chromix
Creating a premium offering and user flow for an established media app.
ROLE
Product Designer
skills
UX/UI Design, Wireframing, Prototyping, User Research
YEAR
2023
Launching a new premium paid subscription model can be hard.
Background
This is Chromix, a well-established media app with substantial "freemium" users on both mobile and web platforms, looking to expand its business model by introducing a new premium option, aiming to creatively integrate sign-up incentives within the app to attract both new and existing users.
Having a system in place that is flexible yet consistent, is how I like to approach solving problems
Define, Discover, & Iterate
Based on the background information for this project. I was able to perform a competitive analysis to identify current streaming app landscape and user preferences, conducted user research, and outlined key features based on user needs and expectations.
Ideate, Prototype, & Test
Once I had some preliminary research, I was able to create low fidelity prototypes to test out user flows with my target audience to gauge if the product offerings were inticing and if the user experience was clean and easy to navigate
Handoff, Launch & Iterate (again)
Being that this was a student project, there was no real handoff or launch. I was able to do a final round of user testing to further validate my designs and original findings and create a high fidelity design that I was proud of.
Creating call-to-action prompts, special features and content throughout the user experience led to users feeling more incentivized to upgrade.
Sharing premium features on new user onboarding
By having this prompt on sign-up, it lets the user know what they can expect by upgrading
Consistent promotion throughout the user experience
Reminding users of the premium offer throughout their time on the app reminds them of the upgrade options and adding content that can only be accessed as a premium user encourages sign-ups.
Offering Incentives to the users while in app
Offering a free trial for new users upon sign up may entice users to explore the premium content
Offering a free month to current users will make users feel appreciated and excited to see new features and content
Evaluating the current streaming space
There are many ways to consume your favorite content these days, but I decided to do a competitive analysis to find any gaps in the current structure.
I chose YouTube, Pandora and Spotify as the most relevant competitors for Chromix and made the following observations.
Competitive analysis + the gap
YouTube
I appreciate the clean, simple design of the UI, which minimizes cognitive overload. The consistent buttons make navigation intuitive and outcomes predictable. Once I found the premium offer, it was easy to navigate. I also value the features of the upgraded plan and the comprehensive FAQ section.
Some areas of opportunity that I noticed with YouTube was that the premium option was hard to find and there was no prompting within the experience to upgrade. This would make it hard for users to upgrade in the app or even know about the upgrade option.
Pandora
With Pandora, I really liked that there are two tiers of offerings, and the upgrade button is clearly visible once located.
Some areas of opportunity that I noticed was upon signing in, the premium option wasn't displayed, and there were no prompts within the experience to upgrade. Additionally, the UI feels somewhat dated and cluttered.
Shopify
Of the three, Shopify has the strongest push to upgrading. I liked how the taskbar at the bottom includes a premium button, leading to an area that highlights the differences between the free and premium options. The UI is simple and clean, and there are several different tiers for premium. Additionally, an option to upgrade appeared moments after opening the app.
Some areas where I saw a gap with Spotify was the inability to upgrade in app. This could sometimes deter users from upgrading because its not readily available. You also aren't able to see the pricing in app either.
After reviewing and using these three apps, I began to brainstorm the following for my media app, Chromix to make a more enjoyable user experience and increase premium sign-ups:
Make a clear flow to the premium offering
Keep the cognitive load light & simple
Keep the UI clean and simple
Show pricing within the app
Create the ability to upgrade within the app, or being led to a webpage
Going to the source: User Interviews
After doing some research on what is already available in the market, I decided it was time to move into doing user interviews.
I asked my target audience some of the following questions to get a better understanding of their experience with media apps:
Can you share your experience with media apps?
A media app can be anything from a music app, podcast app, reading app etc.
How often are you using these apps?
What do you consider before making the change to a premium model of an app?
What would be some specific features that you would want to see in a premium model?
Have you ever subscribed to a premium model before?
What motivated you to do so?
For apps where you have not upgraded, what are the main reasons you did not upgrade?
Themes & Insights
After speaking with my target users, here are a few themes and insights I gathered.
Theme 1: Features
most users felt that to invest in a premium app there needed to be exclusive features to make it worthwhile
the features needed to be unlike other free media apps
upgrades to the features should be made regularly
Theme 2: Cost
users wanted to see the cost stay reasonably/competitively priced
didn't want to pay more every time there is a major update to the app’s offerings
for the premium offerings they want to see less/no ads during the experience
Overall user experience
wanted to have an app experience that synced well across devices
Needs to have a way to make things customizable in an easy way - should be more user-intuitive and easy to make adjustments
Would like a feature to expose you to new music based on what you like - a curated playlist twice a week/one a month
After reviewing and using these three apps, I began to brainstorm the following for my media app, Chromix to make a more enjoyable user experience and increase premium sign-ups:
Make a clear flow to the premium offering
Keep the cognitive load light & simple
Keep the UI clean and simple
Show pricing within the app
Create the ability to upgrade within the app, or being led to a webpage
These insights led me to think…..
