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Subscription Genie
Keeping subscription management simple
Role
UI/UX Designer
Timeline
4 Months
Tools
Adobe XD
Problem
Managing subscriptions can be a messy and tedious process. Managing renewal dates, different platforms, and customer service can be a tedious. I asked myself a “How might we” question to find a solution which asks “How might we design an efficient process to better manage and track user’s multiple paid digital subscriptions?”
Solution
Subscription Genie a mobile app was created as an all in one platform for users to better manage their paid digital subscriptions. Solutions included keeping track of all subscriptions in one place, automating renewal and payment reminders, and an easier subscription cancellation process.
Research
Competitive Analysis
I found three industry leaders that could provide insight into what works and what doesn't to provide the best solution. They were Track my subs, Trim, and Truebill. I compared all three competitors and found what users would like and disliked and what items could be addressed for a better outcome based on the secondary research highlights below:
Secondary Research Key Takeaway:
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Most articles suggest users use different digital platforms to manage their subscriptions but they don’t offer concrete methods to simplify it.
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Current digital subscription managed platforms often do not have an all in one solution for users.
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Competitors such as Truebill and Hiatus both mobile based platforms can connect to a user’s bank account to help find savings for users and a bill negotiation feature usually a premium feature.
Track my subs was a direct user managed platform giving users control over their subscription management.
Trim offers users traditional billing assistance and management but doesn’t assist with digital subscriptions.
Trim offers users traditional billing assistance and management but doesn’t assist with digital subscriptions.
Truebill is a great contender but certain features are premium and requires users to connect to their bank accounts
Design
User Flows
I identified three common tasks users would often encounter while managing their subscriptions. Tasks include adding a subscription dashboard, reminder alerts, and direct subscription cancellation.
Subscription Dashboard
Reminder Alert
Subscription Cancellation
Picturing our users
Meet Connor Collins, he's the result of empathy mapping and research data used to mentally picture our user's need and pain points. Through their pain points and needs, I was able to get a visual picture of our users.
Crafting Connor's persona made me realize he didn’t need a supporting user as goals, concerns, and needs were identical.
Validate
1st Round Testing
With the information architecture completed, I sketched out and digitized them to become medium fidelity mock ups for the first round testing. I completed 6 rounds of testing and here are some testing insights:
Users thought the placeholder text was able to add subscriptions
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3/6 Users couldn't locate the alert setting section because it blended in with the other text
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The two words sounded too similar in meaning according to 4/6 users.
2nd Round Testing
I created two sets of high fidelity mock ups and settled on a prototype ready version that was user-friendly to use. Key takeaways from this round were:
2/5 users thought the monthly and yearly tabs separated subscriptions by payment frequency instead of average cost for total subscriptions for that time period.
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After re-wording the two functions, 2/5 users was not sure what "list" was referring to in the prototype.
Final Touches
Some key revisions to the final prototype included:
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Added an “undo” button as an edge case in case users wanted to reverse their decision.
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Changed dashboard’s expenses into CTA buttons to mark it as average total expenses for each period listed.
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“Remove my list” was reworded to “Remove from homepage” for a clearer meaning.
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Key revisions included differentiating editable values and clearer CTA placement.
Reflection & Takeaways
Subscription Genie was a challenge because it was familiar in concept but challenging to execute. I learned to thoroughly research competition in order to understand the industry first which helped to guide my designs. By finding the right information and speaking to users about their needs and frustrations, I was able to empathize and devise a design solution.