UX Research & Design
Nadia Burger
Oct 10, 2025
Above from left to right: The existing experience when a new user downloads and opens the app for the first time, and the updated onboarding flow (Figma prototype)
Summary
When News24's business team raised concerns about app churn (we were losing 61-81% of users within 5 days), I initiated research to understand the root causes. Analysis revealed users were churning primarily because they didn't understand the app's value: they cited "lack of feature awareness" and "I don't use it enough" as top reasons for leaving.
This challenge became urgent when Editorial decided to shift from 70% free to 30% free content and remove visual "For Subscribers" indicators. I designed an onboarding experience that proactively addressed both the existing churn problem and the upcoming change.
Result: users who went through onboarding were 2.75x more likely to subscribe (55% vs 20%); strong evidence they now understood the value proposition and access model.
My Role: Product Designer (self-initiated)
Timeline: December 2023
Tools: Figma, Maze, Google Analytics
Key Metrics:
2.75x increase in subscription conversion (20% → 55%)
81% of users opted into onboarding when offered
35 percentage points improvement in conversion rate
The Challenge
The Existing Problem
News24's mobile app was hemorrhaging users—losing 61-81% within 5 days of install.
When users unsubscribed, they cited:
"I don't use it enough" (24%)
"Lack of feature awareness"
"Don't understand premium benefits"
The real problem: Users weren't staying long enough to discover value.
[Image: Churn statistics visualization]
A Major Change That Would Make Things Worse
This challenge became critical when Editorial decided to shift content strategy:
Content Mix: 70% free → 30% free (far more paywalls)
Visual Change: Remove red "For Subscribers" tags (users would lose their primary access indicator)
Above from left to right: The News24 feed with subscriber tags indicating locked content, and after they were removed
The perfect storm:
Existing 61-81% churn
Content becoming dramatically more locked
Visual indicators disappearing
Users about to lose clarity on what they could access
We anticipated substantial user complaints about surprise paywalls. Onboarding became critical not just for retention, but for proactively managing this business transition.
The Current Experience Offered No Help
No onboarding—users dropped straight into feed
Immediate notification requests (felt invasive)
No communication about content model
Users would discover changes through friction
The opportunity: Research showed retention costs 5x less than acquisition—meaning better onboarding could address both existing churn and smooth the transition.
My Process
Research
I approached this systematically, combining multiple research methods:
Competitive Analysis
Studied how leading news publications handle subscriber onboarding:
Washington Post
New York Times
Wall Street Journal
[Image: Comparison grid showing competitor onboarding approaches]
Above from left to right: The existing NOVA subscription screen and the updated screen (Figma prototype)
Key finding: While 87% of top news sites don't offer app onboarding, the 13% that do showed clear patterns:
Communicate value proposition early
Use visual storytelling (especially journalist imagery)
Offer guided tours but allow skipping
Prime users before asking for permissions
Internal Data Analysis
Examined existing user behavior to identify pain points:
Navigation patterns (Discover feed used 16x more than category tabs)
Drop-off points in user journey
Feature usage rates
Time between install and first paywall encounter
UX Best Practices Research
Identified key principles for effective onboarding:
Keep flows short (3-5 screens maximum)
Allow users to skip (don't force engagement)
Use permission priming for notifications (explain benefits before asking)
Celebrate key steps to create positive momentum
2. Designing the Solution
Based on research insights, I designed three user flows to accommodate different user readiness levels:
Flow A (High intent): Full Onboarding → Trial Conversion
For users ready to learn about the app immediately
Flow B (Medium intent): Skip Onboarding → Explore -> Trial
For users who want to explore before committing
Flow C (Low intent): Skip Everything → Browse with Context
For users who just want to browse, with persistent preview banner
[Image: Flow diagram showing three paths]
Above from left to right: The existing NOVA subscription screen and the updated screen (Figma prototype)
Key design decisions:
✅ Permission Priming for Notifications
Instead of immediate request on first open, trigger a custom opt-in modal after user reads their first article, with clear explanation of benefits
✅ Visual Storytelling
Use compelling imagery of journalists in the field to create empathy and communicate the value of quality journalism
✅ Progressive Disclosure
Show 3-4 key features, not everything—avoid overwhelming new users
✅ Persistent Preview Banner
For users who skip onboarding, always show clear messaging: "You are previewing News24. Already a subscriber? Sign in"
✅ Clear Skip Options
Every screen offers "Maybe later"—respecting user autonomy builds trust
[Image: Key onboarding screens]
Above from left to right: The existing NOVA subscription screen and the updated screen (Figma prototype)
3. Validation Through User Testing
User testing with 20 participants (South Africans, age 50+):
Group 1 (control): Current experience (no onboarding)
Group 2 (treatment): Proposed onboarding
Objectives: Do users want onboarding? Does it increase conversion? Do they better understand value and access model?
[Image: Testing setup]
Above from left to right: The existing NOVA subscription screen and the updated screen (Figma prototype)
Solution
A 4-Screen Onboarding Experience with Feature Carousel
I designed a focused onboarding flow that communicates value quickly while respecting user time and autonomy.
