Creating a Compelling Trial Experience

In 2018, I became the associate product manager for the newly created Trial Experience team, working to improve the initial product experience for new users. Since then, I’ve lead the team in researching, designing, and developing Squarespace’s first onboarding wizard. This wizard experience uses machine learning to guide new users through initial site setup, including adding text, selecting a banner image, and setting up site navigation.

In my research, I learned that our users subscribe when they felt confident in building a site with Squarespace. Through continued research and experimentation, I lead development of a wizard experience that fosters confidence by getting users to a significant milestone, where they can look at their website and feel a sense of progress.

This project is currently in testing and can’t be shared publicly at this time.

User Research and Product Analysis

I’ve performed multiple research projects around how new customers get started at Squarespace. These have included:

• Phone interviews with 8 “super users” who build Squarespace sites for their own clients.

• UserTesting.com tests on click-through prototypes.

• Conducted in-person research conversations with new users building eCommerce sites.

• Numerous paper prototype hallway tests to quickly get feedback on new ideas.

• In-depth competitor analysis on 7 major competitors’ approach to onboarding.

It’s not possible to share findings or documents externally, but I can provide more information in-person.

In-App Notifications & NPS SUrvey

Using the third-party software Pendo, I lead a new initiative to create in-app messaging to update users on changes to the product and receive feedback. Working across teams, I developed lightboxes, tooltips, and surveys that embodied Squarespace’s high quality design aesthetic.

Here are two of the lightbox designs implement in Squarespace through Pendo.