Overview
FT Edit is a curated, mobile-first editorial product from the Financial Times, designed to offer a slower, more intentional way to consume news through a daily selection of eight handpicked articles.
In Q2 2025, we migrated FT Edit from its standalone app into the main FT iOS app, making this the primary way users accessed the product.
The business goal was clear: reduce product fragmentation, improve discoverability, and unlock direct in-app subscription journeys. The design challenge was more nuanced. FT Edit had built strong loyalty through its calm, focused reading experience, and that needed to be preserved within a much busier product ecosystem.
I led the UX strategy for the migration, shaping the end-to-end experience across discovery, migration, onboarding, subscription, and retention. A key part of the work was ensuring the journey felt seamless across multiple user states, from existing FT Edit subscribers through to new FT users discovering the product for the first time.
Impact
28% of standalone FT Edit users migrated within the first four weeks, outperforming the initial target of 20%
Trial activations increased by 15% following the introduction of preview content and a soft registration flow
User feedback consistently described the migration as seamless and unobtrusive
Annual and monthly in-app purchase plans launched successfully and continue to show stable performance
My Role
I led the product design work across the migration strategy and experience design.
This included:
defining the migration and discovery journeys across the FT ecosystem
mapping user states and subscription logic
designing entry points, access rules, and conversion flows
aligning design decisions with product, engineering, legal, and commercial requirements
protecting the editorial tone and familiarity that existing FT Edit users valued
This was a highly collaborative piece of work that required strong product thinking as much as UX craft.
The Challenge
The core challenge was balancing two competing needs, preserve what existing users loved while integrating the product into a more complex app ecosystem.
FT Edit users had high engagement and strong loyalty, largely driven by its simplicity and focused reading experience.
Research showed:
4.6 minute average session length
61% article completion rate
Both significantly outperformed the main FT app benchmarks, reinforcing that the product’s simplicity was a key part of its value.
This meant the migration could not feel like a forced platform move.
Alongside this, we needed to solve for:
multiple subscription states
Apple in-app purchase compliance
low-friction discovery for new users
clear value communication for existing FT subscribers
zero disruption for loyal FT Edit readers
The risk was clear: improved commercial performance at the expense of reader trust.
Research and Discovery
I led the early discovery phase to understand both user behaviour and migration risk.
Behavioural analysis
Using Amplitude, I analysed usage patterns across both products to understand where FT Edit was outperforming and where friction existed.
The most important insight was that FT Edit’s engagement depth was materially stronger than the core FT app.
This became a key strategic principle:
protect the calmness of the reading journey
rather than forcing FT Edit into existing FT app patterns.
Qualitative research
Working with customer care and product teams, I reviewed user interviews, survey feedback, and support logs.
The strongest recurring theme was simplicity.
Users consistently valued:
focused article selection
minimal distractions
predictable interaction patterns
editorial tone over promotional messaging
This directly informed our navigation and onboarding decisions.
Strategic design thinking
Rather than approaching this as a simple migration flow, I reframed it as a multi-entry ecosystem problem.
I mapped four key journeys:
existing FT Edit subscribers
anonymous users
registered non-subscribers
existing FT subscribers unfamiliar with Edit
This allowed us to design around intent and state, rather than forcing a single generic flow.
This was one of the most important strategic decisions in the project.
Design approach
The design principle throughout was familiarity without duplication.
I wanted existing FT Edit users to feel immediately at home, while ensuring the experience still felt native to the FT app.
Key design decisions included:
retaining familiar content hierarchy and article card structure
preserving swipe and scroll interaction behaviours
introducing soft preview access for new users
positioning FT Edit as a premium editorial feature, not a sales surface
using calm, editorial microcopy over conversion-led messaging
A major focus was reducing cognitive load during migration.
For existing FT Edit users, the transition was intentionally reduced to a single clear action from the standalone app into the integrated FT experience.
This dramatically reduced drop-off risk
Cross-functional leadership
This project required strong collaboration across multiple teams.
I worked closely with:
product managers on business goals and funnel performance
engineers on routing logic and state management
legal and compliance on Apple billing requirements
editorial and marketing on tone and messaging
design peers on accessibility and design system consistency
A large part of my role was aligning competing priorities without compromising the user experience.
Outcome
The migration launched in April 2025, with public rollout shortly after.
