project overview

On a monthly basis Headspace has an average of 2.3K members who churn due to the lack of loyalty offerings and renewal cost. When they do want to leave they can do this on their own and have no retention measures in place to save them. This experiment aims to correct that miss for our members.

problem

Direct-to-consumer members do not see value in renewing their membership and when they want to leave we have no way to save these members.

hypothesis

I hypothesize that by simplifying the cancellation flow and offering all users who wish to cancel a discount on an annual subscription, we can increase the number of users who decide to stick with Headspace and save more users from churn.

success looks like

Improve monthly first time renewal rate by 5%Improve annual first time renewal rate by 2.5%

requirements

Offer all members who wish to cancel a 10% discount on an annual subscription.

my approach

I collaborated deeply with the chief creative officer, monetization, creative director, member experience, illustration, product design, research, copywriter, engineering, product manager, and marketing teams to align on direction. Nearing completion I hired an external agency for animation.

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Team agreement on direction
Synced with copy and animation to lock in time
Stayed tight with engineering and product to ensure specs and direction
Built out flows for iOS and desktop

key visual updates

The original design featured various illustrations and call-to-action buttons with inconsistent placement, accompanied by extensive and occasionally repetitive text, which could be overwhelming for users.

Flow: Original

I aimed to craft a seamless visual journey, ensuring every illustration perfectly complements the message and progression of screens. My approach involved:

Copywriting: In partnership with a copywriter, we streamlined the messaging across all touchpoints, ensuring clarity, conciseness, and emotional resonance.
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lllustration / Animation enhancements: I chose minimalist illustrations, enhanced with subtle micro-animations, to create a serene and engaging interface.
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Retention strategy: To encapsulate the emotional journey, I used a 'sad to happy' flower metaphor. This illustrates the transition from the contemplation of leaving to the joy of staying within the platform.
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Upsell update: While the carousel was an existing feature, I reimagined its illustrations to better highlight the value propositions of Headspace’s Sleep content, Focus Music, and Guided Meditations, making the upsell more compelling.
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Cancellation messaging: A heart within a speech bubble symbolizes a heartfelt farewell, yet it subtly implies that this departure need not be permanent. It's a reminder that they are always welcome to return.

Microanimation conveying sadness the user wants to leave

Microanimation conveying warmth with the discounted price

Flow: Updated

results

Testing resulted in ~10.6% improvement on iOS and the feature was rolled out internationally and continued optimization.

Next steps:

Run an experiment testing 10% vs 20% vs 30% discount
Run an experiment where we proactively offer retention discounts to in-app users who are approaching renewal