Nov 2022
Product Design Lead
Product Owner, Researchers, TPM, Developers
Like most businesses, our partners are interested in their users upgrading to more paid features, but our platform never had a product that users could sample before purchasing. We came across a vendor API that was a novel identity protection product, and because it involved repeated scans, it lent itself to a one-time free scan model.
The Digital Identity Manager (DIM) continuously scans for and requests the removal of users' data from people-finder sites. People-finder sites are data brokers that collect personal information from various sources, compile it into reports, and sell those reports to anyone willing to pay. Fraudsters can use this information to create dossiers on potential identity theft victims.
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.
An automated privacy and identity protection feature from a vendor that continuously scans for users' data on people-finder sites. This product will include a one-time free scan and a path to upgrade to paid-for continuous scans and automated removal requests.
People-finder sites pose a risk to consumers' privacy and identity that they are either unaware of, unsure of how to address, or too busy to address.
Help users understand the risk to their identity posed by people-finder sites and the value and ease of our automated removal solution.
One of my first tasks was to better understand 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.
Maintain their privacy and protect their identity from theft.
Increase engagement
By balancing user and partner goals, I created a set of UX goals that guided my decisions throughout the design, test, and iteration process.
Entice users to take the scan without eroding trust.
We conducted two iterations of testing and design to uncover usability issues or design concerns before proceeding to the development stage. We measured task-level effectiveness and efficiency and session-level satisfaction.
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 40% of users engaged 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. In the next iteration, I addressed this by revising the copy again to make the description of the most desired feature (automated removals) more visible. We achieved an 8% average conversion from the free scan to the paid product.
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.
Partners initially wanted 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 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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