Localized Widget Design for Yahoo’s Mobile Homepage

Redesigned Yahoo’s mobile web homepage for international markets with a scalable widget system tailored to local user behaviors and content needs, increasing engagement and daily usage.

Overview

Redesigned the mobile web homepage of Yahoo for international markets by introducing localized content and scalable widget modules. Through user research and close collaboration with local product managers, we identified key regional needs and user behaviors.

 

We then developed and launched contextual widgets tailored to over 10 countries, including the UK, France, Brazil, Australia, India, and Singapore. Post-launch results showed a clear impact on product growth and user engagement.

My Role

  • Participated in early user interviews and prototyping.
  • During implementation, I led the widget-related design, including design strategy, information architecture, design specifications, and final visual assets.

Goal

  • Understand local user habits and optimize the homepage to better match regional needs.
  • From a business perspective, increase homepage stickiness and raise Daily Active Users (DAU).

Design Hypothesis & User Research

User interviews revealed that many users consider the Yahoo homepage their starting point for daily news browsing. After reading news, they often navigate to other services like finance or sports. The design hypothesis was to leverage Yahoo’s diverse content offerings to surface useful information earlier and increase session frequency and time spent.

 

To validate our hypothesis, we created two homepage design concepts to evaluate different information presentation styles. We conducted in-person research in the UK and Australia, interviewing 16 local users to understand their content preferences and reading behaviors.

Two homepage information architecture options were tested to compare content hierarchy and accessibility.

Research Finding

Prototype testing and focus interviews revealed that most users preferred Option 1. They valued being able to access essential daily information immediately upon landing on the homepage. Among the various widget types, weather, finance, traffic, and sports received the most positive feedback from users.

Design Outcome

Based on research insights, I defined three core design principles: Immediate, Prioritized, and Not Disturb. These principles guided the widget design to ensure timely delivery of information, highlight essential content, and avoid disrupting the user’s browsing flow.

The initial version of the homepage and widgets launched with three core functions: weather, finance, and sports, all available globally. In addition, localized tools like lottery results and cricket scores were developed for markets such as the UK and India.

Expanding for Local and Personalized Needs

As user needs continued to evolve, we introduced additional tools tailored to specific preferences. For example, subway information was added for London and Sydney, helping users check commuting routes and real-time updates. We also launched horoscope widgets for broader regional engagement.

As the number and variety of widgets grew, we explored whether users needed the ability to customize their widget order. We proposed solutions to improve usage efficiency and developed different user flow recommendations. I also created flowcharts to help the team understand real-world contexts and improve communication.

Visual Spec Delivery

Impact

After launching in early 2019, the new homepage led to a 33% YoY increase in Mobile DAU. Homepage MAU also increased by 8%, and the success influenced the U.S. team to adopt similar design directions in other products.

Icons

LinkedIn

© 2025 Mason Chang. All Rights Reserved.

Localized Widget Design for Yahoo’s Mobile Homepage

Redesigned Yahoo’s mobile web homepage for international markets with a scalable widget system tailored to local user behaviors and content needs, increasing engagement and daily usage.

Overview

Redesigned the mobile web homepage of Yahoo for international markets by introducing localized content and scalable widget modules. Through user research and close collaboration with local product managers, we identified key regional needs and user behaviors.

 

We then developed and launched contextual widgets tailored to over 10 countries, including the UK, France, Brazil, Australia, India, and Singapore. Post-launch results showed a clear impact on product growth and user engagement.

My Role

  • Participated in early user interviews and prototyping.
  • During implementation, I led the widget-related design, including design strategy, information architecture, design specifications, and final visual assets.

Goal

  • Understand local user habits and optimize the homepage to better match regional needs.
  • From a business perspective, increase homepage stickiness and raise Daily Active Users (DAU).

Design Hypothesis & User Research

User interviews revealed that many users consider the Yahoo homepage their starting point for daily news browsing. After reading news, they often navigate to other services like finance or sports. The design hypothesis was to leverage Yahoo’s diverse content offerings to surface useful information earlier and increase session frequency and time spent.

 

To validate our hypothesis, we created two homepage design concepts to evaluate different information presentation styles. We conducted in-person research in the UK and Australia, interviewing 16 local users to understand their content preferences and reading behaviors.

Two homepage information architecture options were tested to compare content hierarchy and accessibility.

