Simplifying Subscription Management for a Seamless Digital
Experience.
FINTECH
We set out to design a subscription management app that makes tracking and controlling recurring payments effortless. Through user research, we identified key pain points—such as forgotten subscriptions and unexpected charges—and developed an intuitive solution to improve financial clarity and control.
FINTECH
We set out to design a subscription management app that makes tracking and controlling recurring payments effortless. Through user research, we identified key pain points—such as forgotten subscriptions and unexpected charges—and developed an intuitive solution to improve financial clarity and control.
Simplifying Subscription Management for a Seamless Digital
Experience.
Simplifying Subscription Management for a Seamless Digital
Experience.
FINTECH
We set out to design a subscription management app that makes tracking and controlling recurring payments effortless. Through user research, we identified key pain points—such as forgotten subscriptions and unexpected charges—and developed an intuitive solution to improve financial clarity and control.
ROLE
User Researcher & UX/UI designer
TIMELINE
March 2024 - August 2024
TOOLS
THE CHALLENGE
Users struggle with managing subscriptions due to cancellation difficulties, forgotten payments, and lack of spending awareness. Many people unknowingly pay for unused services, causing frustration and wasted expenses. I set out to design a solution to help users track, organise, and control their subscriptions, ensuring financial clarity and informed decision-making.
PROJECTED IMPACT
Greater Subscription Awareness – Users gain a centralised overview of their subscriptions, improving financial visibility.
Fewer Unwanted Charges – Reminders to help users avoid unexpected payments for services.
Reduced Financial Stress – With better tracking and clearer spending insights, users can manage their finances confidently without worrying about forgotten charges.
Seamless Subscription Management – Features like cancellations, payment history, and sorting options give users full control over their recurring expenses.
REFLECTIONS
After implementing the design iterations, a follow-up usability study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the changes. Key findings include:
Improved Efficiency: 85% of users found it quicker to locate recipes that matched their dietary preferences, praising the clarity of the new filter options.
Increased Engagement: The ingredient checklist feature was well-received, with users noting it made cooking more organised and reduced the chance of missing ingredients.
Higher User Retention Potential: The ability to save recipes was highlighted as a key improvement, with participants stating it would encouraged them to revisit the app regularly.
The Process
1
DISCOVERY
USER RESEARCH
SECONDARY RESEARCH
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
2
SYNTHESIS
EMPATHY MAPPING
3
IDEATION
USER FLOW
INFORMATION ARCHTECTURE
4
UI DESIGNS
CRAZY 8'S
WIREFRAMES
ITERATIONS
FINAL DESIGNS
5
REFLECTIONS
REFLECTIONS
RESULTS
DISCOVERY
USER RESEARCH
To investigate current subscription experiences, I conducted a survey with 20 participants aged 18-45, gathering insights into their interactions with recurring service subscriptions
The following shows the findings:
Subscription Management Gap: Despite recognizing the value of a management tool, most participants do not currently use any subscription tracking solutions.
Unexpected Charges: 95% of users reported experiencing surprise subscription fees, leading to significant frustration and financial stress.
Cancellation Challenges: Many users struggle to track the date of the subscription charge, as well as find the cancellation process to be tedious.
Lack of Spending Awareness: Users struggle to track and anticipate all of their subscription costs. This makes budgeting difficult.
DISCOVERY
SECONDARY RESEARCH
To investigate the current experiences of users of preexisting apps, I looked at the reviews on the App Store of ‘Bobby’, ‘Trim’ and ‘Rocket Money’ - all subscription manager apps.
The findings revealed the following:
Categorise Expenses: Users want to be able to organise their expenses by category.
Option for Notification: Users would like an option to be notified of upcoming expenses that will be billed.
Cancel Subscription: Users want an easy option to cancel their subscription through the app.
DISCOVERY
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
For a comprehensive understanding of the current subscription management app market landscape, I conducted a competitive analysis to identify the key features and critical gaps in existing solutions. The research uncovered potential opportunities for subscription tracking and management.
