The opportunity
I joined Hatch in 2021 as a product designer to help establish a new team focused on optimising user experience and conversion rates.
Through research and performance analysis of different areas within the Hatch app, it became clear that the customer onboarding funnel required the most attention. Specifically, this meant guiding users from signing up to becoming successful investors.
My role
As a product designer, I worked closely with a data specialist to identify gaps in the onboarding funnel. Using an iterative approach, we experimented, designed, and delivered solutions to improve conversion rates.
Step one - Creating a benchmark
Our first task was to evaluate the performance of the existing onboarding process, which primarily relied on a series of automated emails sent over several weeks. We tracked key metrics such as email open rates, click-through rates, and user engagement within the app after receiving these emails. This data helped us establish a benchmark to measure the impact of future improvements.
Step two - Initial design and experimentation
With the benchmark in place, we began designing potential solutions. Given that emails were already a core part of the onboarding process, we decided to optimise them first.
We used Intercom, a customer communication tool, to quickly design, build, and deploy new email sequences. This approach allowed us to test and iterate faster than if we had worked within the standard product development cycle.
Intercom also enabled us to:
- Set up and analyse multivariate tests
- Personalise email content based on each user’s actions within the Hatch app
Step two - First results
After implementing the new email series, we tracked user progression through the onboarding funnel. Almost immediately, we observed an increase in the percentage of users completing the funnel and becoming successful investors.
Step Four – Expanding the Approach
With email onboarding improved, we turned our attention to in-app product tours, following the same iterative process. These tours introduced users to key features they had not yet discovered, further improving engagement.
Once again, we saw a significant increase in user retention and conversion rates. Encouraged by these results, we planned to extend the onboarding strategy to include SMS and push notifications to further enhance the experience.
