PUBLISHERS
CLEARING
HOUSE
Defining, designing and developing a new experience for the digital generation.
Account Creation
40% Increase
Overall acquisition
Time On Site
5:05 Minutes
+350% from 1:30
Cost Per Acquisition
45% Drop
To $3.30 from $6
Overview
While the existing experience encouraged some users to enter to win big, marketed prizes, it failed to drive account creation, site exploration or repeat visits. We needed to develop a trustworthy experience that would motivate users to enter to win more prizes, create and personalize new accounts, read and interact with email, and play games (removing the absorptive costs of paid advertisements and acquisition).
Major Issues:
High costs for poor user acquisition
Minimal time on sites / apps and lack of engagement
Low user retention and followup interactions
Dated, untrustworthy visual language
*Users were shown both the classic experience and a redesigned version, informed by insights from the initial rounds of testing.
Research & Strategy
Focus Groups
The team needed to understand both the initial impressions of new users, and returning legacy users, when engaging with the existing PCH experience. To achieve this, we used Usertesting.com to recruit new who had not previously interacted with the classic experience, and identified existing customers based on retention frequency.
Participants per
Focus Group
45
Demographics
All genders,
35-65+
Income
$20k-$80k+
Method
User interviews
Market Research
With our focus toward acquiring new users, we had identified knowledge gaps regarding our existing users. To fill those gaps, and gain an informed understanding of the market and potential customers, we worked Momentive to develop and execute an extensive market research effort. We expanded the demographics of the initial testing to gather substantial feedback, giving us a much more robust view of potential customers and the market.
Participants
2,500
Demographics
All genders,
18-65+
Income
$20k-$120k+
Method
Interactive Survey
Insights
Users aged 25 to 54 responded most favorably to the new experience.
They were eager to explore and learn more about the company, although they still desired additional information.
The brighter, more inviting visual language increased user engagement.
Cash, vacations, and cars were the most desired prize types, and users wanted to see more real winners.
The entry barrier for users is too high.
Customers were intrigued by the games and prizes on external touchpoints, but lack of information or exposure to the core experience led to mistrust and confusion.
The classic aesthetic feel’s ‘spammy’ and ultimately discourages users from engaging or having confidence in the content.
Opportunities
Enhance user onboarding by improving site transparency and learnability.
No gated experiences, let users explore freely across any touchpoint.
New visual language that boosts trust and engagement.
Copy and messaging that enhance user perception.
Develop cohesive narratives across all touchpoints.
Use personalization and ML to help identify and feature prizes and games that most appeal to individual customers.
Younger customers had little or no exposure to the classic experience, mitigating the trust issues with existing and former users.
To eliminate barriers to site exploration, we simplified the onboarding process. We also incentivized account creation by immediately rewarding users with upon sign up, and more upon verification.
Customer Acquisition
Personalization
To eliminate barriers to site exploration, we simplified the onboarding process. We also incentivized account creation by immediately rewarding users with upon sign up, and more upon verification.
Your Homepage
We built the new PCH experience on Adobe’s Experience Manager, which gave us access to the Adobe Target personalization engine. Through Target, we were able to define our page layouts through sets of rules based on what users chose in the onboarding flow. Prizes and content is dynamically populated based on those initial user selections. Then, as usage increases, content is populated based on the user’s interactions.
Adobe Target
Powers personalization logic for new and returning users
Sources content based on interactions and history
Applies the guidelines for component targeting in Target
Prioritizes content depending on behavior in onboarding
*Winners module for new users to increase trustworthiness
Personalized Messaging
As we introduce users to our new experience, we also aim to create opportunities to inform them about new giveaways and additional ways to earn coins. I developed a strategy to email users throughout their journey, from initial contact to account creation, gameplay, and prize entries, by utilizing the existing rules and components in Adobe Target.
Account Creation
40% Increase
Overall acquisition
Time On Site
5:05 Minutes
+350% from 1:30
Cost Per Acquisition
45% Drop
To $3.30 from $6
User interest survey and site tracking helped with prioritization for design team, product management team, and contest team.
User CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) dropped as a result of personalized messaging.
Users were more engaged with the personalized experience through content on site and in emails.
Account creation increased in both first time site visits and return visits.
Ready? Let’s go!
With all the intel and background, it’s time to see the prototype in action.
Role / Company
Head of UX & Design, Publishers Clearing House
Year
2024