BABYPAGE APP
Optimized BabyPage's app and website to enhance user engagement, retention, and conversion rates, improving the digital experience for documenting child milestones.
Service
My Role
User Experience Design, UI Design
UX Designer
OVERVIEW
BabyPage is a digital platform helping parents capture milestones through personalized baby books, journals, and memory books. Facing challenges in user retention and conversion, this case study details the optimization steps that enhanced engagement and satisfaction.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
BabyPage, although offering valuable services to parents, faced low user retention and underwhelming conversion rates. How might we improve the user experience—addressing usability issues and feature gaps—to boost retention, satisfaction, and conversions?
DESIGN APPROACH
PROBLEM:
How might we improve the user experience usability issues and feature gaps to boost
retention, satisfaction, and conversions?
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Retention: Users weren’t consistently returning after initial use.
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Reviews: Feedback indicated dissatisfaction with certain features and usability.
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Conversion Rate: Fewer users upgraded from free to paid plans than expected, limiting revenue and growth.
RESEARCH:
I asked the product lead for any client-provided usability research or user testing data to gain qualitative feedback from app users and identify pain points starting at the consideration stage. Then, I analyzed user survey responses and reviews, revealing repetitive milestone forms, unclear upgrade benefits, and in-app questionnaire errors.
FINDINGS
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Some users felt the app’s branding and screenshots were eye-catching, while others needed clearer, more detailed information to fully understand the product’s benefits.
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Participants appreciated the straightforward signup, but several indicated it could be shortened to reduce drop-offs or confusion.
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Testers expressed varying comfort levels with the membership and book costs. Many wanted more transparent pricing details before committing to a purchase.
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Users liked the concept of a printed keepsake but were uncertain about the effort required to create it. Clear guidance and previews were cited as must-haves to encourage completion.
USERS AND AUDIENCE
Primary Persona
Young Mother living in an urban area
Name: Emily D
Age: 28–35 years old
Gender: Female
Location: Suburban or urban area with family-friendly amenities
Marital Status: Married or in a committed partnership
Children: 1–2 young children (newborn to 3 years old)
Occupation: Mid-level professional (e.g., Marketing, Education, Healthcare)
Income Level: $60K–$120K+ per year
Education: Bachelor’s degree or higher
Secondary Persona
Grandmother living in Suburban area
Name: Linda Thompson
Age: 55–70 years old
Gender: Female
Location: Suburban, often living near or regularly visiting family
Marital Status: Married
Children: Adult children with one or more grandchildren (newborn to 3 years old)
Occupation: Retired or semi-retired professional (e.g., Education, Healthcare, Office Administration)
Income Level: Comfortable retirement income or pension
Education: bachelor’s degree or higher
SCOPE AND CONSTRAINTS
Technical Limitations: Certain features, such as in-app purchases, were limited by existing technical issues, requiring the prioritization of other improvements first.
Brand Positioning: BabyPage aimed to avoid being perceived as a discount brand, which limited the use of price reductions as a primary strategy for increasing conversions.
IDEATION AND PROTOTYPING
Based on research, I designed the new flow, wireframes, and prototypes. Leading a design sprint, my team and I refined ideas into a solution with:
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Crazy 8s
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Storyboarding
WIREFRAMES AND APP SCREEN DESIGNS
1. Onboarding Flow
Hypothesis: The original onboarding process overwhelmed users with too many steps and unclear instructions, causing frustration and drop-offs. Streamlining and logically prompting key actions aligns with users’ mental models, enhancing satisfaction and reducing abandonment.
Design Strategy: Simplified the flow by removing unnecessary steps and clarifying each stage. After subscribing, users are now prompted to add a child, making the process intuitive. This cleaner approach reduces cognitive load and improves the overall user experience.
BabyPage Onboarding – Key Improvements Summary
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Simplified & Clear Sign-Up:
The app opens to a proper sign-up screen (not “Welcome Back”); mobile web images are reduced for less scrolling; pop-ups and CTA buttons are more user-friendly.
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Smarter Subscription Flow:
Streamlined text with merged bullet points, clearer pricing for 3-month plans, and consistent “Plus Plan” naming across steps.
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Cleaner Purchase Experience:
Added context (e.g., photo prints), removed redundant screens, added credit card logos, and improved readability with higher contrast.
2. In-App Notifications
Hypothesis: Generic time-based notifications can feel intrusive or irrelevant, potentially annoying users. Personalizing notifications based on user behavior can guide users more effectively and enhance engagement.
Design Strategy: Implement personalized notifications triggered by user actions rather than arbitrary time intervals. This user-centric approach respects the user's context, increases engagement, and helps users discover valuable features they might have missed. Timely, relevant reminders assist users in navigating the app more effectively.
3. Subscription UI Updates
Hypothesis: An overcrowded subscription page confuses users, hindering their ability to grasp upgrade benefits. Simplifying content and highlighting key features fosters clarity and drives higher conversions.
Design Strategy: Reduced text and used bullet points for clarity. Improved visual readability ensures immediate recognition of benefits, while succinct information helps users quickly grasp the value proposition.
4. App Store Graphics
Hypothesis: The App Store is often the first user touchpoint, so optimized visuals and descriptions can make a strong first impression. Engaging colors and informative screenshots reduce uncertainty and boost downloads.
Design Strategy: Redesigned screenshots to highlight core features and benefits with concise explanations. A/B tested listing graphics—even at the keyword level—to refine visual appeal and effectiveness.
5. Holiday BabyPages Section
Hypothesis: Seasonal updates refresh the app, aligning it with real-world events. This increases user engagement and satisfaction by building a stronger connection.
Design Strategy: Regularly updated holiday-themed badges (e.g., Valentine’s, Easter) to encourage seasonal engagement and prompt users to explore new features.
TESTING
Collaborated with client team to run the tests and conclude findings.
RESULTS AND LESSONS LEARNED:
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Increased Retention: Rates improved by 2.6% thanks to clearer onboarding and personalized notifications.
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Better Conversion Rates: A 3.1% lift in upgrades from free to paid plans followed by UI enhancements and tighter value messaging.
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Enhanced User Feedback: Simplified flows and relevant notifications led to more positive reviews and a higher overall app rating.
Key Takeaways:
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Personalized Engagement (triggers based on user behavior) effectively boosts retention.
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Visual Clarity is vital—removing clutter helps users grasp features quickly.
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Continuous Testing (especially in onboarding and subscription flows) uncovers hidden issues and drives iterative improvements.
Disclaimer: The current BabyPage interface may differ from the designs shown, as updates occurred after this project’s completion.