[Image: Full flow overview showing all 4 screens]
Above from left to right: The existing NOVA subscription screen and the updated screen (Figma prototype)
Screen 1: Welcome
Deliberately direct messaging:
"News24 is now a little different. Most of our content is now locked and requires you to subscribe."
This specifically addressed the content strategy change. Rather than users discovering the shift through frustration, onboarding set clear expectations upfront.
Rationale:
"now a little different" acknowledges change
"Most of our content is now locked" sets honest expectations (30% free vs. previous 70%)
Front-loading reduces surprise and builds trust
CTAs: "Learn more" / "Maybe later"
[Image: Welcome screen]
Above from left to right: The existing NOVA subscription screen and the updated screen (Figma prototype)
Screen 2: Feature Showcase (4-Slide Carousel)
An autoplay carousel showing key features with user control.
Slide 1: Value proposition — Premium content access, journalist imagery
Slide 2: Most popular feature — Community engagement through comments
Slide 3: 2nd most popular feature — Audio feature for multitasking
Slide 4: Highlighting bottom navigation — Showing where to access content
Why carousel? Gives users control over pacing, reduces perceived commitment vs. forced linear flow.
Why these features? Based on "lack of feature awareness" data, prioritized understanding premium value, engagement options, convenience, and relevance.
Below the carousel is a persistent CTA offering a free trial as well as the option to decline and end the onboarding experience.
[Image: Four carousel slides]
Above from left to right: The existing NOVA subscription screen and the updated screen (Figma prototype)
Screen 3 (after subscription): Thank You
Celebration and confirmation
CTA: "Start reading!"
[Image: Thank you screen]
Above from left to right: The existing NOVA subscription screen and the updated screen (Figma prototype)
Addressing the Removed Visual Indicators
Since the red "For Subscriber" tags users were used to had been removed, I designed alternatives:
Persistent Preview Banner
"You are previewing News24. Already a subscriber? Sign in"
→ Constant clarity without visual clutter
Strategic Badge Use
Kept "EXCLUSIVE" and "BREAKING NEWS" as quality/premium signals
→ Positive framing vs. restrictive warnings
Trade-off: Rather than opposing Editorial's decision, I designed complementary solutions achieving user clarity with better aesthetics.
[Image: Banner and badge examples]
Above from left to right: The existing NOVA subscription screen and the updated screen (Figma prototype)
Impact
Users Want Guidance
81% opted into onboarding when offered
Feedback:
"It looked exciting and I wanted to explore the app"
"I wanted to see what the site was all about"
This validated that well-designed, respectful onboarding is welcomed, not intrusive.
Understanding Value Drives Conversion
Metric
Without Onboarding
With Onboarding
Improvement
Conversion
20%
55%
+35 points
Satisfaction
-
84% positive
Strong
Users who went through onboarding were 2.75x more likely to subscribe, indicating they understood both value and the access model well enough to commit.
Above from left to right: The existing experience when a new user downloads and opens the app for the first time, and the updated onboarding flow (Figma prototype)
What this means: The dramatically higher conversion shows users better understood the product's value. When users understand what they're getting (even with the new content model) they're more likely to commit. And users who commit are far more likely to retain.
Business Impact
The 35 percentage point improvement represents:
✅ Addressing root cause of churn (value awareness)
✅ Smoothing a potentially disruptive business transition (proactive communication)
✅ Reduced customer acquisition cost (converting more of existing traffic)
✅ Higher lifetime value potential (informed subscribers retain better)
✅ Scalable approach (applicable to other platforms)
Conservative estimate: Even achieving half this improvement would significantly impact subscription revenue while reducing anticipated support complaints about the content change.
Key Learnings
1. Design Can Bridge Business Changes and User Needs
This project coincided with a major Editorial decision that would negatively impact UX. Rather than just implementing the change and dealing with complaints, onboarding became the bridge between business strategy and user experience, setting clear expectations upfront, maintaining transparency, and reducing surprise.
Takeaway: Designers can anticipate how business decisions impact users and design interventions to smooth transitions.
2. Transparent Communication Builds Trust
The direct message "Most of our content is now locked" could have felt negative, but testing showed users appreciated honesty. The 2.75x conversion improvement validated that transparency, even about changes users might not love, builds trust rather than resentment.
Takeaway: Don't hide uncomfortable truths; frame them clearly and respectfully.
3. Conversion Is a Strong Proxy for Understanding
While I couldn't measure long-term retention in testing, 2.75x conversion improvement strongly indicates users better understood value, the key driver of retention. This provided confidence to recommend implementation.
Takeaway: Choose metrics that validate your hypothesis, even if they're not the ultimate business metric.
4. Research De-Risks Development
Testing with 20 users before building created stakeholder confidence and validated the approach would work far less costly than building the wrong solution.
Takeaway: Always validate with users before engineering investment.
What's Next
Recommended validation steps post-implementation:
Track Day 5, 30, 90 retention rates
Monitor change in unsubscribe reasons (especially "I don't use it enough")
Measure support complaints about content access (expected to decrease)
Track notification opt-in rates with permission priming
Skills Applied
Strategic Problem-Solving • Cross-Functional Collaboration • User Research • Competitive Analysis • UX/UI Design • Prototyping • Usability Testing • Data Analysis • Change Management • Stakeholder Communication