Scott’s Cheap Flights
Onboarding
Onboarding users to a subscription-based service dedicated to assisting travelers in finding discounted flight deals.
Responsive web app
Product design
User research
Usability testing
As the designer responsible for end-to-end experience design and research strategy, I led UX efforts to improve the top-of-funnel customer journey and drive growth. Our goals were to increase conversion by 5%, introduce a refreshed brand identity, and capture richer user insights.
To reach these goals, I analyzed our existing onboarding flow and benchmarked it against best-in-class experiences to uncover friction points and missed opportunities. I also led collaborative design workshops that surfaced new ideas and aligned the team around a more engaging, data-informed onboarding vision.
We then ran multiple rounds of iterative testing with real users, gathering feedback to refine the flow and ensure it met their expectations while delivering on business goals. Beyond design, I took on product management responsibilities, facilitating cross-functional collaboration and ensuring seamless alignment between design and product strategy.
Approach ✨
Problem
After conducting user research, analyzing behavioral data, and reviewing more than 20+ onboarding flows I manually curated (my own version of Mobbin before Mobbin existed) and formed an initial hypothesis: high cancellation rates were linked to a lack of product education during onboarding.
Here’s what we uncovered:
Churned users showed a clear pattern of active engagement in the days leading up to cancellation, revealing behavioral triggers and common drop-off reasons.
Trial conversion rates increased significantly when users followed three or more airports, suggesting that early engagement and perceived value improved retention.
Users exposed to deals or incentives during onboarding were more likely to convert, highlighting the persuasive impact of contextual offers and rewards.
These insights shaped our next hypothesis and guided the design direction for a more educational, value-driven onboarding experience.
Hypothesis
We believed that improving education and perceived value early in the onboarding journey would directly reduce cancellations and increase trial conversions. By helping users experience the “aha” moment sooner—understanding how flight alerts worked and why they were valuable—we could build trust and commitment before the trial period ended.
To test this, we designed an onboarding experience that prioritized clarity, personalization, and early exposure to real deal value. The goal was to turn passive sign-ups into engaged members who clearly understood what they were getting and why it mattered.
We ran multiple A/B experiments and usability tests with new flows that employed conversational elements, fostering a more engaging and informative experience for users. Additionally, we incorporated paths within the flow to collect qualitative user data, allowing us to gain deeper insights into user preferences and pain points. With these experiments, we anticipated that users would have a better understanding of the product, leading to improved retention rates and reduced cancellations during the onboarding phase.
In order to mitigate cancellations, we introduced a pause membership feature, enabling users to temporarily suspend their subscriptions instead of canceling outright. This aimed to provide users with a viable alternative and reduce the likelihood of immediate cancellations.
Results
We gained a deep understanding of our travelers’ goals, motivations, and expectations.
By focusing on real-user insight and data we increased brand trust, brought delight, and gave new users a motivation to subscribe to the service.
The new onboarding flow successfully guided users through the conversion process and led to a higher number of users taking the desired actions (e.g., signing up, selecting airports, and making a purchase).
We saw a significant difference in conversion with a 21% increase.
Solution
Too short; want more?
I would be happy to share my portfolio deck.
Email: galindo.designer@gmail.com