A suggested approach to motivate people to install the Hootsuite app
My role: UX/UI Designer.
Problems we were trying to solve
Some of Hootsuite users would access their dashboard via browser. Although it was totally possible to do that, the experience was better using the Hootsuite app, which also had more features.
The proposed solution
The Online Revenue team (the team I worked for) decided to do an experiment in order to increase app installs for iPhone users: if the person had an iPhone and went to the login screen via browser, they would land on a page that would show them the benefits of installing the app.
Process
I Discovery Phase
The first step was to analyze the current user flow to understand how users are asked to install the app on the website when they are using their phones.
The next step was to research similar products. We wanted to see how other companies push app installs when visitors use their website. Based on the research, I made a diagram showing different approaches and presented it to my team to get a feel about where they thought our design solution should stand. We also checked out the analytics to see the types of devices our audience was using. This step was essential to a successful experiment.
II Planning Phase: UX
I prepared some wireframes in order to show the stakeholders the solutions I had in mind. This stage was important to not only refine the flow and identify issues but also to make sure the team was aligned on the proposed experience. Having the wireframe in front of us allowed the team to visualize the project in a tangible way and discuss iterations.
We ended up with 2 versions for implementation: one that would break down the benefits of installing the app into 3 stages (with screenshots) and one that was only 1 step (heavier on copy), explaining it all in one screen.
III Delivery Phase: UI and engineer implementation
After stakeholders’ approval it was time to polish the screens. We went for an interactive prototype because that would allow us to understand how the interface would feel from the audience’s perspective.
The final stage was to work closely with the engineer to implement the mockups. Together we brainstormed potential solutions for any small problems that came up.
I also presented a slide deck to my team with UX considerations about frequency in which the banner for app install should be seen. I requested that, if the test succeeded, we add some logic to make sure users who have the app don’t see the banner and also if the users close the banner a few times that they shouldn’t see it anymore.
