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Jacobo Z. Leyendecker
Music is better with Premium!
The research and development process in allowing users access to Mix Premium.
The Problem
Mix is a freemium model media service that has a mobile-web experience and a mobile app for both iOS and Android. The company’s business strategy was to first build a user base by offering a free product and then evolve the feature set so they could monetize on a premium (paid) product.
At this point, Mix has been well received and has a healthy user base of free users. They now
need to design an experience that will allow users to subscribe and pay a monthly fee.
Business Goals
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Research Documentation
The research methods that I utilized for the current business goals included secondary research, surveys, and questionnaires. I elected to do these three methods because they would provide the greatest amount of relevant information in the shortest amount of time. Even though the surveys and questionnaires took slightly longer to execute, they proved to be very serviceable in providing data figures to that of the secondary research.
Link to full research plan: Mix Research Plan
Secondary Research
Before I began searching for information to utilize as my secondary research, I first had to identify what exactly I was looking for. I was not interested in market research data, or how much freemium models made in profit, but I soon discovered that the internet was littered with this information that primarily catered to marketers. I understand that advertising is technically a method to upsell users even within the UI of any given application, but I was more interested in an applications UI structure to allow that exact
upsell. The online studies that I came across gave great insight into a
few key points. Spotify, which is the application that the app Mix
resembles the most, reported that 60% of their subscribers came from
users that first utilized the free version. This is very telling as it meant
that being able to provide users the ability to subscribe within the free
app itself is crucial in allowing users to go premium. In addition, I
discovered that pop-ups with a call to action on average have a
conversion rate of 3.09% which although may not be majorly
significant, could still be a tool to utilize in upselling users.
Findings
Surveys + Questionnaires
When it came time to find out how real potential users felt about the best upselling methods, I first had to ensure that I was questioning the correct user type. To accomplish this, I created surveys to filter out users that did not fit the target demographic. Once the results were compiled, I was able to then send out questionnaires to those that allowed me to do so. The questionnaires gave light on many key insights. Out of 10 submissions, 90% of all users would pay the industry standard for a premium version of an app that gave access to many of the key features included in the premium model, 80% of users described visual advertisements as being more favorable, and 70% of users said that having two back-to-back ads would be the acceptable limit before experiencing a negative impression of the application in use. This data tells me that visual UI elements throughout the app will not take away too much from the user experience while still being able to entice users towards the premium version. In addition, I discovered that 30% of users would not require a free trial before upgrading to premium, which tells me that allowing the user to subscribe within the sign-up screen will be very important for those that simply want to subscribe upfront. Link to surveys + questionnaire results: Mix Research Documentation
Survey Results
The following survey was designed to ensure that the questionnaire results would be relevant to that of the target user. Out of 11 respondents, these were the results.
Questionnaire Results
After having received all the survey responses, the questionnaires were distributed to those that met the target user qualifications. Out of 10 respondents, these were the results.
Final Research Synthesis
Capitalizing on these findings would end up being the greatest influence in the
later stages of development. Ensuring that a positive user experience is met with
clear calls to action intended towards the premium version would be the primary
goal. This plan would then be accomplished by capitalizing on visual space
throughout all primary user flows, with an additional subscribe option within the
sign-up flow. Implementing these key additions will accomplish the business goal
of allowing users to subscribe in a straightforward fashion without sacrificing a
positive user experience.
Link to full research synthesis: Mix Research Synthesis
User Flow Development
Creating two user flow charts was an integral part of the early development stage. During this process, it was important that the application served all its main needs in an easy-to-use way. Below are the two main flows in allowing the user access to the application’s premium version.
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The top figure is the sign-in/login flow with Premium subscription options.
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The bottom figure is the in-app Premium option flow.
Link to full user flow chart: 36.4 user flow chart image.jpg
Low Fidelity Frames
Now that the user flows were complete, I decided to develop 12 low-fidelity frames where the user would be presented with opportunities to subscribe to Mix Premium. These subscription opportunities are presented within the sign-up/login flow as well as within the different home tabs and track view screens. These frames would later be utilized for the first round of usability tests.
