La Croix, a Christian French daily newspaper owned by Groupe Bayard Presse with a circulation of approximately 80,000 copies per day and a global readership of 500,000, recently underwent a significant digital transformation.

During a recent INMA Webinar, Chief Product Officer Aurore Bergmann Verbiguié shared how the French news company’s collaborative approach to product development led to measurable improvements in user engagement and team dynamics.

Behavioural feedback as a cornerstone

When faced with incomplete legacy data during their redesign process, La Croix’s product team turned to behavioural feedback as a critical tool for bridging the gap between editorial strategy and user experience, Bergmann Verbiguié said.

La Croix was looking for a 360-brand identity that reflected the objectives of comfort and elegance, and considered that 80% of its readers use a digital device to access its content.

The team worked on interface prototypes and, drawing from Agile methodology, it conducted guerrilla testing to validate their designs.

This real-world testing revealed valuable insights:

• Users appreciated the clean, comfortable reading experience and premium design elements.
• The initially proposed navigation menu structure proved confusing.
• Existing subscribers sought familiar elements like editorials.
• Potential new users valued seeing continuous news updates, which challenged their preconceptions about La Croix being exclusively religion-focused.

These findings helped the team align their three strategic pillars — “news that gives meaning,” “narrative that cultivates hope,” and “dialogue that creates connection” — with actual user behaviour.

Collaborative approach to refinement

After initial testing revealed confusion around conceptual navigation labels like “Narrative” and “Dialogue,” the team conducted a second round of more structured testing with focus groups. Bergmann Verbiguié said. These sessions brought together subscribers and non-subscribers in facilitated discussions that yielded deeper insights than individual testing alone.

“Users consistently rejected abstract menu items regardless of design, preferring concrete categories like ‘Religion’ and ‘Culture’ that reflected their reading habits,” Bergmann Verbiguié said.

This feedback prompted a complete navigation redesign that aligned with user expectations while preserving the brand’s identity.

The team also:

• Implemented a WhatsApp group for ongoing beta testing.
• Added feedback mechanisms throughout the site.
• Created continuous improvement loops.

Internal collaboration was equally important, with cross-functional workshops bringing together editorial, design, marketing, and technical teams, Bergmann Verbiguié said. These sessions allowed all constraints to be addressed simultaneously, preventing the discouraging cycle of revisions that occurs when teams work in isolation.

Leadership through collective intelligence

The transformation at La Croix demonstrates how collaborative leadership can reshape media organisations. As Bergmann Verbiguié explained: “It’s no longer a descending decision-making process but an ascending one, reversing the pyramid. That’s what’s important in collective intelligence.”

This approach yielded multiple benefits:

• Improved productivity.
• Enhanced discovery as team members contributed their unique expertise.
• Better response to user needs.
• Improved talent retention.

“People feel good and want to stay,” Bergmann Verbiguié said, highlighting the positive impact on team culture.

Incremental implementation strategy

La Croix’s transformation reveals the power of incremental development, Bergmann Verbiguié said.

“Think small before thinking big,” she said, emphasising that small, targeted changes allow for rapid validation without wasting resources.

This iterative approach produced measurable results quickly. Just days after launching their redesigned site, La Croix noted increased time-on-site and reduced bounce rates, indicating improved user engagement.

Best practices for implementation

For maximum effectiveness, the team recommends:

1. Testing hypotheses with relevant user groups based on clear objectives.
2. Tailoring testing composition to align with project goals.
3. Investing significant time in design based on industry experience.
4. Conducting targeted user testing on critical elements.

The team’s one regret? Not implementing A/B testing earlier.

“I wish we could have directed part of our traffic to the legacy site and part to our new ecosystem,” Bergmann Verbiguié said. This would have allowed for data-driven refinements before full launch.

Recommendations for smaller organisations

For smaller organisations with limited resources, Bergmann Verbiguié’s advice is clear: “Think small before thinking big.”

This approach is particularly valuable as it allows teams to:

• Start with modest objectives that can be validated quickly.
• Implement small, measurable improvements before tackling complex projects.
• Allow time for thorough analysis and validation.
• Avoid wasting resources on unvalidated assumptions.

Conclusion: a model for digital transformation

La Croix’s approach demonstrates how media organisations can successfully transform their digital products through collaborative leadership, behavioural feedback, and incremental development.

By balancing editorial vision with user needs, Bergmann Verbiguié  said the team created an intuitive digital experience that serves both existing subscribers and potential new readers, setting a valuable example for media companies of all sizes.

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