The Columbia Chronicle

A mobile-first Chronicle, designed around how students actually read news — not how newspapers have always delivered it.

I was the only person on this project — sole researcher, UX/UI designer, and developer. Over five months I ran it solo, from the first interviews through a shippable MVP.

From six interviews with students, staff, and alumni: the journalism was strong — the experience around it wasn't.

Students engaged with Chronicle content on Instagram but rarely clicked through to full articles. The site read as archival rather than current, and the tonal gap — social felt immediate and personal, the website felt formal and long-form — is where readers dropped off.

The app groups stories the way students actually form community — by department, shared experience, and what's trending — rather than by traditional news categories.

Campus events are highlighted, trending content surfaced, and the feed personalized to cut the noise. The result is one intuitive space connecting Chronicle reporting with campus conversation.

A progressive-disclosure onboarding keeps each screen to a single decision, building trust before the feed opens up.

I prototyped the full flow in low fidelity first — sign-up through the live app. Tap Next on the phone to move through onboarding, then use the arrows to walk the app screens. Scroll any screen to explore it.