App Subscription Sign Up

Improving the Sign-Up Flow for the SafePath Mobile App

Project Overview

Product: SafePath Mobile App
Objective: Revamp and streamline the sign-up process to improve user completion rates and satisfaction, particularly focusing on completion and ease of use.
Project Duration: 4 weeks
Role: Lead UX Researcher
Team: Product Manager, UX/UI Designer, Data Scientist, Engineering, Customers

Background & Problem Statement

SafePath is a mobile application designed to help families with location tracking, safety alerts, and digital well-being features. While the app offers powerful functionalities, the sign-up flow was causing significant churn and user drop-offs, as new users struggled with the complexity and length of the process.

The sign-up process involves multiple steps including account creation, selecting a price plan, and verifying the user’s identity through various methods depending on the carrier such as entering your carrier username and password or creating your own password. Feedback from users, combined with analytics data, indicated that many found the process confusing, lengthy, and lacking clarity.

To address these issues, we decided to redesign the sign-up flow, incorporating multiple authentication options and simplifying the interface to improve completion rates. The goal was to remove unnecessary screens and steps while designing a user-friendly, efficient sign-up experience that would lower friction and ensure completion.

Research Goals

  1. Identify pain points in the existing sign-up flow.
  2. Understand why some users were churning on the first screen.
  3. Evaluate usability of different authentication methods (carrier password, PIN code via SMS, creating a separate password, and automatic authentication).
  4. Determine the clearest and most understandable price plan options for users.
  5. Understand user expectations for the post-sign-up “Congrats” screen.
  6. Determine which version of the proposed sign-up flow users find easiest to complete.

Research Methodology

To ensure the sign-up flow was optimized for usability, I conducted two rounds of usability testing.

  1. Round 1: Initial Usability Testing
    I tested the first iteration of the redesigned sign-up flow with 10 participants to gather feedback on the initial prototype.
  2. Round 2: Follow-Up Testing on Iterated Flow
    After analyzing the results from Round 1, we made refinements to the design and conducted a second round of testing with 5 more participants to evaluate changes and verify improvements.

Round 1: Initial Usability Testing

I conducted 30-minute remote moderated usability tests with participants representing a range of ages, tech proficiency, and familiarity with our mobile apps. Each participant was asked to complete the sign-up process and provide feedback on each section, including the authentication methods, price plan selection, and congrats screen.

The information below represents the patterns collected during testing from the participants to understand their behaviors:

Key Findings from Round 1:

  1. Welcome Screen:
    • Most participants didn’t notice the carousel or that you could swipe through leaving the information they expected to see hidden and unread.
    • Participants expected to see a short explanation of what the app does and not like when the welcome screen didn’t have any information about the features.
    • Uses preferred the three bullets because it was simple yet informative.
  1. Authentication Methods:
    • Carrier Password: Some participants found signing up with a carrier password fast and secure, while most struggled with remembering or retrieving their carrier username and password.
    • PIN Code via SMS: The PIN code method via SMS, was very intuitive, as it didn’t rely on the user to remember usernames or passwords and was a familiar process to them.
    • Creating a Separate Password: Participants were not in favor about this method given the availability of other authentication options and they found it very inconvenient and cumbersome to have to remember yet another password.
    • Automatic Authentication: The automatic authentication method, which simplified sign-up by using device credentials, was widely favored for its ease of use, with 100% of participants successfully completing the process with minimal to no effort.
  2. Price Plan Screen:
    • Showed the participants a series of screens to understand which format helped them understand the information best. Most were confused by some of the pricing options, with many indicating that the plans were unclear and did not provide enough context on the differences between each. Some also felt the price plan screen was too dense and information-heavy.
  3. Congrats Screen:
    • Participants appreciated the post-sign-up congratulatory screen. While some do not read the disclaimers, they felt the information was a great reminder of the details of the subscription and showed transparency which allowed them to trust the app more.

