Repositioning Public: From News App to Hyperlocal Social Platform
Public is India’s largest hyperlocal social platform with over 100M users.
Initially perceived as a hyperlocal news app, it needed to evolve into a modern, creator-first platform with wider appeal.
I led the design strategy and execution for this transformation, modernizing the product experience, enabling creator tools, and streamlining ad operations while preserving its hyperlocal DNA.
Where the Experience Was Breaking
Strong perception problem: “Public = news,” not “Public = platform”
Feed lacked structure - too flat, too repetitive
Young audience didn’t feel connected to the product
Creators didn’t have enough pathways to grow
Visual identity felt outdated and didn’t reflect cultural relevance
System wasn’t prepared for large volumes of video and creator content
User + Behaviour Insights
Through interviews, feed analysis, creator calls, and data patterns, we uncovered:
Key Initiatives
Modernizing the Feed & Visual Identity
Revamped branding and visual language to be more minimal and youthful, updating colors, typography, and iconography.
Introduced vertical video format and text-only posts, aligning with emerging social media trends.
Overhauled navigation to highlight both hyperlocal feeds and creator-driven content, balancing the DNA with new positioning.
Creator Analytics & Incentives
Designed analytics dashboards surfacing views, reach, engagement, top-performing and worst-performing posts.
Helped creators make data-driven decisions to grow their audience.
Introduced credit-based rewards and growth incentives to motivate consistent posting, shifting perception to a creator-first platform.
Self-Serve Ads
Built a self-serve ad platform inside the app, replacing manual ops-heavy workflows.
Enabled creators to select ad formats, budgets, and geo-targeting.
Designed performance tracking dashboards so creators could monitor reach and effectiveness.
Reduced operational overhead while enabling scalable monetization.
Hyperlocal Anchoring
Reinforced location-based feeds as the foundation of Public’s identity.
Introduced trending modules tailored to hyperlocal communities.
Added utility features (panchang, rashifal, loan calculator, mandi prices, local election updates) that tied users to the app through daily, locally relevant touchpoints.
Made Public not just a content platform, but a daily-use hyperlocal companion.
Additional Experiments
Gamification experiments such as reading streaks, badges, and daily rituals were tested to encourage habit formation.
These were supported with micro-interactions like smooth swipe transitions, animated save/share, and subtle progress indicators that rewarded users in tiny moments. Together they helped drive delight and reinforce return behavior.
Ran numerous other prototypes and experiments around discovery, notifications, and content exploration.
Many were sunset after testing, but each contributed critical insights into user behavior and preferences.
Process & Collaboration
Synthesized Tier 2/3 user insights with business priorities.
Validated concepts via usability and UAT sessions across diverse cohorts.
Partnered cross-functionally to unify product, growth, and marketing.
Built reusable UI components and improved handoff efficiency.
Impact
Product & User Growth
↑ 15–20% session depth after redesign.
↑ 10–12% DAU post-launch, driven by better discovery and vertical video experience.
Creator Eco-system
↑ 25–30% posting frequency after introducing analytics dashboards and incentives.
↑ 20% creator retention quarter-over-quarter through gamified growth loops.
↑ 15% average post reach, enabling data-driven creator growth.
Operational Efficency
↓ 35–40% ops workload via self-serve ad system replacing manual campaign setup.
Ad creation time reduced from 2–3 days → a few hours.
2× increase in ad throughput per ops team member.
Hyper-local Engagement
↑ 10–12% daily return rate through localized utility features (panchang, rashifal, mandi prices).
↑ 8% Tier 2/3 DAU mix, reinforcing Public’s hyperlocal positioning.
*Directional metrics - indicative, not official
Reflection
This project was never about redesigning screens. It was about repositioning Public from a news-led identity to a modern hyperlocal platform. My core contribution was in creating a system that balanced hyperlocal relevance, youth culture, and creator-driven growth—all while reducing operational overhead and keeping the experience simple for Tier-2/3 users.
