Financial Times: Business News

What it does

The Financial Times app is a mobile gateway to global business news, market analysis, and financial data. It serves as a primary source for professionals who need to stay informed on economic trends, company performance, and market movements. The app provides not only articles but also a suite of tools for tracking stocks and modeling investments.

Where it shines

The app excels by blending high-quality journalism with powerful, integrated utilities. A great example is the "Listen to this article" feature (00:35), which turns any news story into a brief audio digest, perfect for a busy commute. Another standout moment is the discovery of the deep market data tools. The app provides surprisingly detailed stock information, including interactive charts (03:32) and even director dealings, making it a serious tool for investors, not just a news reader.

UX highlights

Clean, readable typography: The app uses a classic serif font that reinforces its brand as a legacy news institution and makes long-form reading comfortable.
Integrated audio content: The audio player is seamlessly embedded at the top of articles, making it an accessible and non-intrusive feature.
Powerful financial utilities: The inclusion of a Compound Growth Calculator (03:46) and an Equities Screener (04:03) provides tangible value beyond the news.
Deep data visualization: Interactive charts allow users to scrub through historical data (02:44), providing a rich, hands-on way to analyze market performance.
Contextual prompts: The app waits for the user to engage with features like saving or watchlists before prompting them to create an account (04:56).
Clear information hierarchy: Sections are well-organized, allowing users to move from top stories to specific market data or opinion pieces with ease.

Monetization & growth

Monetization is central to the experience. The app employs a soft paywall, allowing users to browse headlines but requiring a subscription to read full articles (00:12). The paywall presents three distinct tiers, including a low-cost introductory trial offer to convert new users. It also uses contextual triggers for registration. For instance, attempting to use a feature like a watchlist prompts the user to sign in or register (04:56), capturing high-intent users.

Who it’s for

The app is clearly designed for finance professionals, serious investors, business executives, and policymakers. The depth of the market data and the sophisticated financial tools cater to an audience that needs more than just surface-level news. It's for users who rely on timely, credible information to make critical business and investment decisions.

Notes & opportunities

While powerful, some of the app's best utility features, like the Growth Calculator, are buried deep within the navigation. Surfacing these tools more prominently on the main dashboard could increase engagement and demonstrate value to new users more quickly. The user experience is heavily gated by the paywall and registration requirements, which might deter more casual readers from exploring the full breadth of the app's content and features.