SYNTHESIS
EMPATHY MAP
With the above gathered research, I created an empathy map to visualise what the target user says, thinks, feels and does about their current subscription management experience. These insights can be used to guide the design phase.
How might we help users easily track and manage their subscriptions to avoid unexpected charges?
IDEATION
USER FLOW
A user flow was designed to understand how users would add and manage their subscriptions. By mapping out user actions, the process helped refine the app’s structure, as well as reduce friction in order to create a seamless experience that enhances usability.
IDEATION
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
The information architecture was developed to organise content in a way that makes managing subscriptions simple and intuitive. Ensuring a clear structure was essential so users could quickly view, edit, and track their subscriptions without confusion. By defining a logical hierarchy, the process helped streamline navigation, which enhances usability.
DESIGN
CRAZY 8'S
Using the Crazy 8’s exercise, I sketched multiple iterations of the homepage, add subscription, and profile pages, allowing me to explore a variety of layouts and design possibilities.
DESIGN
WIREFRAMES
DESIGN
WIREFRAMES
DESIGN
ITERATIONS
With low-fidelity screens in place, I created a low-fidelity prototype in order to conduct user testing to evaluate the usability of the current design. These insights helped refine the app's structure, ensuring a more intuitive and user-centred experience.
Key findings from the testing led to several refinements:
Expanded Statistics: Users wanted to view data beyond the current month. As a result, an option to see annual statistics was added to the Statistics page.
Upcoming Bills Visibility: To improve clarity, a distinct visual indicator was introduced to highlight upcoming charges, making them easier to differentiate.
Better Categorisation: Users expressed a need to sort their subscriptions based on factors like date, category, and price (ascending/descending) for easier management.
Subscription History: Many users wanted access to past subscriptions, including cancelled or paused ones, to provide better financial transparency and tracking.
DESIGN
FINAL DESIGNS
DESIGN
FINAL DESIGNS
REFLECTIONS
Working on Crunch was an insightful experience that highlighted the importance of user-centred design and iterative improvements. I learned how small, thoughtful changes—like adding dietary filters and simplifying the Fridge Finder—can significantly enhance usability.
I particularly enjoyed translating user feedback into tangible design decisions and following their impact in follow-up studies. This project strengthened my ability to balance functionality with simplicity, make research-driven design choices, and create intuitive, user-friendly experiences.
ROLE
User Researcher & UX/UI designer
TIMELINE
March 2024 - August 2024
TOOLS
THE CHALLENGE
Users struggle with managing subscriptions due to cancellation difficulties, forgotten payments, and lack of spending awareness. Many people unknowingly pay for unused services, causing frustration and wasted expenses. I set out to design a solution to help users track, organise, and control their subscriptions, ensuring financial clarity and informed decision-making.
PROJECTED IMPACT
Greater Subscription Awareness – Users gain a centralised overview of their subscriptions, improving financial visibility.
Fewer Unwanted Charges – Reminders to help users avoid unexpected payments for services.
Reduced Financial Stress – With better tracking and clearer spending insights, users can manage their finances confidently without worrying about forgotten charges.
Seamless Subscription Management – Features like cancellations, payment history, and sorting options give users full control over their recurring expenses.
RESULTS
After implementing the design iterations, a follow-up usability study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the changes. Key findings include:
Improved Efficiency: 85% of users found it quicker to locate recipes that matched their dietary preferences, praising the clarity of the new filter options.
Increased Engagement: The ingredient checklist feature was well-received, with users noting it made cooking more organised and reduced the chance of missing ingredients.
Higher User Retention Potential: The ability to save recipes was highlighted as a key improvement, with participants stating it would encouraged them to revisit the app regularly.