Round 2: Follow-Up Testing on Iterated Flow

After analyzing the feedback from Round 1, I worked closely with the design team to address key pain points, including simplifying the authentication copy and process, reworking the price plan options, and refining the congrats screen. The updated prototype focused on:

  • Consolidated the Welcome screen: Displayed only one screen with the top information shown in a bulleted style with icons.
  • Streamlining authentication options: The updated flow prioritized automatic authentication for Carrier 1 as their SDK would support this. We removed the option for carrier or new password and created the option of PIN code for Carrier 2 since auto authentication did not support their SDK.
  • Clarifying price plan options: A new, simplified price plan screen was introduced, with clearer distinctions between the plans and a more prominent comparison of features.
  • Improving the congrats screen: The congratulatory screen was simplified to provide clear next steps, guiding users towards completing their profile or beginning to use the app.

Key Findings from Round 2:

  1. Welcome Screen:
    • 8 of 10 participants preferred the one screen over carousel.
    • Participants felt it was faster and confirmed they were in the place encouraging them to proceed with signing up.
  2. Authentication Methods:
    • Automatic Authentication: This option continued to be the most popular, with 100% of participants opting for how quick it is and how they don’t have to do any extra steps or leave the app to verify.
    • Carrier Password and PIN Code: Although the carrier password method remained a bit of a pain point, it was still preferred over the creation of a new password or remembering carrier login information. PIN was the next preferred method over automatic authentication.
  3. Price Plan Screen:
    • The new price plan screen with side-by-side comparison between the $4.99 and $9.99 plans and benefits (Location Features and Parental Control features) was very well received. Participants felt more confident in making a decision, and 90% of participants could select their desired plan with minimal hesitation.
    • Test Result: 100% of participants understood the differences between plans after the redesign, and 90% would choose the Premium ($9.99) plan over the Basic ($4.99).”
  4. Congrats Screen:
    • The new congrats screen, focused on confirming the start of their free trial, how much they will pay after the trial period is over, and where to manage their subscription.
    • Test Result: Participants were more likely to feel engaged and motivated to continue using the app as the screen proved there weren’t any hidden costs or information leaving the participants feeling at ease and confident with their purchase. One participant said a pop up would acceptable where the majority preferred the full screen with graphic.

Final Design

After analyzing the results from both rounds of usability testing, we implemented the following changes in the final sign-up flow:

  1. Welcome Screen:
    • Short explanation of the app’s top features with iconography for a visual effect.
  2. Authentication Process:
    • Prioritized automatic authentication as the primary method for Carrier 1, with the PIN code via SMS as the option for Carrier 2.
    • Users are now clearly guided toward the most intuitive sign-up method based on their device’s capabilities, reducing confusion and time spent.
  3. Price Plan Screen:
    • Simplified price plans with clearly defined tiers and benefits, along with a simple, digestible comparison chart.
    • Pricing options are now explained in context to each user’s needs (e.g., basic plans, premium features).
  4. Congrats Screen:
    • A streamlined congratulations screen that clearly outlines the terms of the subscription.

Carrier 1:

Carrier 2:

Getting Customer Buy-In

Once we had the new prototypes branded for each Carrier customer, I presented the flows, research, and data. The customer was very impressed with the improved process, level of detail, and data collected which brought us to the final decision. With some minor edits to the copy to comply with their legal and brand, I passed on the final design to the Engineering team to get the screens built into the upcoming release.

Impact and Results

After implementing the changes based on the research findings, we observed several key improvements:

  • Sign-up Completion Rate: Increased by 40% due to a smoother and faster process, especially with the introduction of automatic authentication for Carrier 1.
  • Engagement Post-Signup: User engagement on the app’s dashboard improved by 30%, as users were able to easily transition from sign-up to app use without feeling overwhelmed.

Challenges

Although we were unable to introduce auto authentication to all carrier partners, users felt since the PIN code was widely used and common in a lot of apps, that it was an easy enough process to complete.

Conclusion

Through a combination of in-depth usability testing, iterative design changes, and data-driven decisions, we successfully streamlined the sign-up flow for the SafePath apps. By focusing on clarity, reducing friction, and prioritizing user preferences, we created a sign-up process that is not only easy to complete but also enhances the user’s confidence and satisfaction. The project highlights the importance of continuous user feedback and testing in refining and optimizing key user journeys.