Bringing news to a connected generation

International media outlet VICE contacted thirteen23 to design its flagship mobile applications. We helped VICE bring their progressive and edgy content to a native mobile experience for their loyal, global audience.

001. Brief

VICE needed native, easy-to-use, and localized iOS and Android applications to better engage their worldwide fan base.

002. Solution

We designed and developed a complete mobile platform with a revamped user experience to highlight VICE’s content.

003. Outcome

The project laid the foundation for VICE’s exponential growth in video and the mobile space.

Vice is approaching the same work from a different angle than the usual suspects and finding a significant audience for what it does.

— NEW YORK TIMES

VICE NEWS PARIS

Cross-platform approach

VICE’s worldwide audience necessitated an application that could be accessed on both iOS and Android. We started the project with designs for iOS, then worked to transform our designs into an equally compelling experience that would feel at home on Android.

A FOCUS ON VIDEO

VICE’s video content on the web was wildly popular, but the experience on mobile was slow and difficult to use. To capitalize on these impressions, we designed an easy-to-use, streaming solution for the application. It was a push in the right direction as VICE evolved from small, web-only videos to a full-fledged news channel.

MONETIZATION

VICE was quickly evolving into to a major media player, which meant monetizing impressions was essential for company growth. We crafted an ad strategy with robust analytics, seamlessly integrating simple banners and video preroll in ways that benefited VICE without detracting from the user experience.

Localization

We knew localization was going to play a major role in our strategy. VICE is a global media outlet with worldwide reach which meant anyone should be able to jump from news in their hometown to any other region in the world. To achieve this, we wrote a custom localization strategy allowing users to select, toggle between, and have their regional preferences remembered.

NOISEY

Once we adapted VICE’s main news feed to mobile, we extended the platform to include VICE’s other channels. The first of these was Noisey, a popular source for new music, investigative journalism, and artist-sourced content.

CREATORS PROJECT

Following Noisey, the team worked on The Creators Project, a joint-venture between VICE and Intel featuring content from new and emerging artists at the forefront of digital technology.

Twelve months from now, we'll be on the cover of Time magazine as the guys who brought millennials back to TV.

— SHANE SMITH, CEO