Health Union
Developing a registration modal for Health Union's portfolio of community sites to make it easier to sign up for the user, and increase logged-in sessions for the community.
(Client)
Health Union
(Responsibilites)
Wireframing
UX Lead
(My role)
UX/UI
Prototyping
Research & Testing
Background
NOT A SEAMLESS EXPERIENCE
Existing registration page
Health Union is a leading online health company that provides reliable information and support to people living with various health conditions.
With the increasing importance of online community engagement in the healthcare industry, Health Union recognized the need for a more streamlined and user-friendly registration process that would encourage more users to join their online communities.
A clunky redirect caused users to abandon engagement.
The existing registration modal had several issues impacting user engagement. A key problem was the account creation redirect which took users away from content that they were engaging with to a separate page to create an account. This caused high drop-off rates and ultimately site abandonment. Over 67% of users who were prompted to register after clicking into the comment field ended up not posting a comment. We needed to bring this number down.
Drop-off rates were frustrating for all.
Users were unaware of how long the registration process was, leading to fatigue and low motivation. The highest drop-off rates existed after one or two steps. The challenge for this project would be creating a seamless registration process with multi-screen transparency, and reduced the barrier between the user, registration, and their initial engagement goal.
Discovery & Research
User Interviews Confirmed Our Suspicions
So many pain points…
In order to identify user needs and pain points related to the registration modal, extensive research was conducted. This research included user interviews, user testing, and analysis of user data.
The user interviews revealed that the current registration process was seen as too long and complicated, with many users experiencing fatigue and frustration before completing the process. Additionally, users expressed a desire for more options when it came to signing in, including the ability to use their social media accounts.
User testing of the existing registration modal also revealed that the redirection to the registration page was a major pain point for users. Many users found it frustrating to be taken away from the content they were engaging with, and this led to a high rate of drop-off.
Analysis of user data confirmed these findings, showing a high rate of drop-off during the registration process. This data also showed that users who were able to sign in using social media accounts were more likely to engage with the site and return to it in the future.
Goals
Users demanded less steps, and so did we!
Social login implementation was crucial
Reduce the number of steps to complete registration.
By streamlining the registration process, users would be able to create an account quickly and easily, without experiencing fatigue or frustration.
Promoting social login would get us closer to that seamless experience.
Social login is a convenient and efficient way for users to access the site, and implementing it into the registration modal would help to reduce barriers to engagement. It was also an incredibly low lift internally that could yield high rewards within the context of this project.
Simplicity is key.
It was important that we maintain the verification process to ensure that all users are legitimate and trustworthy. However, the verification process required users to check their email before they could complete registration, which lead to high drop off rates. We needed a way to improve this action to not only satisfy business needs, but more importantly the needs of the user to more quickly engage with the content.
Solutions
Less is More
The redirect needs to go.
First and foremost, the registration flow needed to be redesigned to allow the user to remain on the content they were engaging with, instead of being redirected to a separate page. We did this by implementing a modal design.
Google is God?
We decided to implement Google one-click sign-on to promote social login to those with Google accounts. Since approximately 24%(~500,000 visitors) of users visit the site via Chrome, this solution would be particularly beneficial to these users, making the registration process faster and more seamless.
Visual cues are friends.
To address the problem of users experiencing registration fatigue and dropping off before completion, visual indicators of the registration journey will be implemented. This will give users a clear understanding of how many steps are involved in the process and how far along they are, reducing the likelihood of them feeling overwhelmed and abandoning the process.
Later is OKAY.
Finally, an option to skip verification for later will be implemented, which will decrease the number of steps required for registration. This will address the problem of users experiencing fatigue and abandoning the process due to the perception that the ends do not justify the means. This solution will make the process less burdensome for users, encouraging more successful registrations.
Final Design
Three Small Dots
Experience overhaul.
All in all, the user registration experience went through a major overhaul during the course of this project, starting with the decision to implement a modal to prompt registration versus the existing page redirect. This solved the problem of user frustration from being taken away from the content that they were engaging with, and also allowed the user to simply click out of the modal if they didn’t wish to register instead of abandoning the site altogether.
We also made the decision to present the option to register via social login upfront. Since a lot of Health Union websites hold an older audience, it was important to give equal weight to the email signup option.
Using visual indicators for clarity.
Because we pulled in a modal design, we didn’t want to overwhelm the user with toast notifications when errors in registration occurred. In-line indicators felt clunky as well, so we implemented a stoplight system (red - weak, yellow - moderate, green - strong) to indicate password strength, and chose to reveal the password rules right out the gate to give the user a chance to get it right before error messaging.
Using a “step” system to decrease user fatigue.
We also decided to add something small but mighty to the modal screens of some of our more nuanced communities that required more information from the user - three small dots underneath the Continue button to subtly let the user know how long the registration process would be. We hoped that this would decrease registration abandonment.
Okay I registered… now what??
Our final decision during this project was to include a success screen that not only lets the user know that registration was successful, but also presents them with something to do next.
Testing and Early Results
800%?!
The proof is in the numbers.
The results of the registration modal redesign project have been extremely positive, with significant improvements in user engagement and registration success rates. By implementing social registration, there was an 800% increase in registered users across Health Union community sites, with an average of 4,500 new registered users per week post-implementation compared to 500 per week before the redesign. Additionally, the percentage of logged-in sessions increased by 50% due to the social one-tap login implementation.
User feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
The redesign also received positive feedback from users, as demonstrated in an annual survey conducted on Health Union community sites shortly after the new registration modal went live. The survey showed that 76% of respondents felt that the statement “Is easy to use” describes the sites “Extremely well,” which was a higher rate of agreement than any other statement that they were asked to judge the sites on. We can only assumed that the registration redesign had a huge impact on these sentiments.
Before
After
Some future considerations…
The positive user feedback on the new design, particularly on its ease of use, further validates the success of the project. However, there is always room for improvement. Offering more incentives for registration, and exploring options for a more personalized experience (recommended content based on user behaviors and interests) could increase both registration and returning users in the future.