Simon LutterSenior UX Designer
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Reddit redesign: content first

Application Design · HfG · 2016/17

A clearer hierarchy for the front page of the internet that lowers the barrier for newcomers without scaring off the core community.

Redesigned Reddit on a laptop
Role
Research, IA and UI design (team of two).
Team
Florian Deitermann, Simon Lutter · Juergen Graef
Methods
Interviews, observation, personas, user stories, Kano analysis
Context
Application Design, 3rd semester, winter 2016/17

Challenge

Great content on Reddit, like AMAs, is buried under layers of interface. A redesign could win new users but risks deterring a community used to Reddit as it is.

Landing page after the redesign
Landing page after the redesign

What we did

  1. Structure the single postThe post is the heart of Reddit. We hid secondary functions and built a clearer hierarchy there first.
  2. Scale the hierarchyApplied the same rules to navigation and side menus for a calmer overall page.
  3. Learn the system, not the kitBuilt on Material Design from first principles instead of downloaded UI kits.
Research to prototype
Margins based on the Material Design 8 px grid
Margins based on the Material Design 8 px grid

Details

Editable favouritesFavourite subreddits can be reordered via drag and drop in the navigation bar.
Submit firstSubmitting content became the first thing users see, not a hidden step.
Submit flow
Favourite subreddits