Immediate innovation with the arrival of Apple Watch

The first challenge was experimenting with a technology that had just been launched: Apple Watch had been on the market for only a few months and offered a brand-new, unexplored ground. Beyond getting familiar with watchOS, we studied technologies such as Handoff to synchronize a lightweight list of headlines/favorites and deep links, avoiding duplication of logic or models and keeping the iOS app as the single source of truth. We also explored watchOS from a design perspective, allowing us to define typography and spacing tokens consistent with the brand but mapped onto watchOS components, preserving visual identity without forcing non-native patterns.

Preserving the essence of news in an Apple Watch experience

The second challenge was finding the right balance in displaying news on the watch: without distorting the content or the main app, while at the same time respecting the UX principles of watchOS. We realized that only what is needed immediately should be shown on the Watch (headline + optionally subhead/reading time), with no more than two actions: "Open on iPhone" (Handoff/deep link) and "Add to favorites". Continuity with the iOS app is ensured through the main tap, which triggers Handoff/deep link to continue reading the full article on iPhone, preserving the rich experience of the main app and the editorial structure of the content.