Case Study
Digital Identity Manager
Drive enrollment by giving consumers control and providing peace of mind
Digital Identity Manager is a privacy feature that includes a free scan and an integrated upgrade path.
People-finder sites, also known as people search sites, are data brokers that collect personal information from various sources, compile it into reports, and sell those reports to anyone willing to pay for them. Fraudsters can use this information to create dossiers on potential identity theft victims.
The Digital Identity Manager (DIM) is an automated identity protection feature that continuously scans for and requests the removal of users' data from people-finder sites to protect their identity. The feature also includes a one-time free scan as an incentive to upgrade to the paid version, which offers continuous scans and removals.
In its first quarter, DIM generated millions of dollars in new revenue, achieved an 8% monthly conversion rate from free to paid, and experienced a 112% increase in logins.
Help users understand the risk to their identity posed by people-finder sites and the value of upgrading to paid services.
Identity Protection
Nov 2022
Product Design Lead
Stakeholders
Product Owner
Product Designer Researcher
Tech Product Manager
Developers
One of my first tasks was to understand better the space and how the underlying vendor product solved the user's problem. I was familiar with people-finder sites but not with their business model, the risks to which they could expose people, or recent legal requirements that applied to them.My observations:
I needed to make the scan CTA prominent to satisfy our partners, but not so prominent that it would turn off end users with a hard sell. A hard sell could arouse suspicion and erode trust in the identity protection space.
Testing showed that the DIM CTA was not the first element users were drawn to (this was expected since it was not a core part of the product the user enrolled in), but they did find it and were interested in engaging with the free scan.
All the word crafting in the world will never work like a primary button with the word “FREE” on it.
Then, I needed to succinctly describe what people-finder sites are and the risks they pose to users. Scannability was key. I threw everything at it:
Lastly, I needed to convey the value of upgrading to the paid version.
Testing revealed that the difference was not readily apparent to some users initially. I addressed this in the next iteration by revising the copy once more to make the description of the most desired feature (automated removals) more visible.
After upgrading, this was a “set it and forget it” product. Scans and removals were automatic. Users could view the page to see scan results and status but did not need to take any additional action.
The design was nearly complete when we faced a new challenge: two networks with multiple people-finder sites started blocking automated removals until the user took specific steps. This change created numerous design challenges:
Fortunately, I realized that we could still provide status updates. Our continuous scanning of these sites allows us to infer a status based on sibling sites.
I will go on Google once in a while, and just Google myself, and see what comes up. It's hard to know unless you do the work. That's why it's nice to have something that'll do it for you.
I like that there is an option to see what information is available for free to really demonstrate how much could be out there and the option for upgrading ... and have someone handle it for you.
Stakeholders initially expressed a desire to explain the benefits of upgrading to a paid plan right out of the gate. I pushed back on the immediate upsell because I thought it would turn off new enrollees, and they needed to understand the threat before they could see the value of our solution. Users needed to learn:
I accomplished this by first focusing solely on getting users to opt into the free scan. Once users initiated the scan, they could see (and be alarmed by) all the personal information we found. Only then did I describe the benefits of upgrading.
Once a user upgraded, I explained the concept of the networked site and how to address it.
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