AJ+
Global digital-only news community for a connected generation Read More
Company
Qatar-based Al Jazeera Media Network is a multinational media corporation operating Arabic and English news channels. With over 20 outlets and 82 bureaus around the globe, the network is among the world’s largest news organisations with the most diverse newsrooms.
Objective
Developing a brand-new format targeted at younger demographics, Al Jazeera was facing up to changing media consumption behaviour: news overload, drastically decreasing attention spans, and deeper engagement in social media. The newly assembled AJ+ Editorial team needed a modern user interface where stories would flourish. The Platforms team was looking for a modular structure with a robust content management system to support multiple platforms. The Engagement team desired to entice users with the news stories on a variety of devices.
Digitalist’s Input
We partnered with Al Jazeera to reimagine the news media experience for a “connected generation” that consists of young adults, mostly under 35 years old. Digitalist has been employing the Digitalist methodology to the full with this ground-breaking project. We helped define the concept for the digital media channel using design research to dig into the lifestyle and preferences for the constantly connected generation.
Results
Digitalist has designed and delivered to AJ+ a fully working digital end-to-end solution to ensure a consistent experience across platforms.
We worked with Digitalist on the first phase of AJ+. This pretty much built the foundations of what AJ+ is today. At that stage AJ+ was literally venturing into the unknown. We were solving problems at the intersection of technology and media with a UX centric focus. With a very rigid timeline that did not allow for any breathing room, we relied on Digitalist's expertise across project management, design and engineering to build a great product that has grown to be one best performers in its segment within a year.