The Brief

Powr of You, a personal data marketplace, wanted to increase their user retention.

Power of You wants to allow users to get paid to have their data tracked instead of giving it away for free. Users would opt-in to have their browsing data tracked for a limited amount of time and earn cash. However, as a young company, they were still building out this functionality by developing more relationships with vendors interested in purchasing browsing data. The lack of opportunities to opt-in and get paid led to frustrated users. While they continued to develop their vendor relationships, co-founders Keshav and Shruti’s proposed retention strategy was offering personalized analytics on users’ web and mobile browsing habits. 

Team & Duration

3 Weeks

Team of 3 UX Designers

My Role

Research

Strategy

UI Design & Illustration

Tools & Methods

Research & Analysis:

Competitive Research

User Testing

User Interviews

Affinity Mapping

Ideation:

Archetypes

User Flows

Feature Prioritization

Storyboarding

Design:

Wireframing

Branding (Brand Guide)

Copywriting

UI Design

Solution

Outcome

To increase user retention, we offered a 3-part solution.

Frictionless On-Boarding

Reduce friction in
on-boarding to encourage account creation 

Focus Users' Goals

Offer mini surveys with a small daily incentive for completion

Branding Refresh

Changes to the copy and visual identity to instill trust in the user

Read on to learn about how we arrived at our solution.

Research

We started by doing extensive secondary research to understand the data economy and how Powr of You fits into it. Public opinion on data and privacy is changing in the United States and Europe. Powr of You wants to empower people to make money with their data instead of giving it away for free.

Observing First-Time Users

We observed users creating an account to assess their attitudes and feelings about the platform. We immediately noticed that inconsistencies in the copy and visual branding, combined with the invasive nature of questions required to create an account, made users feel suspicious and hesitant to disclose personal information. 

Frustrated Users: Answering many personal questions was required to create your account.

Interviewing Users

Next, we talked to existing users.

Insights:

• The biggest complaint was the lack of survey opportunities & opportunities to make money/rewards

• They used multiple data tracking apps to earn as much money/rewards as possible

• On competing apps, they kept coming back because they offered daily survey opportunities of 1-5 questions each

• They liked how quick and easy it was to complete those daily surveys

• One motivation was simply the fun of being able to express your opinion (a la online quizzes)

• They were motivated by rewards. Even a few cents was enough to incentivize completing surveys

• Analytics on their personal browsing habits weren't functioning correctly

• Analytics did not provide enough insight to be valuable

Competitor Analysis

Powr of You has several direct competitors. We compared the core messaging, positioning, keywords and overall product strategy to find what makes them stand out from the crowd. 

Synthesizing Our Findings

We created user archetypes to represent the primary motivations for using the product. Defining motivations helped us strategize how to meet user needs in our design.

OPINIONATED

Motivations //

Boredom, sharing their opinions in a low-stakes environment

REWARDS DRIVEN

Earn extra spending money or get discounts

PRODUCTIVITY OPTIMIZER

Accomplish more in life and get ahead

Proposal

I created a chart to illustrate the hypothesis, research results, and our proposals after synthesizing our findings. 

Design

Frictionless On-Boarding

The on-boarding process was too long, frustrating the user and causing them to abandon account creation, so we reduced the number of screens. We removed personal questions from the on-boarding process so that it would feel less invasive. We moved the questions onto the platform as mini survey opportunities that can be completed after creating an account. Completing the questions would be voluntary and they would receive a small reward for completion, providing users an incentive to answer them. 

Mini Surveys with Rewards

We learned that users stayed engaged on competing apps through quick survey prompts. They enjoyed expressing their opinions in a low-stakes, easy, and fun environment. We moved some of the personal questions that felt invasive in on-boarding onto the platform post-account creation so that they would be voluntary and feel fun. You would earn a small reward for each question you answer, an insight we learned kept users engaged on competing platforms during user interviews.

Rebranded Landing Page

We felt that we needed to address the copy and visual branding that we observed made users feel unsafe on the platform. I redesigned the landing page to demonstrate a cohesive visual and verbal identity that could be used throughout the platform. I used POY’s brand color (orange) with analogous and neutral colors to give it a softer, more approachable feel. I also created a character to humanize the experience. And we rewrote copy to make the concept of the app easily understandable. By testing 25 different versions  of the copy, we made sure it was crystal clear. The result was a landing page that demonstrated how changes in the copy and visual branding could dramatically change the users’ perception of the platform. 

Illustration

I illustrated storyboards with proposed changes in visual branding. I created a character who uses the product throughout his day, humanizing the experience. Many people have a vague understanding of data sharing and visualizing it makes it easier to understand. I used soft colors, smiling faces, and a bit of humor to make it feel more approachable. 

Landing Page Redesign

Looking Ahead

We spent a lot of time doing secondary research which I think was extremely valuable in learning about the context and competitive landscape. We only had 3 weeks for this project so time was a big challenge. If possible, I would’ve liked to do more observation and user interviews. I also would’ve liked to spend more time on design. Because of time constraints, I only got to redesign the landing page, which was a priority because the branding was a major pain point we found in our research. I really would’ve liked to redesign the platform itself too so I could demonstrate how the on-boarding changes and surveys could be integrated. 

What I Learned

I learned that a clients’ goals may not be aligned with their proposed strategy. User testing can uncover issues that the client may not have known were there, and careful communication about unexpected problems or insights is vital. Maintaining a healthy working relationship is crucial to uncovering issues and figuring out the best solutions to address them. They are currently incorporating our work into the platform.