Nugget
1819 Innovation Award Winner (DAAPWorks 2025)
An app which reformats the daily news for a uniquely Gen Z Audience.
(slay)
How it works:
1.
Nugget scours the internet for news.
2.
Using 3-5 sources, Nugget uses AI to create summaries of news stories relevant to the user, including text & video content.
3.
Once a day, Nugget will update the user’s feed with 3-5 news stories based on the user’s preferences and location.
Process:
Problem Space:
42% of Americans actively avoid the news. 15% avoid the news altogether. *
That’s over half of everyone in the country.
Gen Z news avoiders are disinterested in following the news because they feel disconnected from and depressed by the content they’re seeing.
Additionally, attention spans are dropping, as the average human attention span is only about 8 seconds (in comparison, a goldfish’s attention span is about 9 seconds) and most news content does not appeal to this formatting.
For instance, I’m willing to bet you’re not reading this text - just skimming through as you scroll to the images (This isn’t a ‘gotcha’ - honestly? I do the same thing).
Research:
Formative Research
User Survey
User Interviews
User Personae
Competitor Profiling
Results:
Users believe the news is formatted for older audiences, but not for them.
News needs to create value for the community rather than just restating facts.
News feels unapproachable for Gen Z - they don’t know where to start.
Users prefer short form, visually-based content.
Every person has unique reasons for following or avoiding the news.
Design Solution:
The Nugget app tackles the problem of disinterest in the news with several different methods:
Because of Gen Z’s preference for short form, visual-based content, Nugget will use AI to generate a limited number of ‘bite sized’ stories, prioritizing visuals but still providing text-based reading modes.
Because stakeholders tend to have difficulty trusting what they read online, Nugget will use various sources to create summaries and cite each source it uses. Additionally, users will also be able to select which AI model they use to create summaries.
To create value for the user, Nugget’s news categories will focus on the value the stories can create in each person’s life, rather than simply stating the content of the story (for example: Stories to Send Your Mom).
Finally, Nugget understands that users are often overwhelmed or depressed by consuming news. This is why Nugget will always end its daily summaries with a positive story.
Wireframing:
Animation of paper prototyping and user A/B testing.
App Organization
Content must include: video, audio, and text. RSVP reading system is priority for information absorption.
Sources must be easily available for transparency.
App must be engaging and intuitive, encouraging daily use and habit building.
User testing:
Paper Prototyping
A/B Testing
One-on-One User Testing
User Testing Results:
(Analytics and Click Tracking)
Average completion rate for each task was 90.7%.
65% of users ranked the prototype 4/5 on ease of use. 24% ranked it 5/5.
48% of users ranked the prototype 5/5 on ease of understanding, and 42% ranked it 4/5.
Users spent an average of 24.4 seconds on each task.
User Feedback:
“i realized after a bit of poking around that everything i would have added is already there! i would definitely use this app to get quick summaries of daily news, and i love that it gives plenty of options to go more in depth to specific stories.”
“This is a very well thought out and executed prototype and a clear improvement on the previous versions. An idea i think would be cool to fit in with the gen z, brainrot, ai vibes. Would allow the user to pick what ai voice reads to them.”
Screen recording of the prototype being tested in Useberry.
Data collected with Useberry.
Design Solution
Nugget app walkthrough.
Key Features:
Nugget only sends 3-5 stories per day - no ‘infinite scroll.’
We know it’s far too easy to get stuck doomscrolling.
Nugget’s news categories focus not on the content of the story, but rather what that content can do for you.
You’re not going to find another news app out there with an ‘Increase Your Aura’ category.
Nugget always ends on a positive story.
We believe in leaving things better than we found them. That includes your mental state.
For more information on Nugget’s branding and a comprehensive app overview, click here.
Scan the QR code to try the prototype on your phone!
(You don’t need the figma app to make it work, don’t worry!)
