Streamlining Subscription Flow for Conversion and Clarity

Role: Lead Product Designer

Timeline: 3 Weeks

Platform: Desktop & Mobile Web

Team: 2 Designers, 1 Product Manager, 6 Developers

Summary

The Forbes digital subscription process was overdue for a revamp. The account creation and subscription flow had become an obstacle course for users, with confusing steps and jarring transitions. This project set out to transform that experience – streamlining the journey from account creation to paid membership. By simplifying each step and aligning the process with user expectations, we aimed to boost conversions and strengthen trust in the Forbes brand.

Role & Scope

Title: Lead Product Designer

I drove the end-to-end design process, from initial discovery through final UI/UX for the subscription experience. I facilitated sessions with Forbes’ Growth, Product, and Engineering teams, conducted user interviews, analyzed analytics, mapped out user flows, created low-fidelity wireframes, designed high-fidelity screens, built interactive prototypes, and ran A/B tests and usability sessions to refine the solution.

Design Challenge

The old subscription journey was fragmented forcing users through multiple disjointed screens for account creation and checkout. Confusion, context-switching, and lack of trust led to a 67% drop-off before purchase. A rigid third-party system made it impossible to improve the flow or test changes.

Context

To kick things off, I led workshops with Growth, Product, and Engineering teams. Together, we aligned on goals: improve conversion, streamline upsells, and transition away from rigid third-party systems. We mapped out friction points and defined success metrics, such as faster checkouts and plan flexibility. The sessions also surfaced technical limitations like the inability to test or iterate on the existing flow which helped shape the case for a new in-house solution. These workshops gave the project a clear direction rooted in business needs.

Key Responsibilities

Product Design Lead: Drove the end-to-end design process, from initial discovery through final UI/UX for the subscription experience.
Stakeholder Workshops: Facilitated sessions with Forbes’ Growth, Product, and Engineering teams to gather requirements and align on business goals (e.g. conversion targets, upsell opportunities).
User Research & Analysis: Conducted user interviews and analyzed analytics to pinpoint pain points in the existing flow (e.g. where users dropped off, what confused them). Also performed competitive benchmarking against leading publishers and e-commerce checkouts to identify best practices.
Ideation & Wireframing: Mapped out user flows and created low-fidelity wireframes to visualize a simplified subscription journey. Iterated on these concepts based on team feedback and feasibility.
UI Design & Prototyping: Designed high-fidelity screens aligned with Forbes’ brand guidelines, emphasizing clarity and trust. Built interactive prototypes to demonstrate the new flow and gather quick user feedback.
Testing & Refinement: Ran A/B tests and usability sessions on the new designs, refining copy, layout, and interactions in response to real user behavior. Ensured the final solution was polished and could be implemented within a tight 3-week timeline.

Problem Details

The key challenges our redesign needed to solve were:

Mid-Flow Sign-In Friction: Users were getting interrupted by a sign-in prompt partway through checkout, leaving them confused about why it was needed and whether it would erase their progress.
Lack of Plan Flexibility: Once users began the payment process, it was difficult (or impossible) to change their subscription plan or term without starting over, causing frustration if they reconsidered their choice.
Inconsistent Visual Design: The interface didn’t match Forbes’ modern brand design – it felt like a patchwork, which subconsciously undermined credibility. A cohesive, branded look was needed to build trust.
Unclear Plan Benefits: Users weren’t sure what they would get with each subscription option. The value propositions and pricing details weren’t communicated clearly, making it hard for users to commit confidently.

The Impact

Quantitative data analysis reviewing funnel analytics showed exactly where users were dropping off. The data highlighted two major bottlenecks: a ~34% drop-off when users hit the account creation step, and another ~22% drop-off at the payment form.

Why It Mattered

After synthesizing the workshop findings, user feedback, and competitive insights, it became clear that the new flow must directly address the pain points that were turning users away. By resolving each of these issues, we could significantly improve the experience.

Opportunity

How might we design a subscription flow that feels effortless to complete, clearly communicates value, and builds user confidence at every step?

The Research Process

In the discovery phase, I focused on understanding the problem space from both the business and user perspectives. I conducted a competitive analysis of leading publishers like The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and The Athletic, along with modern e-commerce checkouts.