Research Finding

Prototype testing and focus interviews revealed that most users preferred Option 1. They valued being able to access essential daily information immediately upon landing on the homepage. Among the various widget types, weather, finance, traffic, and sports received the most positive feedback from users.

Design Outcome

Based on research insights, I defined three core design principles: Immediate, Prioritized, and Not Disturb. These principles guided the widget design to ensure timely delivery of information, highlight essential content, and avoid disrupting the user’s browsing flow.

The initial version of the homepage and widgets launched with three core functions: weather, finance, and sports, all available globally. In addition, localized tools like lottery results and cricket scores were developed for markets such as the UK and India.

Expanding for Local and Personalized Needs

As user needs continued to evolve, we introduced additional tools tailored to specific preferences. For example, subway information was added for London and Sydney, helping users check commuting routes and real-time updates. We also launched horoscope widgets for broader regional engagement.

As the number and variety of widgets grew, we explored whether users needed the ability to customize their widget order. We proposed solutions to improve usage efficiency and developed different user flow recommendations. I also created flowcharts to help the team understand real-world contexts and improve communication.

Visual Spec Delivery

Impact

After launching in early 2019, the new homepage led to a 33% YoY increase in Mobile DAU. Homepage MAU also increased by 8%, and the success influenced the U.S. team to adopt similar design directions in other products.

Icons

LinkedIn

© 2025 Mason Chang. All Rights Reserved.

Localized Widget Design for Yahoo’s Mobile Homepage

Redesigned Yahoo’s mobile web homepage for international markets with a scalable widget system tailored to local user behaviors and content needs, increasing engagement and daily usage.

Overview

Redesigned the mobile web homepage of Yahoo for international markets by introducing localized content and scalable widget modules. Through user research and close collaboration with local product managers, we identified key regional needs and user behaviors.

 

We then developed and launched contextual widgets tailored to over 10 countries, including the UK, France, Brazil, Australia, India, and Singapore. Post-launch results showed a clear impact on product growth and user engagement.

My Role

  • Participated in early user interviews and prototyping.
  • During implementation, I led the widget-related design, including design strategy, information architecture, design specifications, and final visual assets.

Goal

  • Understand local user habits and optimize the homepage to better match regional needs.
  • From a business perspective, increase homepage stickiness and raise Daily Active Users (DAU).

Design Hypothesis & User Research

User interviews revealed that many users consider the Yahoo homepage their starting point for daily news browsing. After reading news, they often navigate to other services like finance or sports. The design hypothesis was to leverage Yahoo’s diverse content offerings to surface useful information earlier and increase session frequency and time spent.

 

To validate our hypothesis, we created two homepage design concepts to evaluate different information presentation styles. We conducted in-person research in the UK and Australia, interviewing 16 local users to understand their content preferences and reading behaviors.

Two homepage information architecture options were tested to compare content hierarchy and accessibility.

Research Finding

Prototype testing and focus interviews revealed that most users preferred Option 1. They valued being able to access essential daily information immediately upon landing on the homepage. Among the various widget types, weather, finance, traffic, and sports received the most positive feedback from users.

Design Outcome

Based on research insights, I defined three core design principles: Immediate, Prioritized, and Not Disturb. These principles guided the widget design to ensure timely delivery of information, highlight essential content, and avoid disrupting the user’s browsing flow.

The initial version of the homepage and widgets launched with three core functions: weather, finance, and sports, all available globally. In addition, localized tools like lottery results and cricket scores were developed for markets such as the UK and India.

Expanding for Local and Personalized Needs

As user needs continued to evolve, we introduced additional tools tailored to specific preferences. For example, subway information was added for London and Sydney, helping users check commuting routes and real-time updates. We also launched horoscope widgets for broader regional engagement.

As the number and variety of widgets grew, we explored whether users needed the ability to customize their widget order. We proposed solutions to improve usage efficiency and developed different user flow recommendations. I also created flowcharts to help the team understand real-world contexts and improve communication.

Visual Spec Delivery

Impact

After launching in early 2019, the new homepage led to a 33% YoY increase in Mobile DAU. Homepage MAU also increased by 8%, and the success influenced the U.S. team to adopt similar design directions in other products.

Icons

LinkedIn

© 2025 Mason Chang. All Rights Reserved.