How might we creatively integrate incentives within Chromix’s app to encourage both new and existing users to sign up for the premium account?
After gathering some baseline research from the competitive analysis and the user interviews, it was time to make a working prototype in Figma to validate my findings.
This is a crucial (but one of my favorite) part of the process because it is important to prioritize the conceptual aspects of a design, focusing on layout, structure, and basic functionalities rather than intricate details with the least amount of investment.
User flows for new and current Chromix users
The user flows created a baseline to begin, and then I created the low-fidelity designs. My goal with this was to create a working prototype to test with users in my target audience to validate that the user flow led to the expected end: signups for the premium account.
Below are a few key screens that were critical to the user experience and end goal of premium sign-ups.
After the low-fidelity designs were done, it was time to move on to the 1st round of user testing to validate my designs and get further feedback on the experience and functionality of the app.
Initial Impressions
Positive: Users appreciated the app's clean and intuitive interface, noting ease of navigation.
Improvement: Some participants found certain premium account-related sections slightly hidden within the app's menus.
Discovering Premium Features
Positive: Most users found the presentation of premium features clear and accessible in the designated 'Premium' section.
Improvement: Users suggested a comparison chart between free and premium features for better differentiation.
Sign-up Process
Positive: The sign-up process was generally straightforward and user-friendly, receiving positive feedback for clarity and ease.
Improvement: Suggestions were made for introducing trial offers or limited-time promotions to incentivize sign-ups.
Recommendations on how to improve:
Comparison Visuals: Introduce a comparison chart between free and premium features to assist users in making informed decisions.
Promotional Offers: Implement trial periods or limited-time promotions to encourage users to subscribe to the premium account.
Incentive Strategies: Introduce discounts for annual subscriptions and explore loyalty rewards or gamification elements for premium users.Enhanced Visibility: Improve visibility of premium account-related sections within the app's navigation for easier access.
Promotional Offers: Implement trial periods or limited-time promotions to encourage users to subscribe to the premium account.
Incentive Strategies: Introduce discounts for annual subscriptions and explore loyalty rewards or gamification elements for premium users.
After the low-fidelity designs were done, it was time to move on to the 1st round of user testing to validate my designs and get further feedback on the experience and functionality of the app.
Once the high-fidelity design was created, it was time to test it with the users. I did another round of usability tests with 5 participants using the high-fidelity wireframes. Here's what I found and what I changed based on their feedback.
Finding: Confusion or lack of clarity in finding the premium offerings.
Change made: Created several user flows to lead to the premium offering page, and the user's profile where they could also upgrade
Finding: Confusion or lack of clarity in knowing what content was for premium users
Change made: Created several pop-ups to inform users that the feature requested is for premium users and added a flow to sign up for a premium account or free trial.
Finding: Users wanted exclusive content to make the upgrade to the premium feel worthwhile
Change made: Created user flows to lead to the exclusive content which led to the offer to upgrade to access content
3 Major improvements to the designs
Once the high-fidelity design was created, it was time to test it with the users. I did another round of usability tests with 5 participants using the high-fidelity wireframes. Here's what I found and what I changed based on their feedback.
Finding: Confusion or lack of clarity in finding the premium offerings.
Change made: Created several user flows to lead to the premium offering page, and the user's profile where they could also upgrade
Finding: Confusion or lack of clarity in knowing what content was for premium users
Change made: Created several pop-ups to inform users that the feature requested is for premium users and added a flow to sign up for a premium account or free trial.
Finding: Users wanted exclusive content to make the upgrade to the premium feel worthwhile
Change made: Created user flows to lead to the exclusive content which led to the offer to upgrade to access content
Finding: Confusion or lack of clarity in finding the premium offerings.
Change made: Created several user flows to lead to the premium offering page, and the user's profile where they could also upgrade.
Finding: Confusion or lack of clarity in knowing what content was for premium users
Change made: Created several pop-ups to inform users that the feature requested is for premium users and added a flow to sign up for a premium account or free trial.
Finding: Users wanted exclusive content to make the upgrade to the premium feel worthwhile
Change made: Created user flows to lead to the exclusive content which led to the offer to upgrade to access content
Click here to view prototype
Creating a timeline for myself, conducting user research, and designing an experience that addressed the business need was challenging but very rewarding.
I had to identify the problem, yet still be flexible as I discovered new insights from user research and seeing what is out in the market.I was able to lean on my past experiences as a recruiter to create trust with the users and used empathy to really get to the gist of what they would want to see in a media app like Chromix.
I also had to lean into listening for comprehension, not just the answer I was hoping to hear. Through strategic enhancements to the signup process and a heightened emphasis on the value proposition of premium features, the project sought to boost conversions and secure sustained profitability over the long term.
This ultimately led to a product that people can get excited about investing in and upgrading because they know that their needs are heard and will be met.
If there was a sequel, what would I do differently?
If I could do this project again, I would have done guerrilla testing with the high-fidelity screens to further validate that the user flow to get users to sign up was easy and not overwhelming.
I would also have done more research around pricing and features that users truly would want to see in a streaming app.