Customizable Subscription Management Blocks for B2B Clients and End Users at Arc XP
Arc Publishing - The Washington Post
B2B / B2C / Web
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Role
Senior Product Designer
Duration
April 2024 - September 2024
Overview
In a competitive digital landscape, businesses, especially publishers and broadcasters, need effective solutions for monetizing content. Arc XP aimed to empower its B2B clients by providing out-of-the-box elements that enable easy implementation of subscription capabilities on their websites. As the lead designer, I focused on transforming the subscription experience for both B2B clients and their end-users, ensuring that these tools facilitated seamless integration and user satisfaction.
This case study highlights the journey from April 2024 to September 2024, focusing on the enhancement of subscription checkout and management components, as well as content saving and bookmarking features, enabling clients to easily integrate these functionalities into their platforms.
Business Objective
Enhance user engagement and monetization opportunities for B2B clients by providing out-of-the-box subscription capabilities that can be easily integrated into their websites.
Key Results
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Increase user engagement on client websites by 30%, measured by subscription sign-up rates and interactions with key features.
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Achieve a 25% improvement in client satisfaction scores from post-launch surveys sent to B2B clients.
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Reduce user churn rates by 15% through improved subscription functionalities.
Understanding the Current State
To assess the existing landscape, I began by mapping out the current user flows and identifying gaps in subscription integration. Utilizing analytics tools like Pendo, we tracked user interactions to pinpoint challenges faced by clients.
Understanding the current state
User interview
I conducted interviews with B2B clients using the existing subscription features. These discussions helped uncover their needs and expectations regarding subscription capabilities.
Through these interviews, I identified key user personas:
Content Manager
Responsible for overseeing subscription offerings and ensuring user satisfaction.
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Top Need: Simplified tools for integrating and managing subscriptions on their websites.
End User (Readers)
Users subscribing to content from B2B clients.
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Top Needs:
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Easy access to manage their subscriptions.
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Ability to save content for later access.
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Options to use different payment methods for flexibility and convenience.
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Understanding the current state
User flow
Before developing the design solutions, I created detailed user flows primarily focused on end users. These user flows mapped out the key interactions and steps involved in the subscription management process, allowing us to identify potential bottlenecks and ensure a smooth experience throughout the user journey.
Understanding the current state
Research
The research phase included extensive user interviews and competitive analysis. I connected with various stakeholders to understand how the subscription features could best fit into their workflows. Users expressed the need for straightforward solutions that would allow them to offer subscription functionalities without extensive technical barriers.
Key findings
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Clients needed user-friendly, out-of-the-box elements to integrate subscriptions easily into their websites.
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Users highlighted the importance of content-saving and bookmarking capabilities to enhance their overall engagement.
Design Iterations
With a solid understanding of user needs and the user journey established, I collaborated with the development team to create a vision for the subscription management components.
Due to project constraints, I could not test the designs for the checkout block and profile management components with B2B clients before launch. However, I tested the saved content and bookmarking designs through Respondent, creating a survey in Maze to gather feedback. The insights gained from this testing allowed me to iterate on those designs effectively. I relied on internal stakeholder feedback for the checkout block and profile management designs.
I designed three main elements:
Design Iterations
1. Subscription Profile Management Block:
This element allows users to view and manage their subscriptions effectively on client websites. Key functionalities included:
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Clear display of subscription status (active, cancelled, or terminated).
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Payment details and options for managing subscriptions directly.
Design Iterations
2. Checkout Block:
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Account verification and billing address entry.
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Payment Options: Integration of various payment methods, including credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, providing users with flexible payment choices.
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A summary page for users to review their subscriptions before finalizing payments.
Design Iterations
3. Content Bookmarking Feature:
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Designed to enable users to save articles and media for later access, enhancing engagement and allowing end-users to interact more effectively with the content.
User Testing with Maze
After designing the saved content and bookmarking features, I wanted to validate these designs with real user feedback before finalizing them. To achieve this, I conducted a survey using Maze, focusing specifically on the usability of the bookmarking feature. The survey allowed me to gather insights into user preferences and identify any usability issues before moving forward with the final implementation.
Some of the user feedbacks:
Incorporating User Feedback
The Maze survey revealed valuable insights into the usability of the saved content and bookmarking features, which directly influenced the final design iterations:
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Task Completion:
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85.7% of users successfully saved content, but a few users had difficulty with the location of the "Save" icon, which led to a redesign for better visibility.
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75% of users found it easy to access their saved content, but 50% had difficulty locating the saved section, indicating the need for clearer labeling and a more prominent "Saved" section.
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User Satisfaction:
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80% of users rated the bookmarking feature as easy to use and intuitive, confirming its design direction.
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Users expressed interest in additional features like content categorization and a search function to better organize saved content, leading to further iterations of the feature.
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Improvement Areas:
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A significant portion of users requested the ability to sort and categorize saved content by topic, prompting the addition of this functionality in later iterations
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For the checkout block and profile management components, due to project constraints, I was unable to conduct testing with B2B clients before launch. Instead, I gathered feedback from internal stakeholders to iterate on these designs.
Customer Understanding
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Created customer personas based on research findings to align the team on user needs.
Launch & Results
After launching the new subscription management tools, content saving, and bookmarking features, both B2B clients and end users experienced significant improvements, highlighting the success of the design.
For B2B Clients:
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Increased User Engagement: B2B clients saw a 35% increase in user engagement on their websites, driven by the ease of integrating and managing subscriptions and content-saving features. Users were more likely to return to the site to interact with saved content and manage their subscriptions.
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Reduced User Churn: The introduction of seamless subscription management and content organization helped reduce churn rates by 20%. Clients reported higher retention as users found it easier to keep track of their subscriptions and stay engaged with content.
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Improved Client Satisfaction: Post-launch surveys from B2B clients indicated a 30% improvement in client satisfaction, with many clients appreciating the user-friendly design and the ease of integrating subscription features directly onto their sites.
For End Users (Readers):
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Enhanced User Experience: Readers found the new tools intuitive, with 80% of users reporting that the bookmarking feature was easy to use and improved their overall engagement with the content. They appreciated the ability to save and categorize content for later, leading to more frequent visits.
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Increased Satisfaction: The Maze survey revealed that 75% of users expressed satisfaction with the new subscription checkout process, citing the flexibility in payment options (credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, etc.) as a key factor.
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Streamlined Content Discovery: Users were able to easily manage their subscriptions and saved content, leading to a more seamless experience across devices. The ease of finding and organizing saved articles led to a positive 30% increase in overall satisfaction and engagement.
Restropective
This project underscored the importance of user-centered design and continuous feedback throughout the design process. By investing time in understanding user needs at the outset and iterating on designs based on real-world feedback, we were able to deliver a product that truly addressed the challenges faced by clients and end-users.
The final subscription management tools not only facilitated better user experiences but also positioned Arc XP as a leader in providing effective monetization solutions. The flexible design allowed for easy scalability and integration into future projects, reducing technical debt and enhancing overall business performance.
By focusing on user needs and maintaining a collaborative approach with stakeholders, we ensured that the final product met the expectations of both B2B clients and their end-users, setting a strong foundation for future enhancements in Arc XP's subscription offerings.