Role:
User experience, App design
Year:
2012
Raising kids in a digital age isn’t easy. Plugged In helps families make smarter media choices by offering reviews on movies, music, TV shows and video games. With over 1 million visitors every month, Plugged In is trusted by parents everywhere. Plugged In’s iOS offering is a handy reference for those looking for reviews on the go; however, in recent years the app had become dated and out of sync with the website.
I not only redesigned the iPhone app but also created a brand new app just for iPad. The new apps are more user friendly and easier to navigate while still offering the same quality content users can find on the website.
Off Canvas Menu
A completely redone navigation menu allowed users to quickly get to the content they wanted.
Review Templates
Entertainment industry ratings only tell you so much. Plugged In reviews go much deeper, diving into specific content and the meaning behind it. Each media type had its own template to optimize the reading experience.
Sticky Section Headers
Each review addresses a standard set of themes, making them very comprehensive, but this meant reviews could be really long. Sticky headers and fixed columns ensure that users never lost their place nor lost access to relevant links and info.
Left column remains fixed while users scroll through the review on the right.
A New Rating System
With the app redesign, Plugged In rolled out a new rating system on all movie reviews featuring their hallmark “plug”. With one tap, users could easily understand this new feature.
Updated Video Player
Users could now watch video reviews on a new, updated player optimized for mobile.
New User Features
Content filtering, the ability to save reviews to read later and a new UI dropdown for listening to the audio reviews created a better app experience. In-line ads also allowed Plugged In to insert calls to action and monetize the app moving forward.
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