My Role
Design Lead
User Research
UX Strategy
Teammates
2 Engineers
Product Manager
Director of UX
Duration
6 weeks
Tools
Sketch
Usability Hub
Usertesting.com
Google Analytics
The Problem
New user account creation was on the decline, and this affected new buyer conversion. How do we identify why and where the friction lives for Pond5 users and increase sign ups rates?
What Do We Want To Achieve?
Understand User Behavior
Have a fuller understanding of our user’s intent and behaviors.
Solve Existing Issues
There were existing issues that we wanted to fix within this project.
Increase Account Creation
Create a simplified sign-up experience to increase account creation and new buyer conversion.
User Research & Diving Deeper into the Problem
Customer Interviews & Usability Testing
We set up 1:1 interviews with our customers and set up usability testing with both customers and non-customers to get a better insight into their experience with Pond5. We have learned the following:
Too many steps
The multi-steps for account creation were frustrating for users, as they wanted to quickly move forward, but couldn’t.
Shown upgrades too soon
Users didn’t understand why they were being shown credit packs as soon as they created an account.
Many were not ready to spend hundreds of dollars at the start of their experience.
Limited social login options
Facebook is the only social login option and users didn’t find it useful to create an account using Facebook, because they use Pond5 for work-related projects.
They would like the option to create an account using Google.
Usernames
Only artists to sell content on Pond5 probably need usernames, but buyers don’t think it’s necessary to have a username.
“Signing up through Google would be quick and easy for me to connect my account to my work email.”
Looking at the Data
We took a look at Google Analytics and FullStory to audit what our users were experiencing on our main account creation multi-step flow.
User Clicks on the Upsell Modal
I dove deeper into the Modals – I looked at the Click rates on these experiences
Other Inconsistent Signup and Login Experiences
Next, we audited the whole site to look for all the inconsistent designs and messaging on signup and login.
Action Items
Simplicity
Minimize clutter and chaos on the modals. This should be clean and straightforward for our users. They should know where to look and what actions to take
Save space by implementing floating labels
Consistency
Have all the language consistent and concise throughout the site
Standardize the modal designs to be cohesive across all touchpoints
Quick Signups/Logins
Reduce the number of input fields by removing re-type and username fields
Show/hide password fields will provide fewer attempts of failed logins and account creations
Allow users to create an account and continue with Google
Switch between Sign Up and Log In with ease
Initial Wireframes
Solution & Designs
Implemented Improvements
Float labels
Show / Hide password input
Remove username creation
Allow account creation through Google
Cohesive signup and login UI to be used everywhere across the site
Clear error messaging
Results & Impact
Immediate results
In the 1st week of release, there was a 41% YOY increase in user sign-ups.
A lot of Google logins
The majority of the account creations came from Google and Email sign-ups.
Less invasive security checks
The majority of the users with failed log-in attempts were not getting the ReCaptcha challenges
Next Steps
Password Strength
Implement more secure password requirements
Account Creation & login at Checkout
Make improvements to the current checkout process, where users need to be signed in to complete their transactions.