Within the first month:
migration adoption exceeded target
trials increased
user satisfaction remained strong
no major disruption issues were reported from existing FT Edit users
Most importantly, we successfully improved product discoverability and subscription performance without losing the calm editorial experience that made FT Edit successful in the first place.
That balance between business needs and user trust was the real success of the project.
FT Edit migration
Financial Times
2025
FT Edit is a curated, mobile-first editorial product from the Financial Times, designed to offer a slower, more intentional news experience through.
... Seb brought a much needed pair of fresh eyes and delivered beyond our expections.
Bill M.
CEO of ACrew4U
App Onboarding
Financial Times
2025
Overview
Overview
FT Edit is a curated, mobile-first editorial product from the Financial Times, designed to offer a slower, more intentional news experience through a daily selection of eight handpicked articles. In Q2 2025, we began migrating FT Edit into the main FT iOS app, replacing the standalone version as the primary way to access the product.
The goal was to reduce fragmentation, make app discovery easier, and allow users to subscribe directly within the main app. The challenge was to retain FT Edit’s calm, focused feel while integrating it into a much busier and more complex environment. My role was to shape a smooth and thoughtful user journey that worked across different areas of the app and different subscription states, so that no matter how someone entered the FT ecosystem, they could easily find and use FT Edit.
Impact and key results
28% of existing FT Edit standalone app users migrated to the integrated FT app experience within the first four weeks after launch, surpassing the initial expectation of 20%.
Trial activations increased by approximately 15% due to the introduction of preview content and a soft registration flow that lowered entry barriers for new users.
Qualitative feedback gathered from user surveys and support channels indicated strong satisfaction, with many users commenting that the transition felt “seamless” and “unobtrusive,” preserving the editorial tone and reading experience they valued.
My Role
I led the UX strategy for the migration, working closely with product and design teams to map out entry points, streamline transitions between apps, and ensure user flows aligned with subscription logic. This included defining user states, access levels, and content journeys based on whether someone was anonymous, registered, subscribed, or on a trial.I also helped design the migration experience for existing FT Edit users and also helped to support discoverability, purchase flows, and post-migration retention within the main app.
The Challenge
The primary challenge was balancing preservation of FT Edit’s editorial calmness and simplicity with the realities of integration into a more feature-rich app. FT Edit users were highly sensitive to changes in tone, layout, or flow, any disruption risked alienating loyal readers.
Other challenges included:
Supporting multiple user states: Existing subscribers needed seamless migration, new users required gentle onboarding, and FT app subscribers unfamiliar with FT Edit deserved clear, non-intrusive promotion.
Subscription complexity: The migration coincided with launching Apple in-app purchase flows, adding monthly and annual plans that had to align with Apple’s strict policies and billing mechanisms.
Discoverability without confusion: FT Edit had to be prominent enough to attract new users but not so loud as to cannibalise other FT content or overwhelm users.
Continuity: It was vital that the transition felt like a natural evolution rather than a disruptive change.
Research and Discovery
To understand the nuances of FT Edit users and prepare for migration, I undertook a discovery phase:
Behavioural data analysis: Using Amplitude, I analysed in-app behaviour to uncover patterns in engagement and friction points:
Average session length: 4.6 minutes (vs. 3.8 minutes on FT app)
Article completion rate: 61% (vs. 47% benchmark on FT app) These insights highlighted opportunities to reduce friction in trial flows and improve onboarding clarity.
User interviews and surveys: We gathered qualitative feedback from existing FT Edit subscribers through customer care to learn what they valued most about the product, what caused frustration, and their expectations for the migration. Many emphasised the value of simplicity and the uncluttered approach.
Support and feedback logs: I analysed tickets and comments to identify recurring pain points for both apps, seeing where improvements could be made with a new version of the Edit.
Competitive benchmarking: I studied how similar publishers (The New York Times) had successfully integrated niche products (like NYT Cooking) into their main apps, extracting lessons about navigation, subscription management, and user onboarding. (This gave us lots of ideas to start tesing in the design phase)
Stakeholder workshops: Sessions with product owners, engineers, editorial, and legal teams helped to clarify business goals, technical limitations, and compliance requirements.
The 3.8-minute average session length and 61% article completion rate (both outperforming FT app benchmarks) validated that FT Edit’s compact, curated format was resonating. This reinforced the need to preserve editorial simplicity in the integrated experience, guiding our early navigation designs toward a dedicated, distraction-free content surface within the main FT app.
