Starfish.

Step 01

Research and Key Insights

We began by analyzing over 20 papers, reports, and articles to understand how Gen Z interacts with online news. Three primary insights emerged: social media is the main gateway to news for young audiences; news is primarily a shared social experience; and engagement is heavily dictated by a user's ability to trust and verify information.

Step 02

User Analysis and Problem Identification

We interviewed eight Gen Z participants to dive deeper into their digital practices. Our findings highlighted a significant trust gap and emotional overload, with 6 out of 8 participants categorized as 'passive and avoidant' users who feel a lack of control over the news they encounter. To ground our design, we developed the persona of Rinaldo, a 22-year-old student who feels overwhelmed and unsure about the conflicting versions of stories he sees on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Step 03

Defining the Design Challenge

Based on our research, we formulated a core challenge: 'How might we encourage avoidant news users to get active and more involved in news reading?' This question guided our decisions on how content should be saved, how trust should be displayed, and how information could be shared effectively.

Step 04

Developing the Starfish Concept

We designed Starfish around three main pillars. Save from anywhere: users can collect content from any platform into one personal library. AI-powered verification: the system automatically checks unknown sources against trusted outlets like the BBC or CNN and provides clear credibility statuses, such as a green checkmark for verified news. Remixing: verified content is transformed into digestible formats. These Remixes can be personal, shared by the community, or curated by AI based on user interests.

Step 05

Prototyping and Evaluation

We built an initial prototype and evaluated it using eye-tracking technology and facial emotion readers. Users needed more intuitive navigation to understand where to go next. While users valued verification, we realized it needed to be even more immediately readable. And we found that static reading or video formats led to lower interest, signaling that we needed to make Read, Watch and Listen interactions more playful and dynamic.

Step 06

The Final Prototype

In our final outcome we refined the interface to be more intuitive and personalized. Onboarding and personalization: a homepage that acts as a daily digest based on user preferences. A Discover section designed to break filter bubbles by offering remixed news from various industries. Multi-format consumption: every remix offers three formats — Read, Watch or Listen — allowing users to choose the one that fits their current preference.

Step 07

Future Vision and Takeaways

Looking forward, our goal is to transform news outlets from mere sources into active partners within the app. We intend to continue testing whether the playlist format can permanently shift Gen Z habits from anxious doomscrolling to intentional, smart content consumption.