UX RESEARCH · 2023
Englebook
Englebook
Englebook
What is this about
What is this about
Designing a seamless subscription experience for an english speaking learning app
Designing a seamless subscription experience for an english speaking learning app
Overview
Overview
Englebook is an English-learning app with over 50,000 users. The goal was to introduce a subscription model that created new monetization opportunities without compromising the existing learning experience. As the end-to-end product designer, I worked on competitor analysis, subscription plan structure, and the UX/UI design of the upgrade journey, making it easier for users to understand plan benefits, compare options, and manage their membership. The subscription experience was successfully launched.
Englebook is an English-learning app with over 50,000 users. The goal was to introduce a subscription model that created new monetization opportunities without compromising the existing learning experience. As the end-to-end product designer, I worked on competitor analysis, subscription plan structure, and the UX/UI design of the upgrade journey, making it easier for users to understand plan benefits, compare options, and manage their membership. The subscription experience was successfully launched.
Design Process
The Challenge
The Challenge
Englebook had grown to more than 50,000 users, many of whom were accustomed to its free learning experience. Introducing subscriptions created an opportunity to generate revenue while ensuring essential learning features remained accessible. The challenge was to communicate the value of Premium, make subscription plans easy to compare, and integrate upgrade opportunities naturally into the product. With most users based in Nigeria, pricing and plan presentation also needed to consider the local market. The goal was to introduce a paid subscription model without compromising the accessibility and continuity of the learning experience.
Englebook had grown to more than 50,000 users, many of whom were accustomed to its free learning experience. Introducing subscriptions created an opportunity to generate revenue while ensuring essential learning features remained accessible. The challenge was to communicate the value of Premium, make subscription plans easy to compare, and integrate upgrade opportunities naturally into the product. With most users based in Nigeria, pricing and plan presentation also needed to consider the local market. The goal was to introduce a paid subscription model without compromising the accessibility and continuity of the learning experience.
Current Landscape
I reviewed subscription experiences from established language-learning apps to understand how they presented paid benefits, differentiated subscription tiers, and encouraged users to upgrade. The analysis helped me identify key considerations for Englebook's subscription experience, focusing on communicating the value of Premium, simplifying plan comparisons, and integrating upgrade opportunities naturally into the existing learning journey. These insights informed the design direction, ensuring users could understand their options and make informed decisions without unnecessary complexity.
I reviewed subscription experiences from established language-learning apps to understand how they presented paid benefits, differentiated subscription tiers, and encouraged users to upgrade. The analysis helped me identify key considerations for Englebook's subscription experience, focusing on communicating the value of Premium, simplifying plan comparisons, and integrating upgrade opportunities naturally into the existing learning journey. These insights informed the design direction, ensuring users could understand their options and make informed decisions without unnecessary complexity.
Understanding the users
Understanding the users
To better understand the app's audience, I created user personas based on the primary user demographics and learning goals. These personas helped identify motivations, pain points, and subscription expectations, ensuring the Premium experience was designed around real user needs rather than assumptions.
To better understand the app's audience, I created user personas based on the primary user demographics and learning goals. These personas helped identify motivations, pain points, and subscription expectations, ensuring the Premium experience was designed around real user needs rather than assumptions.
Key Insights
Key Insights
After mapping the customer journey and understanding how stores operated, a few key challenges became clear:
After mapping the customer journey and understanding how stores operated, a few key challenges became clear:
Value over restrictions:
Encourage Premium upgrades without locking essential learning features.
Encourage Premium upgrades without locking essential learning features.
Local pricing:
Design a subscription experience around pricing suitable for the Nigerian market.
Design a subscription experience around pricing suitable for the Nigerian market.
Natural upgrade points:
Introduce subscription prompts at meaningful moments in the learning journey.
Introduce subscription prompts at meaningful moments in the learning journey.
Consistent experience:
Ensure the subscription flow blended seamlessly with the app's existing interface and interactions.
Ensure the subscription flow blended seamlessly with the app's existing interface and interactions.
Designing Plans
I designed a three-tier subscription structure consisting of Basic, Standard, and Premium, separating core learning functionality from additional paid benefits to position subscriptions as an upgrade to the existing experience. The challenge was to differentiate the plans without overwhelming users, making it easy to understand what each option offered and choose the most suitable one. This structure laid the foundation for a clear plan-selection experience, combining a concise overview for quick evaluation with a detailed breakdown for users who wanted to explore the benefits before subscribing.
I designed a three-tier subscription structure consisting of Basic, Standard, and Premium, separating core learning functionality from additional paid benefits to position subscriptions as an upgrade to the existing experience. The challenge was to differentiate the plans without overwhelming users, making it easy to understand what each option offered and choose the most suitable one. This structure laid the foundation for a clear plan-selection experience, combining a concise overview for quick evaluation with a detailed breakdown for users who wanted to explore the benefits before subscribing.
Visual Designs
Visual Designs
Once the subscription plans were defined, I moved into designing the experience, building on Englebook's established design system rather than introducing a completely new visual language. I reused existing components and interaction patterns to maintain consistency with the current app and ensure the subscription experience felt like a natural extension of the product.
Once the subscription plans were defined, I moved into designing the experience, building on Englebook's established design system rather than introducing a completely new visual language. I reused existing components and interaction patterns to maintain consistency with the current app and ensure the subscription experience felt like a natural extension of the product.
Plan Details
Plan Details
Each subscription plan was designed to be self-explanatory, giving users a quick overview of its benefits at a glance. For those who wanted to compare features in detail, a Learn More option provided a complete breakdown of each plan, helping users make an informed decision before subscribing.
Each subscription plan was designed to be self-explanatory, giving users a quick overview of its benefits at a glance. For those who wanted to compare features in detail, a Learn More option provided a complete breakdown of each plan, helping users make an informed decision before subscribing.
Subscription
Subscription
Users could subscribe through the familiar Google Play purchase flow, ensuring a secure and seamless checkout experience. After subscribing, their active membership was displayed on the profile, providing quick access to their current plan and Premium benefits.
Users could subscribe through the familiar Google Play purchase flow, ensuring a secure and seamless checkout experience. After subscribing, their active membership was displayed on the profile, providing quick access to their current plan and Premium benefits.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The project resulted in a launched subscription experience for Englebook, covering plan selection, detailed plan information, the Google Play purchase journey, and membership visibility within the user's profile. The design focused on communicating the value of paid benefits, preserving access to core learning functionality, and integrating the upgrade journey into the existing product. Although verified post-launch conversion, revenue, and retention metrics were unavailable, I would evaluate purchase conversion rates, drop-offs throughout the journey, plan preferences, and subscription cancellations to identify opportunities for improvement. This project reinforced an important product design principle: monetization isn't just about enabling purchases; it's about communicating value clearly while keeping business goals aligned with the purpose of the product.
The project resulted in a launched subscription experience for Englebook, covering plan selection, detailed plan information, the Google Play purchase journey, and membership visibility within the user's profile. The design focused on communicating the value of paid benefits, preserving access to core learning functionality, and integrating the upgrade journey into the existing product. Although verified post-launch conversion, revenue, and retention metrics were unavailable, I would evaluate purchase conversion rates, drop-offs throughout the journey, plan preferences, and subscription cancellations to identify opportunities for improvement. This project reinforced an important product design principle: monetization isn't just about enabling purchases; it's about communicating value clearly while keeping business goals aligned with the purpose of the product.