SubSync – Simplifying Subscription Management
Undergraduate project through UNC - Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Journalism and Media
Designed an intuitive, centralized platform for managing subscriptions that empowers users to track renewals, billing cycles, and pricing changes effortlessly.
Project Summary:
Project Overview
This is a semester-long, team-based project for my User Experience Design and Usability class that I am currently taking as an undergraduate student at UNC - Chapel Hill. This requires me to act as a UX designer by going through the entire design thinking process to create a digital subscription tracking platform.
Course:
User Experience Design and Usability
(MEJO 581, UNC - Chapel Hill)
My Contributions:
I led the initial research phase, conducted 3 user interviews, synthesized research findings, created user personas and journey maps, ideated wireframes, created a clickable prototype, and conducted usability testing.
Duration:
4 months
(Sept. 2024 - Dec. 2024)
Team:
Taylor Schulze, Kyren Ual, Isabela Nash, Will Wang, and Chloe Wu
Tools:
Figma, Figjam, UserTesting.com
Discovery & Project Direction
Discovery Phase Summary:
The discovery phase aimed to understand user pain points and identify potential gaps in the market. By thoroughly defining the problem, I ensured our team focused on solving genuine user needs rather than making assumptions. This phase allowed us to uncover specific frustrations users face with subscription management, which became the foundation for designing a tool that directly addresses those gaps in a meaningful, user-centered way.
Problem Statement:
Users of digital subscription-based platforms often find it difficult to manage their subscriptions, including understanding billing cycles, hidden fees, and cancellation policies for all of the subscriptions they have enabled. We aim to design a subscription management system for digital subscription-based platforms that offers clear, transparent information and empowers users to make informed decisions.
Research & User Interviews
Research Phase Summary:
In this phase, I focused on gathering insights from target users to inform product features. This initial research was essential to confirm our assumptions and prioritize features effectively, ensuring that each decision was rooted in real user needs rather than hypothetical ones. By understanding specific pain points, we could tailor our design approach to deliver a solution that genuinely resonated with users’ expectations and preferences.
My User Interviews:
After establishing our problem statement and finalizing our research plan, I led user interviews to gain insights into subscription management experiences. Using UserTesting.com, I conducted 3 in-depth interviews focused on uncovering user frustrations and emotional responses, particularly around challenges like billing cycle tracking and hidden fees. We tailored our questions to two user types—those with and without experience using subscription tools. Key questions included:
"How effective are your current methods of tracking subscriptions?"
"What emotions do you feel while managing your subscriptions?"
"If you could describe your ideal management experience, what would it look like?"
Research Analysis & Findings
Key Findings:
After analyzing interview responses and conducting affinity mapping, we identified three high-priority user needs, supported by specific metrics:
Centralized Subscription Tracking
Insights: 70% of users expressed frustration with managing multiple subscriptions across platforms.
Desired Features: Users prioritized a centralized dashboard that provides clear billing dates, renewal reminders, and an overview of all subscriptions in one place.
Transparent Billing & Cancellation Policies
Insights: Over 60% reported anxiety due to unclear billing cycles and hidden fees.
Desired Features: Users desired transparent policies, with detailed fee breakdowns and simple cancellation options directly accessible from the dashboard.
Automated Reminders & Alerts
Insights: 50% of users without a management tool emphasized their need for timely alerts to avoid unexpected renewals.
Desired Features: Customizable notifications for renewal dates and payment due dates, reducing surprise charges.
Outcome of Afinity Mapping:
Through affinity mapping, we clustered user pain points and aligned them with desired features. This synthesis clarified that users primarily want a simplified, transparent tool that takes the guesswork out of subscription management.
User Insights & Persona Development
Developing User Personas:
After analyzing patterns in our discovery research and user interviews, I led the development of 2 primary personas that best represented the insights gathered. In particular, I identified key attributes and recurring pain points, such as the need for transparent billing and ease of cancellation, that shaped our decision to focus on both experienced subscription tool users and those new to these tools. My goal was to ensure that each persona highlighted distinct user needs, allowing our design to address specific frustrations and motivations.
* Click on images to expand
User Journey Mapping:
I facilitated the user journey mapping for each persona, which allowed me to pinpoint critical moments in their experience, such as the difficulty of managing renewal reminders and cancellation steps. Through this mapping, I uncovered essential gaps, such as anxiety over unexpected charges, which influenced our design focus on proactive notification features. Additionally, I identified opportunities for further research—such as testing variations of cancellation flows—which would allow the product to remain adaptive to evolving user needs.
Ideation & Wireframing
Research Phase Summary:
The next step involved creating wireframes to explore different ways to solve the problem, focusing on information architecture, core interaction points, and the user’s workflow. I hand-drew three ideations, which served as initial explorations of how to structure our solution. These sketches will be replaced by higher-fidelity prototypes created in Figma, which are currently in development.
Hand-Drawn Wireframes
Wireframe 1: A dashboard-centric approach that centralizes all subscription details, upcoming renewals, and notifications. This layout allows users to manage their subscriptions efficiently from a single interface.
Wireframe 2: A task-oriented workflow that guides users through specific actions like canceling or modifying subscriptions. The design breaks tasks into clear steps, minimizing confusion and supporting users throughout the process.
Wireframe 3: A flexible navigation and customization approach that allows users to tailor their experience. Users can choose their preferred views and personalize notifications, ensuring a management experience that suits their individual needs.
High-Fidelity Clickable Prototype
Process:
To validate our design, we conducted usability testing with diverse participants. The tests evaluated core features, such as adding and canceling subscriptions, setting reminders, and viewing historical data. Observations from these tests, like navigation challenges and feature expectations, informed iterative improvements to the prototype.
Outcomes:
Our usability tests revealed that while participants appreciated the app's ease of use, feedback highlighted areas for enhancement, such as refining the layout of manual entry forms and making billing history more accessible. These insights drove actionable design updates, improving user satisfaction and functionality.
Key Features:
Add Subscriptions Easily: Users can log in directly to import details or input them manually, ensuring flexibility and accuracy.
Custom Notifications: Tailored reminders help users stay on top of renewal dates via their preferred contact methods.
Cancellation Made Simple: Features allow users to cancel subscriptions instantly or schedule cancellations for a later time.
Billing Insights: A dedicated billing history section provides transparency into past payments and spending habits.