Business Insider

What it does

Business Insider is a mobile news application that delivers articles on a wide range of topics, including business, technology, politics, and lifestyle. The app provides a curated feed of top stories and allows users to personalize their content by following specific categories. A premium subscription is offered to unlock unlimited access to all articles.

Where it shines

The app excels at making content discovery both efficient and personal. The initial experience drops the user directly into a feed of top articles (00:08), providing immediate value without friction. Its standout feature is the contextual feed customization (00:46), where users select favorite topics that then become permanent shortcuts in the top navigation bar. This simple interaction makes personalization a core, visible part of the user experience.

UX highlights

Contextual personalization: Instead of a mandatory onboarding quiz, the app prompts users to select favorite categories after they've had a chance to browse, making the request feel more relevant (00:46).
Actionable navigation: Selected categories are added directly to the top navigation bar, turning user preferences into functional UI elements for quick access (00:53).
Dual-purpose saved list: The 'Saved Stories' section is smartly divided into 'Saved' and 'Recent' tabs (03:40), catering to both intentional bookmarking and casual history browsing.
Granular notification control: The app provides a detailed settings screen for notifications (01:55), allowing users to choose the specific topics they want to hear about.
Theme customization: Users can easily switch between light and dark modes in the display settings (03:56), catering to personal viewing preferences.

Monetization & growth

The app employs a metered paywall strategy. Users appear to get a limited number of free articles before being prompted to subscribe. The paywall message "You're out of free articles" (02:28) is clear and contextual. The subscription screen (00:38) presents two simple options: monthly and an annual plan with a significant discount (66% off). This model allows for value demonstration before asking for payment, a common and effective strategy for content-based apps.

Who it’s for

This app is designed for individuals who want to stay informed on business, finance, and technology news from a reputable source. It appeals to users who value both curated editorial content ('Top Stories') and the ability to create a personalized news feed ('For You'). The clean interface and straightforward navigation make it suitable for busy professionals who want to consume news efficiently on the go.

Notes & opportunities

While the overall experience is smooth, the transition from the notification warm-up prompt to the full settings page could be streamlined. After the user taps 'Allow' on the custom prompt (01:53), showing the native iOS prompt first might be more expected behavior before diving into detailed settings. Additionally, the search page (02:20) could benefit from showing recent searches to speed up repeat queries.