My Role at SUEDKURIER
I've been working with the SÜDKURIER for the past five years, helping to shape the brand's digital transformation.
In my role, I continuously improve the user experience of SÜDKURIER's digital products. My work includes optimizing the UX/UI for the apps and website, designing ads for online campaigns and creating promotional videos. I place great emphasis on maintaining a consistent and appealing appearance, which strengthens the recognition and identity of the SÜDKURIER brand.
UX/UI Design
In addition to continuously improving the user experience, one of my main responsibilities is to design all digital products of SÜDKURIER in a consistent way and to ensure that the visual appearance is in line with the corporate design. This ensures immediate recognition and strengthens the brand identity. I am constantly designing new features and updating existing ones to provide users with an intuitive and enjoyable experience. My design approach is to create an intuitive user interface with an invisible design that allows users to focus on the content without being distracted by the design. Every feature that is implemented at SÜDKURIER goes through a thorough UX/UI testing to ensure that it meets the high expectations of our users and is consistent with the SÜDKURIER brand image.
I've worked on several major projects, such as the introduction of a text-to-speech function, enabling users to listen to news via audio. This feature increases accessibility and allows users to listen to news while doing other activities. It also increases user interaction, reduces cognitive strain and therefore provides an improved user experience. However, I’m also involved in smaller projects, ensuring that they are up-to-date and user-friendly. For example, I refreshed the author tags in articles, making them more accessible and visually appealing.
Illustrations in Online Campaigns
When I first started my training as a media designer at SÜDKURIER Medienhaus five years ago, I developed a strong interest in online marketing besides UX/UI design and branding. I wanted to understand how it works and what strategies exist. Soon I was able to contribute my first ideas on how to improve ad communication to achieve better performance in the digital space.
One of my ideas was to add illustrations to online campaigns in order to stand out faster in the crowded digital space and build an emotional connection with the audience to increase engagement. As a result, I developed a unique illustration style based on our target audience that provides recognizability through consistency and fits perfectly with the brand identity. In the beginning, I kept the illustrations subtle to slowly introduce the audience to it. After the first positive results, I integrated them more prominently into the ads.
The result was a significant increase in engagement and sales, doubling our revenue from these campaigns. Since then, I’ve continued to develop the illustration style and it has become a distinctive and successful part of our brand identity.
Promotional Videos
When it comes to creating promotional videos, my goal is to attract the viewer's attention and create an emotional connection from the very start. A dynamic story that leads to the desired action on the part of the user is crucial here.
One of my projects in this field was the production of a commercial for the App Store, presenting the SÜDKURIER online app. The goal was to increase app downloads.
Conclusion
In my five years with SÜDKURIER, I've had the privilege of contributing to the brand's digital evolution, crafting a seamless user experience and a cohesive visual identity. My biggest success in working for SÜDKURIER is the high level of user satisfaction that I've been able to achieve through continuous improvement and customization of the UX/UI designs. This commitment to excellence has not only strengthened our brand's presence but also ensured that our digital products resonate with our audience. As I look forward to future projects, I remain dedicated to pushing the boundaries of design and user experience.