RIVET
A Mobile Design for a Music App (Case Study)
Introduction
Media apps exist so that people can enjoy consuming music, videos, podcasts, and other content from their fingertips. However, in order for companies to make a profit from these apps, premium memberships must be purchased.
RIVET is a solution designed to encourage users to convert from a free subscription to paid one.
Prompt
A media company has been running its free product for two years, and it is well received with their current user base. Now, to increase revenue, an improved experience must be designed which will allow users to subscribe and pay a monthly fee.
Who was Involved?
I was the only designer working on this project, and no stakeholders were involved.
Design tools: Figma, Adobe Illustrator, InVision
Research
Currently, users are not switching to premium subscriptions. When I investigated this issue, I found that the “freemium” model is what encourages them to switch to premium accounts.
Freemium Model
Prompts and reminders in the app direct the user’s attention to what the premium version offers. This creates the grounds for them to switch their account type.
Market Analysis
I looked closely at YouTube, Pandora, and Spotify to explore what methods they used to convert users to premium.
Youtube
YouTube’s premium subscription flow is minimal and easy to follow; however, it does not offer a great selection of plans. There is an option to switch to premium on the homepage, but there are no prompts throughout the app that encourage the user to switch.
Pandora
Pandora’s flow is also simple, and it offer various plan options to swipe through. However, there is no option to create a premium account upon signing up. There are also no prompts to switch to premium throughout the app.
Spotify
Spotify is definitely the industry leader in converting users from free to premium. It has an extremely high conversion rate (26.6%) due to its excellent use of the freemium model.
I gained plenty of knowledge about conversion tactics by taking notes from Spotify!
*Soft pushes are good ways to subtly encourage users to switch their account types. You may not think so at first glance, but they do still work to fulfill the main goal.
Surveys & Interviews
I sent out a survey to see who the target audience was and what their needs were. Participants were selected to be interviewed about their media consumption habits.
“I used the free trial first for a little while. I hated hearing ads all the time, but I really decided to go premium because I wanted more music and exclusives. Like listening to full albums without having to pay for them.”
“It’s weird that I pay for Spotify and not YouTube because I use both apps everyday! I guess I don’t see the value in paying for YouTube. I’ve been using it for so long that I’ve just gotten used to the ads. Maybe because the videos I watch on YouTube are typically longer than a song the ads don’t really bother me as much when they pop up.”
User Persona
Ideation
I needed to incorporate the “freemium” model into RIVET. Since I learned how to attract users to premium and increase conversion rates, I mapped out the structure to meet these goals.
Site Map
User Flows
I incorporated the main features of RIVET into steps of the user journey. The user would ideally take these steps to successfully convert their subscription to premium.
Onboarding Flow
*Click to expand
Subscription Flow
*Click to expand
Checkout Flow
*Click to expand
Product Definition
I drew sketches of my rough ideas to form a visual of what the app would look like. These early sketches were the foundation that I used to build the rest of the design off of.
Wireframes
These wireframes were heavily based on my sketches, and I designed them in Figma. These early ideas were constantly improved upon as the project continued, and many changes were made to the design after creating these!
Product Testing (First Round)
By connecting the screens into a flow, I turned the wireframes into a low-fidelity prototype. Four participants clicked through as if they were creating an account with a premium membership. Additionally, they had the option to create an account and do a free trial.
“I’m confused about why the free trial offer pops up after you select an account type. Shouldn’t it come before?”
The results showed that they had some confusion in trying out the app for the first time - Some of them were not able to complete certain tasks due to unclear directions and confusing loops. These issues were resolved before moving on to the next step.
UI Design
Branding & Visual Styles
Logo
During this time, the name of the app was conceived. It encompasses these qualities -
Bold
Smart
Hip
Color Palette
I used a dark color scheme because it provides a nice contrast against any album or podcast cover. It has a modern, sleek feel to it that keeps the user alert and engaged.
I applied the visual styles from above and turned my wireframes into high-fidelity designs. This is where RIVET really comes to life!
Product Testing (Second Round)
I enhanced the earlier prototype into a high-fidelity design using the new screens, and tested it with the same four participants. The updates allowed them to easily follow along with the test script. I still made minor improvements afterwards based on the feedback.
“Am I able to click into a song or album and save it from the Explore page?”
Final Solutions
The features included in the app are :
Free trial offer
Users can try RIVET premium for free for a limited time only
Pop-ups during streaming
Users are reminded of the benefits of RIVET premium while using the app
Plan options
Users are able to explore various plans that fit their personal needs
Reflections
People are heavy on convenience and seek out anything that makes their lives easier on a day-to-day basis. This is a great entry point for a premium subscription offer! I gained in-depth knowledge of the freemium model, and I am proud of what I have learned!
Next Steps
The next steps would be to :
Further research how to increase conversion rate
Introduce additional features in the premium version
Hire development team to add functionality to the premium design
