MY ROLE
Product & Visual Design, Intern
TYPE
Internship
DELIVERABLES
Mobile & Web Design, Branding
TIME
Jun - Sept 2025
LOCATION
San Francisco
OVERVIEW
The San Francisco Standard is an independent digital news outlet covering local news, politics, and culture.
As a product design intern, I owned the end-to-end redesign of the membership paywall, optimizing subscription conversion for 1M+ monthly readers. I also designed new content recommendation modules to drive multi-article readership, and launched the games hub and podcasts page to capture new audience segments.
IMPACT
FEATURE 1
I owned the end-to-end redesign of the membership paywall, optimizing subscription conversion for 1M+ monthly readers.
GOALS
User Growth
Build a sustainable base of engaged subscribers
Revenue Growth
Ensure a consistent revenue stream with monthly growth
IMPACT
Frictionless User Experience
Designed clear and intuitive flows that minimize drop-offs.
Conversion Focused
Converted casual readers into subscribers toward seamless sign-up and subscription
UX RESEARCH
What makes Paywalls Effective?
The Good
Nieman Lab
UX RESEARCH
What are the Industry Standards?
The New York Times
Los Angeles Times
UX ANALYSIS
UX Analysis of the Existing Paywall
I analyzed the existing paywall experience across the entire article consumption flow to understand user friction points and identify opportunities for improvement.
1ST & 2ND ARTICLE
Soft Paywall
Article is free for users and requires prompts for sign in
3RD ARTICLE
Soft Paywall
Last free article and need for nudge towards subscription
4TH ARTICLE
Hard Paywall
Users needs to subscribe, needs clearer benefit for subscription
UX Research
User Segmentation & Behaviors
Quick research into understanding user segments, entry points and existing user patterns
Analytics
Segmented users by behavior patterns and entry points using existing data.
Collaboration with PM
Customer calls run by the Head of Product
Meetings with Stakeholders
Editorial Teams, Marketing Teams and Engineering teams
INSIGHTS
What is Causing Friction?
67% of traffic from social media bounced within few seconds of hitting the platform
Social visitors need to have a reason to stay
41% of users cited didn't see the value in paying for subscription
Onboarding and ongoing value reinforcement matters
64% found pricing overwhelming
What if I pay and don't like it?
INSIGHTS
Who are the Users?
In the age of unlimited free content, convincing users to pay for access can be challenging....
The Busy Commuter
Consumes news on the go wants to get know daily updates in fast and personalized manner.
“I’ll pay if coverage feels uniquely ‘for me’ and worth my limited time and busy schedule”
The Newcomer
Recently moved to San Francisco and looking to get to know the city and community.
“I’ll pay if news helps me genuinely get to know the city better and is worth the money.”
Long-Time Locals
Settled older locals who want a deep dive into content and are strongly active in city politics.
“I’ll pay if the news adds value to my existing news consumption and gives me reasons to stay for long.”
INSIGHTS
Where are Users Coming from?
DESIGN APPROACH
Design Principles
Reduce Friction
Anchor user intent make subscribing feel like the next natural next step.
User Trust
Build user trust before selling using transparent language and genuine proof of value.
Immediate Value
Convey the value they will receive by subscribing, including any additional benefits.
Establish a USP
Highlight key values of The San Francisco Standard that motivates users to join.
UI UPDATES
The Updated Paywall Designs
Soft Paywall (1st/2nd Articles free)
Soft Paywall (3 Article free)
Hard Paywall (4th Article)
HAND OFF
Dev Hand Off & Responsive Design
FE considerations implemented
Responsive design for all breakpoints (mobile - desktop)
RANGE OF FEATURES
Growth, Expansion for New Audience
FEATURE 2
Read-More Modules
1
Turned single visits into deeper sessions
Move from article into multi-page content journeys.
2
Visibility through smarter recommendations
Uses real-time analytics (and future personalization) to show relevant stories
3
Balance automation with editorial control
Providing flexibility to the editor to choose certain articles overriding algorithm suggestions some cases
END OF ARTICLE PLACEMENT
Design Refresh
Fresh visual design with images, titles, CTA’s, and tags
Smart recommendations by category, author, popularity
Editor Flexibility
In-line Placement
Clear but, unobtrusive
Smart recommendations by category, author, popularity
Placement and flexibility
FEATURE 2
Routle: The Muni Guessing Game
I owned the end-to-end design for the launch of a new games hub to drive daily habit-forming engagement and capture casual readers
GOALS
Increase Engagement
Increase visit frequency and build daily reader habits through interactive content
IMPACT
Drove engagement and brought in new users
Drove repeat visits with daily games, increasing return rate by 18%
WIREFRAMES
The MVP Design
UI DESIGN
Complete User Experience
FEATURE 4
Podcasts
I owned the end-to-end design for the launch of a new games hub to drive daily habit-forming engagement and capture casual readers
GOALS
Increase Engagement
Expand content formats to reach audio-first audiences and deepen brand engagement
IMPACT
Engagement and Discovery
Created a streamlined discovery experience for 10+ podcast episodes
Created a streamlined discovery experience for 10+ podcast episodes
Grew cross-platform engagement, extending reader touchpoints beyond the site
CONCLUSION
Key Takeaways
How to successfully bring about a mutual balance between business needs and user experience
Design principles and values go the long way
Focus on UI Patterns and Industry Standards
Gained experience tying design choices to analytics and A/B tests - aligning creativity with business goals.
Developed UI strategies that make users feel supported, essential for designing products people rely on daily.