Link to full low fidelity frames: Mix - Low fidelity frames
Usability Test Script
For the Mix usability testing sessions, I Interviewed three people that fit into the app's target demographics. Two interviews were conducted in person and one remotely. Each interview lasted about 30 minutes. Link to full test script: Usability test script - Mix
First Round Findings
For the first round of user testing, I knew going into it that there would likely be more critiques than none to be shared, but to my surprise, the criticism was very minimal with the exception of a few minor issues. Two tests were conducted in person, and one was done virtually. All three tests were done with candidates that met all the prior qualifications to that of the questionnaires. All candidates were between the ages of 18 - 24, all were relatively tech-savvy, and all considered music to be a very important aspect of their lives. Due to their love for music, all candidates had experience using other music media apps prior to testing. I believe this to be very telling especially in how the user tests played out which I can only describe as effortless.
The interview tasks were laid out in an effort to understand if a new or already logged-in user, would have any issue locating the options available for them to subscribe to the premium version of the app. All three interviewees faced no issue locating the available subscription options throughout the app, especially within the track view screen. When users were asked to locate the subscription option on screens other than the track view screen, it took the users roughly an extra 3 - 4 seconds to locate that option but I believe that to be due to the lack of a “pop-up” animation. When users were faced with screens that did not include a subscription option, it only took about 4 - 5 seconds before users were able to locate the “Premium” selection on the bottom right corner of the tab bar. Once that “Premium” selection was first identified, users had no hesitation in identifying it a second or third time. One interviewee said that they thought having that “Premium” option always on the tab bar was “very convenient” because regardless of where you are on the app, that option is always present.
For this being the first round of user testing, I can only describe it as a big success. The only areas where I felt that the low fidelity designs fell short were due to some key items not being as quickly recognizable due to the lack of colors, pictures, and just overall design. The high-fidelity mockups would later remedy these minor cosmetic issues that stalled users from identifying subscription options within the app.
Link to the full report: Mix user testing - First round findings
UI Style
In order to develop the proper subscription options, I first needed a style guide. Instead of copying and pasting an already existing UI kit from the internet, I decided to create the brand myself. Below are basic brand elements that will serve as the blueprint for future subscription opportunities for Mix Premium.
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High Fidelity Prototype
Combining information from various lightning demos and drawing inspiration from preexisting apps and UI kits, brings the latest iteration of Mix. This prototype was designed with the intention of being able to provide users with multiple subscription options within the sign-up/login flow as well as within the app itself. For that reason, this prototype does not provide access to frames or features that are not relevant to that of the business goal. Below are all the frames included within the prototype with subscription options in various forms such as visual/audio advertisement examples as well as Premium option selections. Link to full high resolution frames : Mix final high fidelity ui slides.pdf
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Final Testing Results
For the second round of user tests, I took all the feedback from the first round and applied that towards developing the greatest and latest version of Mix. All interviewees during the first round of testing accomplished all the required tasks with the only issue being their reaction time. It took some users 4-5 seconds before selecting the correct item on my low-fidelity mockups and I believe that to be due to the lack of design that came with it. To remedy that issue, I made sure to fill in the gaps and design the app to its fullest potential with icons that carry greater content. Now having been able to retest the app and ask the same set of questions to candidates of the same qualifications and demographics, the results have come back positive. Two tests were conducted in person, and one was done virtually. All candidates were between the ages of 18 - 24, all were relatively tech-savvy, and all considered music to be a very important aspect of their life. Similar to that of the first round, all users had previous experience using a music media app.
Immediately as the second round of tests began, I received far more comments and assumptions about the app’s function and overall aesthetic. Many of the interviewees described the app as having similar design cues to that of apps such as Apple Music, and Spotify. These comments did not surprise me since I designed Mix by leveraging familiarity and by maintaining consistent design patterns throughout. When it came time to ask users how to subscribe to Mix Premium, regardless of the screen presented, users made the correct selection without hesitation. The only area of minimal concern came with one user who squinted more than the others to read text. Even though the user did not comment on the text size, this could still mean that larger text sizes may be required in certain areas.
Link to the full report: Mix user testing - Second round findings
Conclusion
Overall, I was very pleased with the final results. Compared to the first round of tests, nearly all decision-making times were eliminated or cut by 80%. I believe that this came as a result of having implemented colors, pictures, and just overall design. The primary task of allowing users to subscribe to Mix Premium was achieved successfully regardless of which screen the user found themselves on. Whether they were signing up or already logged in, Mix Premium was always accessible. One aspect that I will definitely revisit is in ensuring that all text sizes are fully legible. Having a great UI is nothing if you can’t offer a great UX, so being able to tie both of these together is very important before a final version of Mix can be released.
