Launching an Innovative Testing Tool for the World’s Top Newsrooms

A testing tool that enabled editors to optimize headlines and images through real-time experimentation.

Background

Chartbeat is a real-time analytics platform that helps media organizations understand how readers engage with content. Editors use it to monitor traffic, track attention, and make quick editorial decisions that improve content performance.

Problem

Homepage editors wanted to improve click-through rates by choosing stronger images and headlines, but they didn’t have a way to test combinations and learn what actually worked. Most decisions were based on instinct rather than evidence, even with real-time traffic data available.

Approach

I co-led a one-week design sprint to align on the user need, define the core use cases, and validate a concept quickly. I partnered closely with product and engineering to shape an approach that would fit naturally into editors’ workflows and be feasible to build.

Solution

I led the design of a multivariate testing tool that let editors experiment with image and headline pairings directly on the homepage. Editors could test visuals, headlines, or both at once, then use live engagement data to identify and publish the highest-performing version.

The Outcome

We developed and validated the concept in a week. The prototype received strong buy-in and was approved for development. By 2020, the tool launched and was adopted by major news organizations to improve homepage engagement, becoming a new product offering that contributed to revenue growth.

Prototoype

Click play to view a prototype.

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