iPAD APP | STAR TOUCHStar Touch App: The Dawn of Digital News Innovation.
Welcome to the evolution of news storytelling. This section narrates the journey of creating this industry-defining product, overcoming challenges, and celebrating triumphs.
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Steering the creation of the Star Touch App, a $24-million digital news product, within 9 months was a defining moment in my career. Launched on September 15, 2015, it promptly climbed the charts to become the #1 News iPad app and the #17 new app in Apple's top 20 in Apple Store Canada. Within three months, the app garnered 275,000 downloads, an average of 30,000 daily openings, and an average engagement time of 35 minutes.
Engage with the immersive user experience of the Star Touch app by clicking on the video.
Discover how the digital consumption of news in Canada evolved between 2015 and 2017, and gain insights into the interface that redefined how readers interacted with their daily news.
• Awarded Project of the Year by the National Newspaper Awards, 2015
• Earned a Silver Award for Best Digital Initiative at the Digital Publishing Awards, 2016
• Took home Gold for Best Multi-Platform at the Digital Publishing Awards, 2016
• Honoured with the Digital Design Award of Excellence by SND Digital, USA, 2017
• Ranked 3rd for Best Brand Awareness Campaign at the INMA Global Media Congress, New York, 2017
Swipe Left or Right Through the Award-Winning Legacy and Experience the Star Touch App in Retrospect
Kudos to the Star Touch team!
Perhaps the most rewarding facet of this endeavour was assembling the digital design department at the Star, arguably one of the most talented teams in the business. I want to thank everyone who worked on my team:
Design manager: Paolo Zinatelli.
Art directors: Taylor Shute, Danyal Fallah, Bradley, Reinhardt, and Adam Taylor.
Designers: Mishelle Menzies, Jose Ongpin, Jae Yang, Sara, Plavsic, Henwick Yiu, Olusegun Adebajo, Michele Vincini, Boen Jiang, Aaron Berge, Marina Botter, David Schnitman, Shelly Jameer, Andy Kolenberg, Edward Chu, Lea Kaplan, Chi Deng, Anthony Capano, Sana Sheikh, Xuefei Ji, David Caterini, Janine Wong, Anya Bogatch, Derek Ma, Weiwei Sun, Tim Schjins, Sanjay Pinnock, Jen O’Dowd, Adam Oliver and Lisa Mancini.
Digital Producers & Copy Editors: Frank Butty, David Washburn, Brian Liu, Sarah Del Giallo, George Achi, Allendria, Brunjes, Scott Rennie, Sahar Fatima, Ed Tubb, Mark Teo, Chris Hanna, Andrea MacDonald, Robert Gibson, Andrew Bates, Tara Deschamps, David Kates, Eric Stober, Tanis, Fowler, Mallika Viegas, Chelsea Maclachlan, Lina Toyoda, Marcel Vander Wier, Kelsey Wright, Daniel Bitonti, Tomas Hachard, Swati Bhatt Vyas, Robin Grant, Courtney Greenberg, Nicole Riva, Ali Zafar, Romi Levine, Jarrett Churchill, Stacey McLeod, Dawn Cuthbertson, Perry King, and Kerri Breen.
My deepest gratitude goes to Jane Davenport, Rick Laiken, Jon Filson, and Amit Shilton, who played a significant role in the Star Touch project with their exceptional talents and dedication. I would also like to sincerely thank the entire Photo and Video Department for their remarkable contributions. A special acknowledgment goes to Photo and Visual Editor Taras Slawnych, whose creativity and commitment proved invaluable. Their collective efforts have been extraordinary, and I want to thank them all for their invaluable contribution to this project's success.