Key Findings

Ease of understanding: "I just wanted to pick a plan and pay. Why did it feel like I had to jump through hoops first?"

Transparency builds trust: "It looked like a third-party site. I wasn’t sure if it was actually Forbes handling my payment."
Clarity in detection: "It wasn’t clear what I was getting with each plan. A simple comparison would’ve helped."
Guided configuration: "I got confused when the login popped up in the middle. I wasn’t sure if I was losing my progress."
Quantitative bottlenecks: Data confirmed a ~34% drop-off at account creation and a ~22% drop-off at the payment form.

Ease of understanding: "I just wanted to pick a plan and pay. Why did it feel like I had to jump through hoops first?"

Transparency builds trust: "It looked like a third-party site. I wasn’t sure if it was actually Forbes handling my payment."
Clarity in detection: "It wasn’t clear what I was getting with each plan. A simple comparison would’ve helped."
Guided configuration: "I got confused when the login popped up in the middle. I wasn’t sure if I was losing my progress."
Quantitative bottlenecks: Data confirmed a ~34% drop-off at account creation and a ~22% drop-off at the payment form.

Ease of understanding: "I just wanted to pick a plan and pay. Why did it feel like I had to jump through hoops first?"

Transparency builds trust: "It looked like a third-party site. I wasn’t sure if it was actually Forbes handling my payment."
Clarity in detection: "It wasn’t clear what I was getting with each plan. A simple comparison would’ve helped."
Guided configuration: "I got confused when the login popped up in the middle. I wasn’t sure if I was losing my progress."
Quantitative bottlenecks: Data confirmed a ~34% drop-off at account creation and a ~22% drop-off at the payment form.

Strategy

The strategy centered on unification, clarity, and a guided user journey.

Single-Page Vision: The core vision was to keep the entire journey on a single page or seamless sequence, eliminating the feeling of "jumping around."
Guided New User Flow: Charted a flow for new subscribers to enter their email, choose a plan, create an account, and input payment all in one guided experience.
Smart Returning User Flow: For returning users, the flow would smartly detect their email and offer a quick sign-in (via password or a magic link) within the same sequence, preventing a disruptive detour.

Goals

Improve conversion

Streamline upsells
Transition away from rigid third-party systems
Achieve faster checkouts
Allow for plan selection flexibility

Solution

We replaced the fragmented process with a seamless, single-page flow, merging account creation and payment into one intuitive experience. The new in-house system gave us full control, enabling trust-building UI, upfront pricing, and ongoing optimizations.

Core UX Improvements

A unified, single-page experience merging account creation, plan selection, and payment.

Smart email detection to offer a seamless sign-in for returning users within the same flow.
Clear, upfront pricing and transparent plan benefits to build trust.
In-flow flexibility, allowing users to change their subscription plan without starting over.
A consistent, branded visual design that aligns with Forbes' modern interface.

Outcomes

+34%

Increase in conversion rate to paid memberships

+42%

Increase in completion rates after user enters purchase flow

+18%

Increase in new account registrations

Reflection

Design for Systems, Not Just Screens

This project wasn’t just about individual flows. It was about creating a consistent, end-to-end user journey. Working across sign in, account creation, and checkout emphasized the importance of cohesive design systems and how micro-interactions contribute to a seamless experience.

Prioritize with Purpose

Through research and workshops, we learned to distinguish between high-impact features and nice-to-haves. This helped align cross-team efforts and allowed us to focus on what mattered most to users - clarity, ease, and trust, while still meeting business goals.

Iterate Early, Test Often

Regular testing helped us validate assumptions quickly and adjust before investing too much in the wrong direction. From mobile layout tweaks to trust messaging, real feedback shaped many of our final decisions and led to stronger outcomes.

Collaborate Closely to Ship Confidently

Working within an ambitious timeline meant tight coordination with product and engineering was essential. Early alignment on scope, feasibility, and technical constraints helped us prioritize smartly, avoid rework, and ensure that what we designed could be built efficiently, without compromising on user experience.

You've made it to the footer. Please reach out if you have any questions. Currently open for work in US & India.

The website is currently available only on desktop.