbnail.
02
Promise to Reply
We recognize that people may not always have time to respond to messages. Now, you can simply tap the "Promise to Reply" button on a message bubble, which lets the
other party know that you've acknowledged their message
and will respond later.
Outcome
Acknowledging responses conveys a sense of respect.
Target "Feeling Heard" metric
Respect
A modal with additional actions after tapping "Promise to reply."
A popup reminding the person to respond to their "Promise to reply."
03
Read articles with your family
You can now read articles with family and friends. While reading together, you can see each other's progress, highlight key sections, and leave comments. You can also share these highlights and comments in the group chat!
Outcome
People develop stronger bonds when they pay attention to each other's interests.
Target "Feeling Heard" metric
Attention
Tap the highlight icon to mark important sections of an article. You can also edit your existing highlights.
Add comments to your highlights that are linked to the article, and you can also share them in other chats.
In an article, see others' highlights and comments in different colors alongside their profile photos.
04
Companion Search
Participate in discussions and enrich ongoing conversations by using the "Companion Search" to swiftly locate article summaries and discover related stories.
Outcome
It empowers people to engage in discussions rather than simply reacting to comments.
People gain a complete understanding of the story, leading to informed opinions.
It results in a focused exploration instead of getting lost in a multitude of related articles.
Target "Feeling Heard" metric
Voice
The "Companion Search" assistance in an ongoing conversation.
Key Design Decisions for "Companion Search"
The Companion Search underwent 3 redesigns following continuous testing and feedback from Gen Z. Over time, improvements were made to the color scheme, information & visual hierarchy, icon design and functionality,
and overall accuracy of certain features.
The term "Companion" did not fully capture the intended purpose.
The background color was distracting the reader's focus.
The background image made it challenging to identify the user profile.
People found the action button to be confusing.
Text sizes were excessively large for mobile screens.
"Learn with AI" was too vague and did not convey a human touch.
Linking to third-party sources provided a means to exit the app.
The "Copy" feature represented a step-backward interaction instead of a step-forward interaction.
Iteration 01
Iteration 02
The text hierarchy could be enhanced to better highlight specific elements.
The text size was incorrect, and the article description was missing the author's name.
Visual elements like section dividers were unnecessary.
Iteration 03
Final Design
Expected Impact
Through CNN Chat, it is expected that Gen Z engagement and trust will increase with the CNN platform, positioning it as a reliable source not only for verifying news authenticity but also for providing a space for healthy family discussions around current events, including sensitive topics, and encouraging users to share credible information within their social circles.
Credibility
News Dialogue
Family Harmony
Learnings
What worked
Co-design with your target audience from start to finish
We collaborated with three families, including Gen Z and their parents, from the research phase through to the usability testing of our final design. The insights gathered at each stage were evidence-based, enabling participants to effectively identify what was working and what was not.
Collaborate with industry experts and discover new insights
Engaging with community partners such as NAMLE and the News Literacy Project uncovered previously unexplored areas that led to innovations aimed at addressing two closely related challenges: intergenerational family communication and news discussion.
What did not work
Don't get attached to your ideas, not all will make it to the end
During the brainstorming phase we generated many exciting ideas, all based on thorough research. However, due to project scope and timeline constraints, not all could be pursued. As a team, we chose which concepts to test and stored the others in an "idea bank" for future consideration.
Testing with familiar faces may yield limited or skewed insights
We were fortunate to have access to a Gen Z audience, making it easy to recruit participants for the initial interviews. However, to gain diverse perspectives during the testing phase, we planned to conduct intercept interviews. After speaking with 3-4 groups in a park, we found a willing group of Gen Z participants whose feedback ultimately challenged our initial hypothesis.
Highlights from our interviews, testing, presentations, and outings
Credits
Team Members Rhea Chandy, Yi Cao, Sugandh Agrawal, Self
Special Appearance Navneet Vaid, Mrunal Suryawanshi, Eeshani Barve
CNN Chat
Social Impact
Media Literacy
Research & Design
Year
2024
Duration
32 Weeks
Team
4 People
What?
An online platform promoting media literacy and fostering discussions among Gen Z news consumers and their families and friends.
Why?
Gen Z often find news on social media unreliable, incomplete, and not engaging or relevant to
their interests.
How?
Gen Z shape their opinions through friends, family, and trusted social media influencers.
These insights can inform a platform designed to address their challenges.
CNN Chat Offerings
From left to right
Sharing an Article
Promise Button
Article Interactions
*Designed by the team
The CNN Companion
A feature within the CNN Chat to assist you in building arguments for your group chats.
From left to right
Companion Search
Article Summary
Article for Reference
*Designed by me
Origin - Punjabi
Hello ji! 🙏
Meaning
A polite and cheerful way of greeting one another.
Do you like my Eames Hat? Let’s chat and find out what else do we have in common...
Hit Me Up
shubham.jumde@gmail.com
Socials
⚡ Powered by Framer
🎨 Curated by Shubham Jumde
© Copyright 2024
