Behind the Scenes of the Design Process

Take a look behind the curtain at how Pigeon News took shape—through constant refinement, creative problem-solving, and a focus on clarity, usability, and impact.

Initial Sketches and Ideation

These early sketches capture the foundation of Pigeon News. From rough wireframes to layout ideas, this phase was all about exploring structure, flow, and core functionality before moving to digital design.

Brainstorming the Displaying of Content for Good Browsing

Designing an app that combines strong UI principles with effortless navigation—especially for something as dense and ever-changing as global news—is no small task.

The goal was to create multiple intuitive pathways for users to explore large volumes of content, making the experience feel fluid and instinctive, not overwhelming or cluttered like many existing platforms.

Pinning Down a Feature for Healthy Discussion

However, to preserve the integrity of verified news, I kept the Newsfeed and Debates intentionally separate, so users can clearly distinguish between facts and opinion, without the cognitive burden of sorting through the two.

At its core, Pigeon News exists to help people stay informed, think critically, and filter out bias and noise. But being informed isn’t just about reading headlines — it’s about engaging with ideas.

That’s why I created Debates: a dedicated space for users to discuss, share opinions, and engage in civil discourse — without the toxicity often found on traditional social platforms.

However, to preserve the integrity of verified news, I kept the Newsfeed and Debates intentionally separate, so users can clearly distinguish between facts and opinion, without the cognitive burden of sorting through the two.

Exploring Gamification, Streaks, and Rewards

Pigeon News reimagines how younger audiences consume news. Traditional platforms lean on paywalls that block multi-source reading; constant subscription prompts discourage curiosity.

We go beyond standard aggregation. Instead of a paid tier, Pigeon News introduces Streaks—an engaging alternative.

Streaks reward consistent use: keep your streak, unlock premium features through participation, not payment. This fits younger habits and creates a virtuous loop where engagement drives value for both users and the platform, then ultimately, for news content creators.

Under the Hood

Get a glimpse into the inner workings of the Pigeon News prototype made in Figma. This workspace showcases the layered components, complex interactions, and animation logic that bring the interface to life.

Using Variables for Efficiency and Consistency

Variables in Figma helped maintain consistency and speed up the design process. Centralized values for colors, spacing, effects, and typography made global updates effortless and ensured a cohesive visual system across the project.

Themes

Color variables also enabled the creation of dynamic themes within the prototype. There are four main options: Dark, Light, Coffee, and Oat. Beyond the standard light and dark modes, the Coffee and Oat themes introduce warm-toned variations, offering users a more personal and inviting alternative to traditional defaults.