Optimizing the funnel for Pumpkin's new standalone wellness offering with more effective messaging.
Timeline
Oct 2024 - Nov 2024
Company
Pumpkin
Platform
Web
I joined the Wellness Club team in September 2024, following the initial launch of the MVP by the original designer. With the product live, we had the opportunity to analyze its performance, gather insights, and experiment with optimizations to drive growth.
Screenshots from the original version of the site—the hero and section immediately below it.
I worked with my product partner to gather and review the data we had collected on the site's performance so far. Something we immediately noticed was the significant drop-off (over 80%) between the homepage and the plan selection page, signaling a key friction point.
To better understand users' experience with the current site, including potential reasons for the high drop-off rate, I planned and conducted a series of user tests. After completing the tests, I synthesized the feedback into key findings, ranking insights by frequency and severity. Two issues in particular stood out:
At first glance, users struggled to understand the concept of a "wellness club"
Many users confused the wellness plan with pet insurance, calling it “like an insurance plan” or “wellness insurance.” Users also interpreted “club” in unexpected ways, leaving them unclear on what they were signing up for.
Once understood, users struggled to understand the details on what would be covered
Users were unclear on what a membership might cover, whether it included grooming, food, or emergency care, and how pricing worked, making it harder to commit.
Our findings from user testing directly explained the high drop-off rate—users weren’t clicking through because they didn’t fully understand what the Wellness Club was or how it worked. This misalignment in messaging and clarity became the key problem to solve.
How might we help users quickly grasp what Pumpkin Wellness Club is—building just enough confidence to spark their interest and encourage them to explore further?
Specifically, I focused my design efforts on the hero section and the content just below the fold. This decision was directly informed by our discovery phase: users lacked a clear understanding of the product upfront, making them less confident in moving forward. To address this, we needed to ensure they grasped the value of the plan immediately upon landing on the site.
If we clearly communicate what Pumpkin Wellness Club is upfront, highlight its most compelling benefits, and provide visual cues that make joining & using the product feel approachable, then more users will engage with the site, progress further in the funnel, and ultimately consider signing up.
I worked with my partner on the product team to set success metrics for this project:
Primary: Decrease in drop-off rate between homepage and plan page
Secondary: Increase conversion rate
Visual Focus/No Product Info
Ex: Soho House, Equinox
Could work for a brand with a strong existing recognition. Less effective for unknown brands.
Simple Product Description
Ex: Rent the Runway, Farmer's Dog, Curology
Works best for brands with an easy-to-understand offering (e.g., a physical product) or highly relatable problem.
More Product Detail
Ex: Dutch, Dropbox, Oscar
Works well for a novel product concept that solves a more complicated or nuanced problem.
Interactive/Driver
Ex: MasterClass, Betterhelp, Carbon Health
Works well for brands that address multiple user needs. Interactive elements help customers to understand through action.
These 3 directions in particular echoed three of the groupings that I found when looking at other heroes.
Simple Product Description
More Product Detail
Interactive/Driver
I shared these options in a critique with other designers. The last two in particular resonated with the group, so I decided to explore them further.
Next, I explored multiple hero variations in Figma. Some worked well; others fell flat. By trying out different approaches, I was able to quickly identify what worked and what didn't.
I originally liked the idea of having users select their pet's species earlier as a way to keep them moving, but designing out options helped me see two downsides:
As I honed in on a direction, I worked closely with my partner on the copywriting team to tighten the messaging. This included writing a creative brief to lay out goals and considerations.
🎲 Since we're still testing, you'll only see this version 50% of the time.
I provided detailed specifications to my engineering partners and collaborated closely through multiple rounds of QA to refine and perfect the implementation.
In other words, 75% more users in the test group reached the plan page compared to users in the control group.
We are planning on turning on the test variant for all users in mid-February.
We are still waiting to see a statistically significant impact on CVR. Nevertheless, this was not the metric we were optimizing for, and I think changes further down the funnel (e.g., to the plan page and checkout) are more likely to move the needle on conversion rate.