In-app tariff visibility
I led the design of a new in-app feature to make tariff details clear and accessible, reducing customer confusion, high drop-off rates in the retention journey, and costly contact centre calls.
The brand and my role
SSE Energy Services was a brand under the OVO group, serving over 3.5 million customers and was one of the UK's largest energy providers. I worked for OVO LTD from 2021 - 2022 as a UX Designer within a multidisciplinary product team.
The problem
The Product Owner for SSE's mobile app, prompted by low conversion rates in the customer retention journey, identified the need to display tariff details on the MySSE app. The retention journey was being used by members to view their energy tariffs, leading to drop-offs. Additionally, the contact centre experienced a significant increase in tariff-related enquiries.
The team
I was the UX Designer within a multidisciplinary product team consisting of a UX Design Lead, Product Owner, Content Designer, Data Analytics, Testers, and Developers. The initial problem was identified using Analytics and the hypothesis was set before I joined.
The user need
Members should be able to seamlessly renew or view their tariff within the MySSE app, eliminating friction and minimising the need for contact centre interactions. Making these essential actions difficult forces members to expend additional effort, potentially resulting in frustration and increased contact centre enquiries.
The business need
A previous content change to the app's retention link proved ineffective in addressing high contact centre volumes related to tariff enquiries. While it increased traffic to the website, only a small proportion of users actually proceeded with a tariff change.
Hypothesis
"We believed that by displaying tariff information in the app for all app customers we will achieve an increase in retention conversion. We'll know this is true when we see an improvement in the conversion rate on the retention journey from mobile."
Develop: competitor analysis and sketching
I began by analysing tariff presentations from various brands, including those outside the energy sector. This revealed three common patterns: direct placement on the dashboard, inclusion in a menu, or on dedicated product pages.
Considering Jakob's Law and the likelihood of customers switching utility providers, I opted for placing tariff details directly below the account balance. Given the absence of dedicated researchers, this phase served as a rapid and effective means of understanding user needs.
Screenshot of the competitor analysis.
I collaboratively brainstormed with my UX Design Lead to refine the feature design, exploring four variations. The agreed-upon solution was stacked tariff details with a 'view tariff details' button accessible from the account balance menu. This aligned with the app's design approach and provided quick access to detailed tariff information.
Sketches of ideas.
Deliver: high fidelity wireframe and design critique
I wireframed five options for colleagues to review in our design critique. These included a card with a push notification switch, three variations of a card with a message for customers nearing their contract end, and a simple card with the tariff details. I also prototyped a page with detailed tariff information.
High-fidelity wireframes of the tariff feature and the tariffs details page.
Following the wireframing, the design team convened for a design critique. The team agreed with the concept, suggesting the card display only the tariff name and end dates. Regarding the notification switch and tariff change messaging, colleagues advised deferring these elements to a later phase. The finalised design retained the stacked tariff details card but with reduced content, ensuring a clear and concise presentation.
The final card design chosen by the team.
Result
The feature's release marked a significant success, validating the initial hypothesis. We observed an 8% increase in mobile-driven retention conversions. Insights data revealed an average of 1,500 daily customers engaging with the tariff details feature, and FTE calculations suggest that contact centres have saved hours since the feature's launch.
The final UI design, alongside graphs showing the feature's impact on conversion, sessions, and daily views.
Reflections
This was a high-value tactical project that exemplifies my dedication to user-centred design, even in the absence of direct user research. By analysing different brands and leveraging UX principles, I was able to develop a solution that aligned with user behaviour and achieved significant business benefits.
Key takeaways from this project include: embrace user-centred design, as alternative methods can still inform design decisions, and remember that divergent thinking fosters collaboration.
This project's success, evident in reduced contact centre enquiries and increased retention conversion, to me demonstrates the value of user-centred design.