Cracked Mobile Asstrology App

Challenge

Cracked’s bread and butter had always been their amazing content. Since their digital inception in 2007, Cracked had grown their audience in the humor and entertainment space with a unique style of writing dubbed the “Cracked voice”. However, they aimed to explore additional avenues to capitalize on this comedic writing style, extending beyond their conventional website.

Solution

The Cracked “Asstrology” app. The U.S. Astrology app market was very new back in 2012. Cracked had an ingenious plan to enter this market by creating an app that would release weekly horoscopes with a comedic spin, hence the name Asstrology with two s’s. This would leverage Cracked’s already loyal audience for downloads, as well as attract new audiences to the brand.

APP DESCRIPTION

Unsure about the future? Need love advice"? Career Guidance? Wondering which organ to sell to make next month’s rent? The Cracked Asstrology App has all the answers. Rated the #1 most scientifically Accurate Horoscope App by Cracked.com and its subsidiaries :)

MY ROLE

I was responsible for overseeing the design process of the app. As the leader of the product design effort, I collaborated closely with our recently hired senior visual designer, Stephen. Together, we crafted the design for both the Android and iOS native versions of the app, maintaining a consistent overall look while accommodating minor UI differences specific to each operating system.

Creation Synopsis

To kick off the design process, we discussed what the different use case scenarios for the app would be and reviewed basic wireframes that were provided by the product manager. Once we understood the app's purpose and goals, I researched other astrology apps for inspiration. We decided to give our app a modern look, which would make the funny horoscopes even more enjoyable. We chose colors that reflected the magic of a dark night sky. For the Android version's navigation bar, we created custom icons using stars instead of the usual shapes, giving the app a polished and unique appearance. The app icon featured a modified version of Cracked's recognizable "C" logo, which matched the app's theme and created a simple yet distinctive icon. Throughout the development stages, I closely collaborated with the engineering team to ensure a smooth process from design to final implementation.

Wireframes

Below are the basic wireframes provided at the beginning of the design process to get an understanding of the user flow of the app. These were used as a guide to build out the high fidelity comps.

Wireframe showing steps to share your horoscope

High Fidelity Mockups

I started by creating the first high-fidelity comp for the splash screen, which featured the logo above the earth. This design set the tone for the overall art direction of the app. The color scheme and visual elements were carefully chosen to capture the enchantment of a dark night sky.

Next, I focused on designing the home screen and the different astrology signs. Once these designs were finalized, I began working on the remaining pages as outlined in the wireframes. It was an exciting time when we welcomed our first designer to the team. Their expertise and enthusiasm were a great addition! We teamed up to collaborate on the remaining design tasks, working together to bring the vision to life.

IOS VERSION

ANDROID VERSION

Asstrologist Personas

The basis of the app was that a weekly horoscope from a comedic lens, would be created by one of our fictional “Asstrologist”. The talented editorial team came up with the unique personas for each Astrologists and our talented Visual Designer, Stephen, came up with the avatar design illustrations ( seen below ) that visually brought each of our Astrologists to life.

App Icon

For the app icon we used an altered version of the classic “C” Cracked logo, which was already identifiable to Cracked’s audience, to match the theme of the app for a simple yet unique icon.

Conclusion

Results

The Cracked Asstrology App proved to be a highly successful addition to our product lineup, effectively complementing our popular reader app. It received excellent reviews in the App Store, with users praising its intuitive and engaging user interface, which provided a delightful navigation and interaction experience.

The app's success went beyond pleasing existing fans, as it attracted a new wave of astrology enthusiasts to our fan base. This influx of users not only expanded the reach of the Cracked brand but also contributed to solidifying our position as the leading humor and entertainment network in the world. By captivating and engaging users, the app played a pivotal role in the growth and recognition of Cracked as a trusted and unparalleled source of entertainment.