Reducing Drop-Off in a Subscription Flow

Improved clarity and reduced commitment hesitation in Gillette’s subscription experience by simplifying decision-making and guiding users through key moments.

Overview

Gillette On Demand aimed to compete with direct-to-consumer brands by offering a convenient razor subscription service. However, the experience introduced friction at key moments, making it difficult for users to understand the value and complete a purchase.

Role: Product Designer
Timeline: 32 weeks
Team: 2 designers
Focus: Conversion Optimization, UX Strategy, Responsive Design

Responsibility: Led end-to-end UX design, from research and problem definition to interaction design and prototyping

Problem

While Gillette On Demand aimed to simplify razor purchasing through subscriptions, the experience introduced friction at critical moments in the user journey. Users struggled to understand the value of subscribing, felt hesitant about committing to recurring deliveries, and encountered unnecessary barriers such as mandatory account creation.

Unclear value proposition compared to competitors like Dollar Shave Club
Subscription commitment created hesitation and reduced conversion
Mandatory account creation added friction early in the purchase flow
Product and pricing information were not communicated clearly

Role + Constraints

Role

I led the end-to-end design of a subscription experience, translating complex decision points into a clear, guided flow to improve user understanding and reduce drop-off.

Synthesized research to define key friction points in the purchase journey
Designed user flows and interaction patterns to guide decision-making
Developed structured subscription models to simplify recurring choices
Created high-fidelity prototypes to validate and communicate solutions

Constraints

Unclear subscription value
User struggled to understand the benefits of subscribing vs. one-time purchase
Commitment hesitation
Recurring deliveries created uncertainty and reduced willingness to commit
Complex decision flow
Multiple steps and unclear structure increased cognitive load during setup
Business requirements
Subscription model needed to balance user clarity with revenue goals

Design Response

Simplified the subscription setup into clear, guided steps to reduce cognitive load
Clarified pricing, delivery frequency, and benefits upfront to improve perceived value
Introduced confirmation moments to reduce commitment hesitation
Removed unnecessary steps (e.g., forced account creation) to streamline checkout
Structured product and add-on decisions to reduce overwhelm

Process

Understanding User & Business Friction

Users struggled to understand the value of subscribing and felt hesitant committing to recurring deliveries. Key decision moments lacked clarity, and early friction—such as mandatory account creation—led to drop-off before purchase completion.

Key Insights

Users struggled to understand subscription value upfront
Commitment anxiety reduced willingness to subscribe
Early friction points caused drop-off before checkout
Pricing and product details were not clearly communicated

Design Decisions & Rationale

I focused on reducing friction at key decision points by simplifying the flow, clarifying value upfront, and removing unnecessary barriers.

Introduced guided steps → reduced cognitive overload during onboarding
Clarified pricing and subscription benefits upfront → improved perceived value
Added confirmation moments → reduced commitment hesitation
Removed unnecessary steps like forced account creation → minimized drop-off

Outcome Direction

The final experience focused on:

Simplifying the subscription setup into clear, guided steps
Communicating value early and consistently throughout the flow
Reducing friction at key decision points to improve conversion

Final Solution

The final experience reimagines the subscription flow as a guided, low-friction journey that helps users make decisions with clarity and confidence.

Instead of presenting multiple choices upfront, the experience breaks down subscription setup into progressive steps, surfaces pricing and value early, and reinforces decisions at key moments. By reducing ambiguity and removing unnecessary barriers—such as forced account creation—the flow enables users to move from product selection to checkout with minimal hesitation.

This approach transforms the experience from a complex, commitment-heavy process into a structured and transparent system that supports confident subscription decisions.

Solution

I redesigned the subscription experience to reduce friction, clarify value early, and improve conversion across key decision points.

1. Breaking down subscription setup into simple, guided steps

I simplified the subscription setup into clear, guided steps so users can make decisions progressively instead of all at once.

2. Clarifying subscription details during key decision moments

I introduced clearer pricing breakdowns and surfaced key subscription details at decision points, helping users understand what they’re committing to before proceeding.

My Account_ Confirm Change Subscription Date (Desktop).png

3. Reducing friction at checkout by removing unnecessary steps

I streamlined checkout by removing mandatory account creation and reducing unnecessary steps, enabling users to complete their purchase with minimal friction.

My Account_ Active Subscriptions (Desktop).png

Impact

The redesigned experience addresses critical drop-off points in the subscription flow by reducing perceived commitment risk and enabling clearer, more confident decision-making.

Made subscription value immediately understandable, surfacing pricing, delivery frequency, and benefits before commitment
Reinforced user confidence at key moments, reducing hesitation through well-timed confirmation steps
Transformed a complex multi-step flow into guided interactions, lowering cognitive load during onboarding
Eliminated unnecessary barriers, such as forced account creation, enabling a smoother path to checkout

By shifting the experience from a commitment-heavy process to a structured and transparent flow, the redesign is expected to increase conversion and reduce abandonment at critical stages of the purchase journey.

Reflection

This project reinforced the importance of designing for perceived commitment, not just usability. While the original flow was functionally complete, it failed to address the hesitation users feel when committing to recurring purchases.

One key takeaway was that reducing friction isn’t only about removing steps—it’s about structuring decisions in a way that builds confidence over time. Introducing guided steps and confirmation moments proved just as important as simplifying the interface itself.

If I were to continue this work, I would validate these decisions through usability testing and measure how changes impact conversion and drop-off across the funnel. This would help refine where guidance is most effective versus where it may introduce unnecessary steps.

This project shifted how I approach complex flows, emphasizing clarity, timing, and user confidence as core components of effective experience design.