The Process
1
DISCOVERY
USER RESEARCH
SECONDARY RESEARCH
COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
2
SYNTHESIS
EMPATHY MAP
3
IDEATION
USER FLOW
INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE
4
DESIGN
CRAZY 8'S
WRIEFRAMES
ITERATIONS
FINAL DESIGN
5
REFLECTIONS
RESULTS
REFLECTIONS
1
DISCOVERY
USER RESEARCH
SECONDARY
RESEARCH
COMPETITIVE
ANALYSIS
2
SYNTHESIS
EMPATHY MAP
3
IDEATION
USER FLOW
INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE
4
DESIGN
CRAZY 8'S
WIREFRAMES
ITERATIONS
FINAL DESIGN
5
REFLECTIONS
REFLECTIONS
DISCOVERY
USER RESEARCH
To investigate current subscription experiences, I conducted a survey with 20 participants aged 18-45, gathering insights into their interactions with recurring service subscriptions
The following shows the findings:
Subscription Management Gap: Despite recognizing the value of a management tool, most participants do not currently use any subscription tracking solutions.
Unexpected Charges: 95% of users reported experiencing surprise subscription fees, leading to significant frustration and financial stress.
Cancellation Challenges: Many users struggle to track the date of the subscription charge, as well as find the cancellation process to be tedious.
Lack of Spending Awareness: Users struggle to track and anticipate all of their subscription costs. This makes budgeting difficult.
DISCOVERY
SECONDARY
RESEARCH
To investigate the current experiences of users of preexisting apps, I looked at the reviews on the App Store of ‘Bobby’, ‘Trim’ and ‘Rocket Money’ - all subscription manager apps.
The findings revealed the following:
Categorise Expenses: Users want to be able to organise their expenses by category.
Option for Notification: Users would like an option to be notified of upcoming expenses that will be billed.
Cancel Subscription: Users want an easy option to cancel their subscription through the app.
DISCOVEYR
COMPETITIVE
ANALYSIS
For a comprehensive understanding of the current subscription management app market landscape, I conducted a competitive analysis to identify the key features and critical gaps in existing solutions. The research uncovered potential opportunities for subscription tracking and management.
SYNTHESIS
EMPATHY MAP
With the above gathered research, I created an empathy map to visualise what the target user says, thinks, feels and does about their current subscription management experience. These insights can be used to guide the design phase.
How might we help users easily track and manage their subscriptions to avoid unexpected charges?
IDEATION
USER FLOW
A user flow was designed to understand how users would add and manage their subscriptions. By mapping out user actions, the process helped refine the app’s structure, as well as reduce friction in order to create a seamless experience that enhances usability.
IDEATION
INFORMATION
ARCHITECTURE
The information architecture was developed to organise content in a way that makes managing subscriptions simple and intuitive. Ensuring a clear structure was essential so users could quickly view, edit, and track their subscriptions without confusion. By defining a logical hierarchy, the process helped streamline navigation, which enhances usability.
DESIGN
CRAZY 8'S
Using the Crazy 8’s exercise, I sketched multiple iterations of the homepage, add subscription, and profile pages, allowing me to explore a variety of layouts and design possibilities.
DESIGN
WIREFRAMES
DESIGN
ITERATIONS
With low-fidelity screens in place, I created a low-fidelity prototype in order to conduct user testing to evaluate the usability of the current design. These insights helped refine the app's structure, ensuring a more intuitive and user-centred experience.
Key findings from the testing led to several refinements:
Expanded Statistics: Users wanted to view data beyond the current month. As a result, an option to see annual statistics was added to the Statistics page.
Upcoming Bills Visibility: To improve clarity, a distinct visual indicator was introduced to highlight upcoming charges, making them easier to differentiate.
Better Categorisation: Users expressed a need to sort their subscriptions based on factors like date, category, and price (ascending/descending) for easier management.
Subscription History: Many users wanted access to past subscriptions, including cancelled or paused ones, to provide better financial transparency and tracking.
DESIGN
FINAL DESIGNS
DESIGN
FINAL DESIGNS
REFLECTIONS
Working on Crunch was an insightful experience that highlighted the importance of user-centred design and iterative improvements. I learned how small, thoughtful changes—like adding dietary filters and simplifying the Fridge Finder—can significantly enhance usability.
I particularly enjoyed translating user feedback into tangible design decisions and following their impact in follow-up studies. This project strengthened my ability to balance functionality with simplicity, make research-driven design choices, and create intuitive, user-friendly experiences.