Increasing trial start rate and paywall optimization for mobile subscription app
CAMPSITE TONIGHT
Campsite Tonight is a mobile app for searching and booking campsites. The existing paywall was underperforming, due to lack of a clear hierarchy, low scannability, and confusing copy. As a consumer subscription app, this was a key part of the user experience and acquisition funnel that needed to be improved.
PROBLEM
I created 3 new paywall designs, customized for specific user flows, such as onboarding and feature exploration. This required rewriting the copy to better convey the app’s value promise, and clarifying the paywall’s primary message. The design process was informed by competitor analysis and latest subscription app trends and data.
SOLUTION
Paywall optimization, subscriptions, mobile app, user research, wireframes, UX writing, high fidelity
SKILLS
TIMEFRAME
2 weeks
Product designer
Product manager
Developer
TEAM
OVERVIEW
Comprehensive campground search, at your fingertips
Campsite Tonight is a consumer subscription app that offers the ability to search thousands of campgrounds at once. Previously, campers had to comb through multiple websites (such as Recreation.gov, state parks, county parks, Hipcamp, etc.) in order to view campground availability. The app also offers helpful features such as availability alerts, cell phone coverage layers, and other benefits to make the booking process as easy as possible.
The free version of the app is somewhat limited compared to the premium subscription, so it was crucial to encourage users to opt in to the free trial, in order to explore and better understand the value of the app’s premium features.
PROBLEM
Trying to address multiple use cases with a single paywall design
In order to understand why the existing paywall was underperforming, I first needed to identify the various scenarios and flows where users encountered the paywall.
There are three primary scenarios where the paywall is viewed:
1. At the end of onboarding
2. Exploring a premium feature
3. Exploring a premium feature, after the trial period has already ended
It quickly became apparent that each of these use cases required different messaging and information hierarchy. For example, in the onboarding flow, the user has already read multiple screens that highlight premium features. Therefore, the last screen (the paywall) should make the decision as easy as possible for the user.
As a result, the final solution involved three distinct paywall designs.
Before
After
In addition, in terms of the design and content of the existing paywall, I identified room for improvement in the following areas:
Confusing information hierarchy
“Go Premium” and “Upgrade now” are the primary focus on the screen, which both allude to a paid subscription, rather than signing up for a free trial
Lack of scannability with the remaining body text all the same font size and weight
Unclear value promise
The feature terminology (such as “3 active add to cart alerts”) is not intuitive
The plan comparison puts an emphasis on the free features at the top, when the focus should be on the premium features
Accessibility concerns
Lack of contrast between the white text on orange background makes the text harder to read
RESEARCH
Digging into industry trends and data
After taking a look at resources such as Phil Carter’s Subscription Value Loop, RevenueCat’s State of Subscription Apps, and App Agent’s “Mobile App Onboarding: 5 Paywall Optimization Strategies,” I found two key takeaways in my preliminary research.
Utilizing paywalls to drive trial start rates
More than 75% of trial starts occur in the first day of app download
Among subscription apps categories, Travel is the most likely to convert trial users into subscribers (54.3% median conversion rate)
Strategizing paywall content
Detail vs speed: Some argue more detailed paywalls are more effective because users want to know what they’re paying for. However, in order to optimize for speed (due to short attention spans and high competition amongst apps), the text must be as concise as possible
Visuals: Aim to incorporate enticing, high quality visuals that illustrate premium features
Clear messaging: Be direct about what you want users to do (in this case, start a free trial)
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
Analyzing existing models and competitor A/B testing outcomes
Next, I pulled 40+ competitor paywalls for analysis, and determined three main attributes to incorporate into Campsite Tonight’s paywall.
1. Clear value promise
Focusing on 4-5 premium features
2. Lowering the commitment barrier
Using soft copy in CTAs to improve conversions, such as “Continue” or “Try it Free”
3. Increase trust through transparency
As popularized by Blinkist, making it clear that users will receive a reminder before the trial ends
IDEATION
With the three attributes in mind, I designed wireframe options with differing information hierarchy and prioritization:
Trial and features - header emphasizes free trial, plus list of premium feature benefits
Trial only - simplest design that only displays the free trial information, no features
Feature-specific - highlights one individual feature
Design exploration
I also pulled the existing onboarding flow as a reference, keeping in mind the various contexts for the paywall screen.
Onboarding flow
CONTENT DESIGN
Crafting compelling copy for key features
Next, I was excited to dig into the content design, utilizing my background in journalism and personal interest in camping. The primary changes I wanted to address were:
Reframe features in terms of how they benefit the user—it was difficult to understand from the short descriptions how the features actually functioned.
Utilizing language from user feedback to better understand how campers describe features in their own words
Prioritizing the order of features based on highest rate of paywall views (meaning, the premium features campers tried to use the most)
Before:
Combines Campground Calendars from 10+ sites
Search availability up to 120 days
Premium Filters
3 Active Add to Cart Alerts
Search up to 5 Date Ranges at Once
Weather, Fire & Smoke, and Cell Phone Map Layers
After:
See availability in the next 120 days
Expand your search beyond 14 daysReserve popular campgrounds with alerts and auto Add to Cart
Set availability alerts to automatically add campsites to your cart, giving you more time to complete checkoutScope out the surroundings
With 33+ map layers, including live satellite, weather, and cell coverageFind the best days for your trip
Add multiple time frames for a search
FINAL SOLUTION
Three different paywall screens for various flows
Although the initial goal was to redesign a singular paywall, over the course of the design process it became clear that the app could benefit from multiple paywall screens to be utilized depending on the user flow. Here are the three final paywall versions: onboarding, discovering premium features, and post-trial.
Below are the key flows where the paywall would appear:
