Night story
Bite-sized horror stories in audio and text for creepy-fans
Mobile app
Landing
Branding
Player
About
Night Story is a small startup of enthusiasts with a vision to create the best app for lovers of creepy stories.
When I joined this project, there was no development progress, or confirmed features list, and no UX or UI design work had been undertaken.
My role
Designed a mobile app (iOS & Android) from scratch as a solo designer
Worked with a startup team to refine the MVP concept through research, brainstorming sessions, and ideas contribution
Created brand identity, landing page, style guide, and other assets within the application
Problem
Consumers struggle to find & enjoy stories
Existing platforms are fragmented, compelling consumers to surf across multiple websites.
Most apps are not built for bite-sized content, making the experience less convenient and enjoyable for users.
Process
During this step, my main goal was to understand industry trends. I looked into similar apps, indirect competitors, and content creators to identify market patterns, strengths, and weaknesses.
Research
When and why do users consume stories?
The next step was to understand users routines and habits to gain deeper insights into their behavior.
-> Before sleep
Using stories to relax and unwind before sleepy time for soothing experience.
-> On the way
Serving as on-go entertainment during commutes or walks.
-> Just for fun
Immersing themselves in captivating narratives, whether alone or with friends.
We talked to fans of creepy stories and reviewed hundreds of user comments, competitor reviews, and creator videos to find common issues and frustrations.
😡
Disruptive ads
Banners and especially audio-ads disrupt users' experience, making them annoyed.
🕘
Time-consuming
Searching for stories is exhausting as users have to scroll through numerous low-quality options.
😔
Poor journey
Users can't switch between text & audio formats. Poor history tracking causes them to encounter the same stories again and again.
🐞
Glitchy apps
Creepy-oriented apps are old, laggy, and don't support the audio format, providing a bad user experience.
We gathered all the insights and identified user pain points as opportunities to stand out from competitors and improve the user experience.
This stage was key in laying the foundation for the design and development process.
During brainstorming sessions, we:
Prioritized features based on their impact on user satisfaction and ease of implementation.
Created a user flow to highlight the essential elements needed for a smooth experience.
We chose to prioritize these features and principles, even though they require more content work and technical effort:
Uninterrupted listening, with no disruptive ads.
Advanced filters, sorting and searching options
Seamless integration of reading and listening functionalities, player must work 🤌
Curated collections and playlists for easy discovery
Solution
Based on users' preferred usage times and the app’s overall vibe, I chose a full dark theme.
The logo, inspired by the creepy theme, features a sleek and minimalistic eye design.
I created a comprehensive style guide that covers spacing, colors, typography, and components library to ensure consistency throughout the app.
Conclusion
Night Story launched in November 2023 and received a great amount of positive feedback in store reviews.
From a design perspective, we were pleased to find that no critical issues were identified that would affect the user experience within the app.
Night Story's team is currently focused on testing hypotheses and addressing any potential bugs.
📈 17k
users gained in 1 month
⭐ 4.8
average in Apple Store
💘 150+
reviews
While negative feedback can be frustrating, having been involved in the project from the start, I’ve learned that no product is immune to it. Embracing this fact has helped me turn negative feedback into opportunities for improvement.
Good design is essential, but technical issues often play a bigger role in user satisfaction. Collaborating with the dev team ensures we prioritize user experience and achieve a balanced MVP.
Negative feedback is inevitable, but it’s an opportunity for growth.