We gave the 9GAG iOS app a complete redesign, introducing new features and improving the overall user experience. The result: A huge increase in app usage and user engagement.
Recognizing an opportunity to improve their mobile offering, 9GAG chose Fueled to strategize, design, and build an innovative, user-focused overhaul of their existing iOS app.
The Ask
9GAG (Y Combinator, 500 Startups) is the world’s largest user-generated entertainment platform site with over 2.4 billion yearly visitors, ranking it as one of the most visited sites on the web. The 🇭🇰 Hong Kong-based company was looking for ideas and development support to modernize and reinvigorate their mobile app. They quickly realized Fueled was the perfect fit.
After meeting with the 9GAG team in Hong Kong, we came to understand that the majority of users primarily visit 9GAG’s website and social media platforms to get their LOLs, leaving a huge opportunity for growth on the mobile platform. Fueled was then tasked with creating a brand-new, forward-thinking product to strengthen 9GAG’s mobile presence and motivate users to open the app instead of consuming 9GAG content through third‑party platforms.
Our team carried out extensive initial research to inform our development strategy, leaving no stones unturned. Through data analytics, user interviews and competitive analysis, we realized that in order to create a product that 9GAG followers would use consistently, we would need to focus on three key aspects: Add new features, improve usability, and increase overall speed and stability.
A Fun-Forward UI/UX
The existing 9GAG app did not adequately reflect the brand’s famous upbeat personality, so our design team focused on adding a new level of energy to the product. They introduced a lively, clever feel, optimizing the app to focus even more on the humorous content.
We injected brightness and color to the interface with new iconography and animations. Playful GIFs would appear when a user dragged down to refresh the page. Now, users are engaging the app because it represents exactly what they come to 9GAG for: the fun!
Entertaining an Expansive User Base
Creating a product for millions of passionate, highly engaged 9GAG users was at the forefront of our minds throughout every stage of the process.
We hosted a series of focus groups with hardcore users, which led us to the realization that the primary reason they didn’t use the existing app was because it lacked the crucial features and general usability of the online platform.
In response, our team designed a unique, mobile-first product that is just as serviceable as the brand’s website.
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We realized that the app needed to better highlight the essence of 9GAG.com, which is user‑generated content.
Our solution was to build in a comprehensive feature that allows users to both create and share memes on‑the‑go.
The app also features an innovative tool for reposting content, an interaction that users were previously only able to perform on the website.
We also learned that the existing app saw a significant amount of late-night usage, so we wanted to make feeds and conversations easier to read in the dark.
We introduced a dark mode toggle for regular users and automated switching for 9GAG Pro users, so the entire experience is easier on the eyes in the later hours of the day.
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One of users’ main requests for the redesigned 9GAG app was increased browsing functionality.
With that in mind, we created a dynamic interface by introducing an intuitive home button. This unique feature allows viewers to travel to new content when it arrives, while the button bookmarks their place in the feed so they can seamlessly pick up where they left off.
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After learning that 9GAG users were not able to engage certain features of their profiles in the old app, our team built new tools to bolster the accessibility of members’ account in the redesigned product.
When opening their profiles, 9GAG users can now see all of their comments and upvoted content in a navigable grid view, ensuring that they don’t have to leave their iPhones to check their stats.
Offline Mode
Connectivity is extremely important to 9GAG users because they want to be able to get their meme fix anytime, anywhere, and as fast as possible.
In order to support the spontaneous nature of user engagement with the app, we introduced a highly advanced offline browsing mode to the 9GAG app.
Catering to International Clients
One concern our international clients often have is working across time differences.
9GAG’s Hong Kong headquarters is twelve time zones removed from our New York team. However, with years of experience partnering with brands around the globe, we have mastered the art of transnational collaboration.
Our robust systems allowed us to work with the 9GAG team in a highly agile way, using digital vision boards and tech demos to get feedback on ideas.
At the end of the engagement, Fueled delivered a reimagined iOS app, tailored to provide users with a seamless meme-consuming experience.
