Podcastella
This project presents a strategy concept to help a podcast mobile app increase its free-to-paid conversion rate.
Role
Product Design, UX Research
Industry
Media
Platform
iOS
Timeline
05/2023
Project Overview
Encourage free users to upgrade to the premium plan
A fiticious startup launched a free media product with a mobile app, hoping to build a user base and make money with a premium version. However, they're having trouble getting people to pay for it. The company needs to find out why users aren't subscribing and create an easier way for them to pay.
For this project, I designed a podcast streaming app called Podcastealla. The goal was to explore opportunities and solutions to encourage free users to subscribe to premium versions of streaming apps.
The Problem
Free users may not see the value in upgrading to premium plans.
Free users who don't want to upgrade may find it difficult to recognize the additional value of the premium plans. They might not perceive the differences in service quality between free and fee-based options.
Define the Problems
💡 How might we align the perceived value of the premium subscription with free users' expectations and increase their willingness to pay for the service?
💡 How might we improve the product's usability and navigation to make it easier for free users to use and understand the benefits of the premium version?
💡 How might we extend the onboarding process to help users become more familiar with the product's content and features, thus increasing their enjoyment and motivation to upgrade to the premium version?
The Solution
Maintain a generic paywall
Place a promotion banner on free users’ home screen: this encourages free users to take immediate action and engage with our free trial without interrupting their user experience.
Premium tab on the navigation bar: Free users can easily learn more about the pricing and details of the premium plans whenever they want to.
Set up a contextual paywall
Implementing a contextual paywall allows businesses to differentiate between free and premium offerings, providing additional value to subscribers and restricting access to exclusive content or advanced functionalities.
How would measure the success of my solution?
Conversion rate
A high conversion rate indicates the app's ability to effectively showcase the value of premium offerings and convert free users into paying customers.
Average revenue per user (ARPU)
Calculating the average revenue generated per premium user helps assess the app's monetization efficiency. It indicates how effectively the app is generating revenue from its premium features.
User feedback & ratings
Monitoring user reviews, ratings, and feedback specifically related to premium features can provide valuable insights into user satisfaction, identify areas for improvement, and guide future feature development.
The Research Highlights
Free users might not perceive the differences in service quality.
Free mentality
The price of the premium subscription does not align with free users' perceived value of the service.
Perceived ease of use
Free users may find the product difficult to use or navigate, which could lead to less interest in upgrading to the premium version.
Lack of familiarity & enjoyment
Product onboarding has a short timeframe for users to become familiar and confident. This often results in users being unfamiliar with the content, having little time to explore features and community, and not discovering the product's full potential.
Approach the Problem
Wireframing the solution
When working on the wireframes, I focused on the paywall and home screen design and iterated several variation respectively.
Improve the placement and design of paywalls
This reduce annoyance and confusion for free users when considering subscription.
Ensure the high quality of premium content
As the quality improves, users will discover more value and have a more satisfying listening experience, leading to greater app loyalty and usage.
Usability Testing Key Finding
Most participants were confused by the layout of the generic paywall
They believed that they could only access all premium features by paying annually. To avoid confusion, I removed the highlight to make the information more clear.
Reflections
What would I have done differently?
During usability testing sessions, most participants expressed that they tend to make the subscription decision after using the app for a while and getting used to it. To encourage free users to upgrade, I should develop more features that cultivate users' daily habits of using the app, thereby increasing the chances of subscription.
Next Steps
Increase desirability of the app
Establish a reasonable pricing plan
Improve quality of the content
More projects
Podcastella
This project presents a strategy concept to help a podcast mobile app increase its free-to-paid conversion rate.
Role
Product Design, UX Research
Industry
Media
Platform
iOS
Timeline
05/2023
Project Overview
Encourage free users to upgrade to the premium plan
A fiticious startup launched a free media product with a mobile app, hoping to build a user base and make money with a premium version. However, they're having trouble getting people to pay for it. The company needs to find out why users aren't subscribing and create an easier way for them to pay.
For this project, I designed a podcast streaming app called Podcastealla. The goal was to explore opportunities and solutions to encourage free users to subscribe to premium versions of streaming apps.
The Problem
Free users may not see the value in upgrading to premium plans.
Companies conduct performance appraisals quarterly, but it may be too late to improve staff performance if feedback is delayed. Real-time feedback helps employees improve their performance with daily efforts. Staff are evaluated based on team KPI completion, completion rate, and innovative task completion.
KPILY was designed to help companies manage employees' performance in a gamified way. The platform features game-like responses and rewards system, which encourage both employees and managers to improve their overall work performance and productivity.
Define the Problems
💡 How might we align the perceived value of the premium subscription with free users' expectations and increase their willingness to pay for the service?
💡 How might we improve the product's usability and navigation to make it easier for free users to use and understand the benefits of the premium version?
💡 How might we extend the onboarding process to help users become more familiar with the product's content and features, thus increasing their enjoyment and motivation to upgrade to the premium version?
The Solution
Maintain a generic paywall
Place a promotion banner on free users’ home screen: this encourages free users to take immediate action and engage with our free trial without interrupting their user experience.
Premium tab on the navigation bar: Free users can easily learn more about the pricing and details of the premium plans whenever they want to.
Set up a contextual paywall
Implementing a contextual paywall allows businesses to differentiate between free and premium offerings, providing additional value to subscribers and restricting access to exclusive content or advanced functionalities.
How would measure the success of my solution?
Conversion rate
A high conversion rate indicates the app's ability to effectively showcase the value of premium offerings and convert free users into paying customers.
