This is the official case study from Upstatement. I did not write this. It is included here for posterity, as Upstatement changes them sometimes. Original Source

A modern media company that looks and acts nothing like the rest

A few years ago, the Philadelphia Inquirer looked at its business and said, “We need to rethink everything." The 190-year old publication started by going back to basics. The Inquirer exists to serve the community, so they converted to a public benefit company and rewrote their mission to match. Next, they needed to bring those changes to life through their digital products. Enter Upstatement. We partnered with the Inquirer to reimagine their digital experience from the ground up and transform the audience relationship.

What We Did
Strategy
Product Creation
Prototype Development
Usability Testing

What We Made
Design System

Our work encompassed the core brand, content strategy, advertising opportunities, editor experience, and, most important, the user experience. The new Inquirer redefines the relationship with “readers” — a word we actually banned during our engagement in favor of “community.” Readers implies a one-way relationship and the new Inquirer invites its community to participate, ask questions, and interact with personalities at the paper.

The entire experience resembles social media more than traditional media. The new Inquirer is an indispensable regional interface for the urgent, entertaining, and personal conversations reported by deeply-embedded local journalists.

Working with Upstatement is like having a team that only consists of all-stars — everyone is engaged, and delivers quality work that solves real problems — and they make the process fun and inviting.” Kat Sheplavy Senior Product Manager, Philadelphia Inquirer