1. Context and Problem

vc.ru is a popular media platform that aggregates news, articles, and blogs on business, technology, and startups. As the volume of content and user engagement increased, there arose a need to improve the user experience with the news feed in the mobile app. Previously, users could only see a limited number of posts and had to manually load new pages of content. This slowed down the process of consuming information, reduced engagement, and created inconvenience when using the mobile app.

Task: To design and implement an infinite news feed in the vc.ru mobile app that would increase time spent on the platform, improve content consumption, and simplify navigation.

2. Role and Responsibilities

In this project, I served as the product designer. My main tasks were:

• Researching current user problems when interacting with the news feed.

• Designing a new interface with an infinite feed and smooth content loading.

• Ensuring easy adaptation of the infinite feed for mobile devices.

• Conducting testing and implementing the solution in the app.

3. Work Process

Stage 1: Research

1. Analysis of the current state: Before the redesign, users interacted with a paginated feed. Each page loaded a limited number of articles (20-30 posts), and users had to manually refresh the feed to access new content, which:

• Made it difficult to smoothly browse content.

• Interrupted the immersion in content, as users could lose context if they closed the app and returned later.

• Caused delays in loading new articles.

2. User feedback: Collected feedback from active users revealed the following problems:

• Inconvenient navigation: Users had to press the button multiple times to load the next page, reducing engagement.

• Disrupted content flow: Users often lost interest when they had to load content manually.

• Load times: Switching between pages caused delays in new articles appearing, which worsened the overall experience.

Stage 2: Designing the Solution

Based on the research, the key goals for the new infinite feed were identified:

• Smooth content loading:

  • Content should automatically load as the user scrolls down the page, without requiring manual action to load the next set of articles. This helps users immerse themselves more deeply in the feed, minimizing distractions.

• Easy navigation:

  • It’s important that users can seamlessly navigate through the feed and easily return to previous posts, even if they close the app. A "position memory" feature was implemented to remember where users left off.

• Optimized load times:

  • The mobile app’s performance needed improvement to ensure fast loading of new articles without delays, especially on slow internet connections.

• Content personalization:

  • We added algorithms for personalized article suggestions based on users' preferences and activity on the platform.

Stage 3: Prototyping and Design

1. Infinite feed interface:

   • We created several prototypes of the infinite news feed, adapting it for various mobile screen sizes. The feed used large preview images, brief headlines, and text snippets, allowing users to quickly scan content without opening a full article.

   • To make news easier to digest visually, we added dividers between content categories (e.g., news, blogs, articles), helping structure the feed.

2. Smooth content loading:

   • We developed an animation for smooth content loading so the process would be seamless for users. The feed automatically loaded new articles as the user scrolled, preserving the current context.

3. Additional interface elements:

   • A pop-up notification “new articles available” was implemented, allowing users to load fresh content without having to manually refresh the page.

   • A loading indicator was also added so users would know when content was loading, ensuring there was no discomfort or confusion.

Stage 4: Testing and Optimization

We conducted several rounds of testing:

• In early testing stages with focus groups, users noted significant improvements in the ease of consuming content. The smooth loading eliminated the need to interact with buttons, and the adaptive interface made the process of reading news more consistent.

• We also measured key metrics such as time spent by users in the app, the number of articles viewed, and the frequency of users returning to the news feed.

• Based on test results, we optimized the content loading process to reduce wait times. Caching of articles was added on the client side for fast display when revisiting the feed.

Stage 5: Implementation and Support

After completing testing and final adjustments, the infinite news feed was implemented in the vc.ru mobile app. We also ran an educational campaign for users, explaining new features like auto-loading and feed personalization.

4. Results

The results of implementing the infinite feed in the vc.ru mobile app exceeded expectations:

• Increase in time on platform: The average time users spent in the app increased by 30%, indicating higher engagement thanks to the infinite feed.

• Growth in the number of articles viewed: The number of articles viewed by users increased by 40%, as they could consume content continuously without having to reload pages.

• Improved user experience: Positive feedback from users confirmed that the infinite feed made the process of reading news and articles more convenient and smooth.

5. Conclusions and Reflection

The redesign of the news feed and the implementation of infinite scrolling significantly improved the user experience on vc.ru. Users can now consume content effortlessly, increasing their engagement and satisfaction. The main takeaway was understanding that optimizing content consumption processes is key to increasing time spent on the platform and enhancing interaction with content. In the future, further personalization of the feed based on user preferences and past activity could be explored.