Average revenue per user (ARPU)
Calculating the average revenue generated per premium user helps assess the app's monetization efficiency. It indicates how effectively the app is generating revenue from its premium features.
User feedback & ratings
Monitoring user reviews, ratings, and feedback specifically related to premium features can provide valuable insights into user satisfaction, identify areas for improvement, and guide future feature development.
The Research Highlights
Free users might not perceive the differences in service quality.
Free mentality
The price of the premium subscription does not align with free users' perceived value of the service.
Perceived ease of use
Free users may find the product difficult to use or navigate, which could lead to less interest in upgrading to the premium version.
Lack of familiarity & enjoyment
Product onboarding has a short timeframe for users to become familiar and confident. This often results in users being unfamiliar with the content, having little time to explore features and community, and not discovering the product's full potential.
Approach the Problem
Wireframing the solution
When working on the wireframes, I focused on the paywall and home screen design and iterated several variation respectively.
Improve the placement and design of paywalls
This reduce annoyance and confusion for free users when considering subscription.
Ensure the high quality of premium content
As the quality improves, users will discover more value and have a more satisfying listening experience, leading to greater app loyalty and usage.
Usability Testing Key Finding
Most participants were confused by the layout of the generic paywall
They believed that they could only access all premium features by paying annually. To avoid confusion, I removed the highlight to make the information more clear.
Reflections
What would I have done differently?
During usability testing sessions, most participants expressed that they tend to make the subscription decision after using the app for a while and getting used to it. To encourage free users to upgrade, I should develop more features that cultivate users' daily habits of using the app, thereby increasing the chances of subscription.
Next Steps
Increase desirability of the app
Establish a reasonable pricing plan
Improve quality of the content
More projects
Podcastella
This project presents a strategy concept to help a podcast mobile app increase its free-to-paid conversion rate.
Role
Product Design, UX Research
Industry
Media
Platform
iOS
Timeline
05/2023
Project Overview
Encourage free users to upgrade to the premium plan
A fiticious startup launched a free media product with a mobile app, hoping to build a user base and make money with a premium version. However, they're having trouble getting people to pay for it. The company needs to find out why users aren't subscribing and create an easier way for them to pay.
For this project, I designed a podcast streaming app called Podcastealla. The goal was to explore opportunities and solutions to encourage free users to subscribe to premium versions of streaming apps.
The Problem
Free users may not see the value in upgrading to premium plans.
Companies conduct performance appraisals quarterly, but it may be too late to improve staff performance if feedback is delayed. Real-time feedback helps employees improve their performance with daily efforts. Staff are evaluated based on team KPI completion, completion rate, and innovative task completion.
KPILY was designed to help companies manage employees' performance in a gamified way. The platform features game-like responses and rewards system, which encourage both employees and managers to improve their overall work performance and productivity.
Define the Problems
💡 How might we align the perceived value of the premium subscription with free users' expectations and increase their willingness to pay for the service?
💡 How might we improve the product's usability and navigation to make it easier for free users to use and understand the benefits of the premium version?
💡 How might we extend the onboarding process to help users become more familiar with the product's content and features, thus increasing their enjoyment and motivation to upgrade to the premium version?
The Solution
Maintain a generic paywall
Place a promotion banner on free users’ home screen: this encourages free users to take immediate action and engage with our free trial without interrupting their user experience.
Premium tab on the navigation bar: Free users can easily learn more about the pricing and details of the premium plans whenever they want to.
Set up a contextual paywall
Implementing a contextual paywall allows businesses to differentiate between free and premium offerings, providing additional value to subscribers and restricting access to exclusive content or advanced functionalities.
How would measure the success of my solution?
Conversion rate
A high conversion rate indicates the app's ability to effectively showcase the value of premium offerings and convert free users into paying customers.
Average revenue per user (ARPU)
Calculating the average revenue generated per premium user helps assess the app's monetization efficiency. It indicates how effectively the app is generating revenue from its premium features.
User feedback & ratings
Monitoring user reviews, ratings, and feedback specifically related to premium features can provide valuable insights into user satisfaction, identify areas for improvement, and guide future feature development.
The Research Highlights
Free users might not perceive the differences in service quality.
Free mentality
The price of the premium subscription does not align with free users' perceived value of the service.
Perceived ease of use
Free users may find the product difficult to use or navigate, which could lead to less interest in upgrading to the premium version.
Lack of familiarity & enjoyment
Product onboarding has a short timeframe for users to become familiar and confident. This often results in users being unfamiliar with the content, having little time to explore features and community, and not discovering the product's full potential.
Approach the Problem
Wireframing the solution
When working on the wireframes, I focused on the paywall and home screen design and iterated several variation respectively.
Improve the placement and design of paywalls
This reduce annoyance and confusion for free users when considering subscription.
Ensure the high quality of premium content
As the quality improves, users will discover more value and have a more satisfying listening experience, leading to greater app loyalty and usage.
Usability Testing Key Finding
Most participants were confused by the layout of the generic paywall
They believed that they could only access all premium features by paying annually. To avoid confusion, I removed the highlight to make the information more clear.
Reflections
What would I have done differently?
During usability testing sessions, most participants expressed that they tend to make the subscription decision after using the app for a while and getting used to it. To encourage free users to upgrade, I should develop more features that cultivate users' daily habits of using the app, thereby increasing the chances of subscription.
Next Steps
Increase desirability of the app
Establish a reasonable pricing plan
Improve quality of the content