While brainstorming ways to increase the number of Wedtext sales, I had an insight about the unique situation of not being able to leverage repeat sales, as so many other SaaS businesses do. So instead of trying to increase average user value through individual user retention, I recommended having each user bring in other users – through a referral program.

This shows the process of ideating options specific to Wedtext’s unique challenges and users. Ultimately, I recommended the “$X off” model, since it would have the longest lifespan for referring users. The other models only appeal during their use of Wedtexts, but not after.

I gave specifics for reward amounts, messaging triggers, and UI recommendations to the developer for implementation into Wedtexts’ website and app – including a recommendation to have an easy-to-remember personal referral link for easy sharing. Copy for website and emails to both existing and new users were provided as well.

The amount of information displayed after a user signed up for a Wedtexts trial is overwhelming. The amount of text is intimidating and the number of (steps? options?) are likely to cause confusion rather than action.

Adding some strong skimmable titles, separating “option” from “step” information (ex. upgrade vs group), adding some imagery, and including action-oriented buttons would help make this initial impression more friendly and actionable.

The information displayed on the first screen after signing up for a trial or subscription was minimized to reduce overwhelm and focused on being immediately actionable.

“Steps” have been separated into just two options: (a) Start from scratch or (b) Let us give you a blueprint. The “options” from the previous onboarding screen have been moved into the sidebar – with the new addition of “Refer a friend” to support the new referral program. Options to upgrade have been moved under “Account” (best for active subscribers) as well as a banner at the top of screen. For trial users, this is an obvious reminder about the lack of some features.

Finally, the sidebar architecture has been cleaned up, with a clearer hierarchy for navigating the different features of Wedtexts’ product.

To attract more qualified leads a guest post program was recommended to test against social media advertisements.

Design work included:

• Industry influencer research and recommendations
• Content topic recommendations
• Outline for each blog post (key topics to cover, call to action)
• Consulting on media outreach, including contact information, submission guidelines, and social media strategy (and reviewing pitch email, if needed)
• Copy editing for tone and resonance with platform + audience
• Visuals, if required by blogger

Wedtexts’ founder used the provided blog outlines to “fill in” the longform copy, pitch influencers, and coordinate with them to get content online.

The secondary call to action on the homepage (after “trial”) was to sign up for newsletter. As is common practice, an email sequence was being used to increase brand awareness and initiate engagement with potential users.

This is a snapshot of the initial sequence being sent, with recommendations to improve conversions.

Key recommendations from the audit were:
(a) Increase consistency – especially with regards to sender’s name, to facilitate building trust
(b) Have more empathy for users’ lifestyle – giving people more time between mailings to process information and help improve recall
(c) Focus on helpfulness instead of “mail for mail’s sake” – having a clear value and action for each email being sent

Although not part of the original design sprint, I thought that Wedtexts’ visual brand might be impacting how well the app resonated with its target audience: young women about to get married. The visual brand used the commonplace blues seen in stodgy corporate identities paired with routine typography.

A wedding should feel anything but stodgy and routine. I updated the brand’s colors to be brighter and more fun, including pink hues as a nod to the femininity of the brides-to-be. I also updated the logo with a more modern text treatment and thicker lines for readability. Finally, I recommended an update to the brand’s typography to hint at the gorgeous lettering weddings invitations are known for, while still leaving the overall feel very modern so that it fit a tech product.

I updated the visual design of the emails to improve readability, used the new styling designed to resonate with Wedtexts’ target audience, and gave a more modern and professional impression overall. I also created templates in Mailchimp so that the team could use the format consistently in the future.

I simplified the primary navigation to reduce the number of options a user needed to consider. Messaging about the trial being free and a link to the App Store were both prominent on the home (product) page, so these were removed. I also updated the titles for a consistent tone.

In addition, I updated the overall styling of the UI to match Wedtexts’ new visual brand, giving the site a more modern and polished feel. Finally, I organized the secondary links located in the footer by category to improve findability.

A comparison of Wedtexts’ site from before and after the design sprint.