User Journey Mapping
With research insights in hand, I mapped four primary user journeys.
Existing FT Edit subscribers
Needed an effortless, one-tap migration from the standalone app to the integrated FT app experience.
Expected to find the familiar editorial structure, interaction patterns swipe navigation), and visual tone intact.
Required clear reassurance that no content or features were lost.
Anonymous or registered non-subscribers
Needed a low-friction introduction with preview content access before committing to registration or payment.
The flow needed to encourage trial activation through soft gating like banners, modals, or inline messages rather than aggressive paywalls.
FT app subscribers unfamiliar with FT Edit
Required gentle promotion via homepage modules and subtle in-app messaging that framed FT Edit as an editorial bonus rather than a sales pitch.
Needed clear but unobtrusive pathways to explore the curated content.
New users via the App Store
Needed an upfront subscription selector with clear monthly and annual plans that aligned with web and Apple store pricing and options.
The onboarding journey had to be straightforward and aligned with FT Edit’s editorial values.
Concepts & Wireframing
Early-stage wireframes explored several hypotheses and navigational options:
The redirect from the standalone FT Edit app to the integrated FT app, including messaging and button placement on the transition screen.
Entry points from the FT app homepage, subscription screens, and push notifications leading to FT Edit content.
Preview article layouts for non-subscribed users, balancing enough content to engage while preserving subscription value.
Subscription plan selector UI incorporating monthly and annual billing with Apple in-app purchase compliance.
I developed multiple layout concepts to preserve FT Edit’s minimalist, editorial aesthetic while fitting within the FT app’s design system. This included:
Card-based content feeds with consistent headline hierarchies and narrow typography palettes (similar to what was implemented in the standalone app)
Strategic placement of the FT Edit tile on the homepage and subscription screens.
Flow variants to handle returning users with incomplete registrations or trials.
Stakeholder walkthroughs provided valuable feedback, especially on error handling, gating clarity, and visual hierarchy. These sessions informed iterations and helped define a robust foundation for UI design.
Creating Final Designs
I focused on ensuring:
Retention of FT Edit’s signature minimalist design, characterised by a soft, neutral colour palette and clean, readable typography.
Consistency in user interaction patterns, such as swipe gestures and scroll behaviour, matching the standalone app to maintain familiarity.
Clear and calm microcopy that reinforced editorial tone and reduced cognitive load, avoiding overly promotional language.
Compliance with accessibility standards, including high contrast ratios.
Final User flows
The final user journeys included:
Standalone FT Edit users: Upon opening the original app, they encountered a migration screen with a clear message and a single button that launched the FT app’s FT Edit section. They landed directly in the curated feed, which retained the same editorial hierarchy, layout, and swipe interactions as before.
Returning subscribers: Experienced uninterrupted access to their familiar content with no modal interruptions or confusing changes.
New or anonymous users: Entered a preview mode allowing access to article headlines and intros before a soft prompt for registration and trial activation.
Subscription page visitors: Found FT Edit monthly and annual plans integrated into the app’s main product selection screen, with clear explanations of benefits and billing terms.
FT app subscribers unfamiliar with FT Edit: Saw FT Edit positioned as a valuable editorial feature, accessible via homepage tiles and unobtrusive banners.
Push notifications and in-app messages: Reinforced awareness and re-engagement with FT Edit content without overwhelming users.
Collaboration
The success of this complex migration was rooted in strong cross-functional collaboration:
Product management ensured the project stayed aligned with strategic business objectives and timelines.
Design team refined UI elements and interaction details to maintain editorial consistency and accessibility.
Engineering implemented robust routing, gating, and billing validation systems to handle multiple user states reliably.
Marketing and editorial teams developed consistent messaging across onboarding, push notifications, and in-app banners.
Legal and compliance reviewed subscription plans and messaging to ensure adherence to Apple’s policies and regulatory requirements.
The team adopted two-week sprint cycles with daily stand-ups and demos.
Results & Adoption
The integration launched to existing subscribers in April 2025, with the public rollout following soon after. By the end of May, around 28% of FT Edit app subscribers had started using the product within the main FT app. In-app purchases, including the new annual plan, are now live and showing stable performance.
Engagement from registered users and anonymous visitors is growing steadily as FT Edit becomes more visible within the app. We’re actively monitoring the conversion funnel to fine-tune registration prompts and subscription calls to action.
Seb Sadler
Open to work
Seb Sadler
Open to work