I’m an active collaborator, aligning user needs with business goals. (1)
I’m an active collaborator, aligning user needs with business goals. (1)

I’m an active collaborator, aligning user needs with business goals. (1)

Project by skill

  1. Increasing conversions
  2. Aligning user and business goals
  3. Balancing user control with structured guidance

1. Increasing conversions

Problem description

Company: Newsela Inc.

Role: primary UX Writer

Problem: The conversion rate of free users to paid users was low. Many users were simply happy with the free experience. Plus they perceived little to no added value with purchasing a subscription.

User goal: Use leveled content to teach a subject or work on reading skills.

Business goal: Increase the number of paid users, by introducing a reduced free experience and driving users from a trial experience to a platform subscription.

Context

This was a fast-moving project and I was pulled in during the wire-framing stage. Requirements had already been laid out by upper management.

My approach

  1. Quickly built relationships with UX/UI designers by first fulfilling immediate needs—drafting copy for wireframes. Questioned the mental model that we were servicing with existing flows and gained the trust and respect of my peers.
  2. Used given requirements, user data, and stakeholder feedback to continue iterating on content.
  3. Collaborated on a prototype that was used in a UXR study and participated in the interview of 2 existing users.
  4. Mapped the user journey to get a better strategy for tone and identify areas in the flow where content was missing. Revised content.
  5. Revised content according to UXR study results and stakeholder (product and marketing) feedback.

Stock photo - images of the journey map are not available.
Stock photo - images of the journey map are not available.

Content decisions

Homepage Hero: Educate

Hero content: I crafted the body copy in the hero, the pills, and the content tags.
Hero content: I crafted the body copy in the hero, the pills, and the content tags.

Hero content considerations:

  • Sets the context and educates the user about the new free experience.
  • Short, simple sentences improve scannability and quick understanding.
  • The tone is positive but not overly excited. We wanted to be empathetic with the user, who was likely returning to a vastly reduced experience.
  • If I could make revisions now, I would experiment with removing the hero. This content is likely no longer helpful to returning users.

Premium Content: communicate added value of subscription

Premium content section: I crafted the headline and the body copy.
Premium content section: I crafted the headline and the body copy.

Premium content considerations:

  • The headline aims to spark interest and prep the user for a browsing experience.
  • The body aims to show the breadth of content formats (not all of which is visible) and the high quality of the content.

Trial CTA: funnel users into the trial when they hit the paywall

Banner content: I crafted the headline, body and CTA.
Banner content: I crafted the headline, body and CTA.

Banner content considerations:

  • The banner encourages the user to browse the content. The most convincing moment to start a trial is when the user finds a solution (premium content) to an immediate need (relevant to curriculum) that’s behind the paywall.
  • The activating word ‘Unlock’ is used throughout the free experience, accompanied by the safe icon. This is relatively common for digital platforms, referencing a familiar pattern.

Modal: activate trial

Free trial modal: this content was a collaboration with marketing partners.
Free trial modal: this content was a collaboration with marketing partners.

Modal content considerations:

  • The primary goal of the modal is to convert curious free users to trial users by highlighting and listing in a hierarchy the benefits users will enjoy, as well as educating the user on the trial terms.
  • The secondary goal is to appease user concerns like, "What can I do at the end of the trial if I like it? Will I be automatically charged if I miss the end date of the trial?”
  • The CTA indicates that the trial will start immediately (no need to fill in forms). It is a low-commitment CTA.

Outcome

Results

  • UXR studies confirmed that users found the tone and content satisfactory.
  • As of November 2023 (4 months after release), the overall Newsela Recommended Score (NRS) rose to 65.6, up 1.8 points from the previous year. Notably, among paid users, the NRS jumped by 8.1 points to 70.1, suggesting that the improvements to the premium experience were highly effective and positively received by users.

What I learned

There are many tools and models available to help us empathize with the user. Applying those tools effectively paves the way for more targeted and empathetic content. Ideally, this happens in the discovery phase.

What I would do now

  • Over a year later, the hero content needs to be updated to address the current context.
  • Usage data and UXR studies should be conducted to better understand the user’s mental model of the free and paid experiences. Those results could be used to adapt content.
  • Drop-off rates could help us understand where we are losing the free users and help us to optimize the experience.