Transforming News Engagement with Interactive Experiences for Sky News
best-console-on-e3
Project deadline
4 weeks
Role
Art Direction/ User Experience/ User Interface
Sky News wanted to turn static editorial coverage around E3 into an experience that kept audiences interacting longer. We designed a playful, interactive mobile experience that deepened engagement, encouraged return visits, and elevated how their audience consumed and shared content.
Challenge
Problem: Turning Passive Content into Active Engagement
During high-attention events like E3, audiences scroll quickly and click away just as fast. Sky News faced a business challenge many brands know well: great content isn’t enough unless users stay, interact, and remember it. They needed a way to make editorial coverage active, memorable, and shareable on mobile platforms.
As correspondent Greg Milam went into the field interviewing the new generation of gamers, we realised that many didn’t know about consoles that made history and still remain relevant players in today’s market.
Solution: An Immersive, Interactive Engagement Experience
Rather than another article, we created a lightweight interactive experience optimised for iPad and mobile browsing:
A gamified narrative guiding users through console comparisons
Playable pixel-art interactions tied to editorial context
Social integration (live comment feed experience) to spark conversation
The design focused on clarity, delight, and motivation, giving users something to do, not just something to read.
Storytelling Assets
As part of a creative campaign, our journalist Greg was transformed into a pixel art video game character. Visitors could log in via Twitter, choose their own pixel persona from a list of characters, and post live comments while they waited for the console’s big reveal — turning the anticipation into a playful, interactive experience.
Click in the image to zooom
Design & Development
To match the 8-bit game environment, a full set of console icons was designed using lightweight SVG and PNG formats. Every element was crafted to work seamlessly in a functional HTML/CSS3 project while keeping the overall file size minimal.
iPad Experience
The experience turned a simple news piece into an interactive journey. Using intuitive gestures on the iPad, visitors explored a gamified world, discovering consoles and unlocking content. By integrating the Hook Model and live Twitter interaction through the hashtag #consolewar, we transformed casual readers into active participants — driving engagement, repeat visits, and attracting even non-gamers with a playful, accessible format.
