Designing a Better Account Management Experience for Existing Users
Project goal: Improve the logged-in Dashboard experience to enhance usability, increase feature adoption, and support business growth through upsells and reduced churn.
This case study focuses on the redesigned Dashboard (Homepage) only.
Problem Statement and Business Impact
The existing dashboard experience was cluttered and confusing, resulting in:
Low product and feature adoption
Missed opportunities to upsell users
Increased volume of support tickets
Key Business Challenges:
Users were not introduced effectively to their purchased products or potential add-ons, leading to low engagement.
There was no intuitive pathway to upgrade, explore new features, or fully utilize the subscription.
Estimated Revenue Impact:
Promoting add-on features could generate up to $54K/year
Encouraging upgrades and reducing churn could increase revenue by an additional $102K/year
Competitive Analysis & IA Audit
To understand how others in the space structured their logged-in user experiences, I conducted a focused competitive analysis of dashboards and account areas. I mapped out common navigation structures, visual hierarchies, and onboarding strategies.
Key findings
Leading competitors surfaced upgrade paths and active subscriptions more prominently
Simpler navigation and clearer calls to action led to better product discoverability
This inspired a rethinking of both information architecture and visual prioritization in our Dashboard.
Design Hypotheses & Solutions
Hypothesis #1
The current top and side navigation distract users from exploring their account and features.
Solution
Simplified the top nav by removing educational content (irrelevant for existing users)
Reworked the side nav to focus on core product actions like setup and feature access
Made the side nav collapsible to reduce visual noise and enhance focus
Hypothesis #2
Users don’t know where to go next due to a lack of clear hierarchy and next steps.
Solution
Added a subscription summary with status indicators to give users immediate clarity
Highlighted recently purchased features for easy access
Hypothesis #3
Users won’t seek out add-ons unless they are actively promoted within the Dashboard.
Solution
Introduced a targeted upsell card featuring relevant tools and add-ons based on subscription type
Designed it to feel helpful, not intrusive—building awareness and trust
Success metric
We defined success based on a mix of business and user outcomes:
Increased average order value (via add-on adoption and upgrades)
Reduced churn
Improved user satisfaction (via NPS and post-login experience scores)
Next step and learnings
The designs are currently awaiting implementation. Once live, we’ll monitor:
Conversion rate on upsell cards
Clicks and engagement with feature modules
Overall NPS and support ticket volume
What I Learned:
Speed ≠ skipping strategy. Even with a lean discovery phase, competitor insights and internal feedback can drive meaningful design decisions.
Designing for retention means prioritizing clarity, not just aesthetics.
Framing upgrades as value (vs. pure sales) is crucial for user trust.
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