Redesigning Energy Shift: From a 3.5★ App to a Product People Actually Want to Use
The brief was simple: 'improve the app.' The app had a 3.5★ rating on Google Play, with users repeatedly complaining they couldn't find anything. As an intern, I ran the research, identified what was structurally broken, and redesigned the entire UX from scratch — on my own. The final proposal was approved for implementation by the PM.
Duration
4 months
Role
UI/UX Designer (Intern)
Team
1 Designer + 1 PM
Platform
iOS / Android
▲ Energy Shift — Redesigned mobile app
The Problem
Users kept saying 'I can't find anything.' That's not a visual problem — it's a structural one.
I started by reading every review on Google Play. The most common complaint wasn't about the look — it was about getting lost. 'Hard to use,' 'I can't find anything,' 'confusing navigation' — the same phrases appeared over and over. That pattern told me this was a structural problem, not a visual one. Changing the colors wouldn't help.
▲ Google Play — Actual user reviews (3.5★)
▲ Original app — Home screen before redesign
▲ Energy Shift web version — content reference for mobile redesign
Research
I had a hypothesis from the reviews. I needed data to confirm it before designing anything.
After reading the reviews, I suspected the navigation structure was broken. But a suspicion isn't enough to justify a full redesign. Before opening Figma, I did two things: I looked at research on how users actually behave in news apps, and I analyzed 5 competitor apps to see how they solved the same problem.
User Behavior Research (SAGE / MIT)
- →News app users primarily browse by category, not search
- →If users can't find their topic of interest on the home screen, they leave
- →Article discovery is strongly influenced by trending/ranking displays
Competitive Analysis — 5 Apps
- →Analyzed NHK, Yahoo News, SmartNews, NewsPicks, Gunosy
- →All 5 used bottom navigation + category tabs
- →Search placed in primary navigation — always accessible
- →Home screen organized by clear category groups
▲ Competitor apps — 6 major news apps benchmarked
▲ Competitive analysis — feature & navigation comparison
▲ User behavior data — how users arrive at news content (SAGE / MIT research)
Problem Definition
Mapping the current app structure made the problems visible — and specific.
I mapped out every screen and how they connected. Once the structure was visible, it was clear why users kept getting lost. Three specific problems emerged — each with a clear cause and a clear fix.
Unclear function hierarchy
Problem
The search bar and article detail page were at the same hierarchy level. Users couldn't tell where they were or where to go next.
Solution
Elevated search to primary navigation (always accessible). Article detail nested within content flow.
Information overload on home screen
Problem
All articles were dumped onto one screen with no logical grouping by category. Users were exhausted before finding anything interesting.
Solution
Rebuilt home as category tabs with subcategory navigation. Users navigate by interest, not by scrolling endlessly.
Non-standard icons
Problem
Custom icons were used throughout — users couldn't intuitively understand them. High learning curve, confusion, and abandonment.
Solution
Replaced with standard iOS/Android news app icon patterns. Zero learning curve — users already know what they mean.
▲ Original app screens — Home, Login, Register, Settings pages
Rebuilding the Information Architecture
I rebuilt the navigation using the same structure users already know from other news apps.
The research showed that all 5 competitor apps used the same navigation pattern. That's not a coincidence — it means users already know how to use those apps. When people open Energy Shift, they bring that expectation with them. The redesign was about meeting that expectation instead of asking users to learn a new system.
Home
Category tabs + subcategory navigation. Users browse by interest.
Search
Elevated to primary nav — always accessible. Filter options added.
Ranking
New feature. Trending articles surface discovery. Used by all 5 competitor apps.
▲ Information Architecture diagram — restructured navigation
▲ User flow & wireframes — key screen navigation design
UI Design
The UI should help users read the news — not make them think about how to use the app.
With the IA approved, I moved into high-fidelity UI design. The guiding principle was simple: in a news app, the content is the product. Every design decision was made to help users focus on reading — not on figuring out how the app works. Three things guided the visual design.
Visual hierarchy
The most important content on every screen should be instantly recognizable. Type size, weight, and color contrast communicate priority before the user starts reading.
Content-first layout
The news content is the product. The UI gets out of its way. Generous spacing and breathing room make article cards feel worth reading.
Zero learning curve
Standard news app patterns throughout. Icons, gestures, and navigation use what users already know — from day one, nothing to figure out.
All screens — Before / After
Before
Bottom nav: Home · My Page · Settings (3 items)
Home
Login
Article List
Article Detail
My Page
Settings
After
Bottom nav: Home · Search · Ranking · My Page (4 items)
Home (Latest)
Latest News
Search
Ranking
My Page
Article Detail
▲ UI Design — All screens overview (Home, Latest, Top, Ranking)
Final Features
I fixed the 3 most broken areas with the most evidence-backed solutions
After PM review, I narrowed the scope. There were many things to improve — but the final sprint concentrated on the 3 areas that were most broken and where research had already pointed to a clear answer. No improvement without evidence.
Search rebuild
The original search was buried and barely functional. Rebuilt as a primary nav element — always visible, with category filter options.
Category restructure
Clear hierarchy with subcategory tabs. Users can drill: Energy → Solar → Policy — navigating by interest rather than scrolling through noise.
Ranking feature (new)
New feature modeled after all 5 competitor apps. Trending articles give users a compelling entry point to discover content they didn't know to search for.
▲ Final UI — Homepage with category, search & ranking
Outcome
The PM approved the redesign — not just because it looked better, but because every decision had a clear reason behind it.
At the final presentation, the PM's response was 'this makes sense' — not just 'it looks good.' Each design decision was backed by user reviews, competitive analysis, and behavior research. That combination is what made the proposal convincing: every choice could be explained and traced back to evidence.
✅
Approved
for implementation
PM and team gave the green light after the final presentation
🔍
3 issues
resolved by design
Unclear hierarchy, information overload, and non-standard icons — all fixed
📱
5 apps
benchmarked
Every major design decision backed by competitive analysis + SAGE/MIT research
▲ Final design — approved homepage view
Learnings
4 things I learned from this project
App store reviews are a valid starting point for research
I had no user interviews, so I used reviews as my primary source. The key is not reading them for sentiment, but looking for patterns. When many different users say the same thing, it's a signal worth investigating.
You can't fix what you can't see
The navigation problems were obvious once I drew the IA diagram — but invisible when just using the app. Mapping out the structure made the issues concrete enough to explain, discuss, and fix.
Using familiar patterns is a deliberate design choice
I chose standard news app navigation patterns because the research pointed to them — not as a shortcut. When 5 different apps all independently use the same structure, that's a strong signal that users already understand it.
A design proposal needs clear reasoning, not just good visuals
The PM approved the redesign because every decision had an explanation. The research, the competitor analysis, and the problem definition all supported each choice. Good-looking design without reasoning is just a suggestion.