Text graphic that reads 'MINOR FIGURES' in large black letters on a white background.

The Objective

Reimagine the subscription journey as mobile-first, reduce churn, and simplify product selection for a growing catalogue.

The Challenge

Our subscription model generates 60% of our revenue, but the legacy interface was cumbersome, confusing, and resulted in high cancellation rates due to "order fatigue" (customers receiving excessive products).

IMPACT

+3.5% Increase in total subscription share (from 60% to 63.5%).

5% Reduction in cancellations/pauses by helping users select the correct volume at the start.

My team

Myself - UX designer

Holly - Designer

Marione - E-Comm Manager

My Role

UX Designer (Strategy, Wireframing, and High-Fidelity Prototyping)

Screenshots of a product customization webpage on desktop and mobile, showing options for selecting oat types, quantity packs, and subscription frequency for Minor Figures' oat milk.

The Solution: A Frictionless "Subscription Hub"

To address user confusion and over-ordering, I transitioned the experience from a dense list to a guided, step-by-step, modular journey:

  • Mobile-First "Side-Scroll" UI: Implemented a horizontal product and volume selector to minimise vertical bloat.

  • Value-Driven Toggles: A clear "Subscribe vs. One-Time" toggle that visually emphasises savings without "punishing" or trapping the user.

  • Contextual Guidance: Added "Best Used For" descriptions and volume calculators (e.g., "1 carton = 1 week of coffee") to help users right-size their orders.

  • Persistent CTA: A floating "Add to Basket" bar with real-time price updates for easy checkout on mobile.

see it live!

Identifying the Friction

The original design focused heavily on explaining how a subscription works, which felt condescending to modern users. Through customer feedback, I identified two core pain points:

  1. Product Paralysis: Users weren't sure which product suited their needs.

  2. Over-Ordering: Users ordered too much, leading to a surplus at home and eventual cancellation.

An online order page for a customizable oat milk subscription service, showing a carton of barista oat milk, a description of the process, pricing, and delivery options. The page has a light purple background with green, purple, and black text sections.

long, condescending text blocks that didn’t translate well to mobile

Competitive Benchmarking

With tight deadlines, I analysed industry leaders in the FMCG sector, such as HelloFresh and Pact Coffee. While we initially explored a quiz-based recommendation engine, we pivoted to a "Subscription Hub" layout to bring a high-quality solution to market faster.

Screenshots of the HelloFresh app interface showing meal preferences, goals, and cooking frequency options.
Screenshot of Pact Coffee loyalty program interface with three sections. The first section offers 25% off on first three orders with options to choose regular or decaf coffee. The second section asks for the preferred brewing method, showing espresso and filter options. The third section presents two coffee options for purchase: Decaf Buenos Aires and Decaf La Alemania, each priced at £9.95, with descriptions indicating medium roast with hints of chocolate and raisin, and medium roast with hints of milk chocolate and raisin, respectively. Both coffees are from Colombia.

User questionnaire

Inspired by HelloFresh, I mocked up a questionnaire-based flow to help new users find their perfect product match. While shelved for the initial MVP to meet deadlines, it remains a high-priority iteration for our personalisation roadmap.

Screenshots of a mobile app interface for 'Minor Figures' with various menus and options related to nutrition, flavors, cooking, breakfast, and other categories, featuring a colorful, glitchy background.

Design Decisions & Features

Helping Users "Right-Size": Instead of just listing volumes, we added visual aids and text explanations. For example, under the volume selector, we added the text "6 pack = 1 coffee a day.." This directly addressed the issue of customers ordering too much and then cancelling out of frustration.

Comparison of pack sizes with a visual representation of 6-pack, 12-pack, and another pack type, showing the quantity and packaging differences.

The Benefits Toggle: To increase transparency, I designed a toggle for the "Subscription Bonus."

  • Subscribed Mode: Prices are highlighted, and bonuses are visible.

  • One-Time Mode: Prices revert to RRP, and bonus info is greyed out. This puts the power in the user's hands, building trust.

A promotional subscription offer webpage with a green background. It features a subscription toggle switch at the top, a frequency dropdown set to every 2 weeks, and various discount offers. There is a 30% off promotion, a stylized woman with sunglasses, a first order shirt with the same woman’s image, and an empty space labeled 'Early Drop Access' with a question mark. Below, there are details about discounts, editing, shipping, and cancellation policies.

The "New User" Safety Net: Post-launch, we found that some new users were still hesitant to commit to a full case of a single flavour. I integrated a CTA for a "Mixed Core Taster Pack" at the bottom of the page, providing a lower-barrier entry point for the brand.

Advertisement for Barista Oats featuring three varieties in cartons and a tasting pack, with a blue background, green accents, and a call-to-action button labeled 'Shop Now.'

The Outcome

The redesign successfully balanced business goals with user needs. By focusing on clarity over "instruction," we saw immediate improvements in our core metrics:

  • Conversion: A 3.5% lift in subscription adoption (60% to 63.5%).

  • Retention: A 5% drop in cancellations, proving that helping users pick the right amount of product is better for long-term revenue than just selling them the most product.

Key Takeaways

1. Context is King users don't need a manual on "how subscriptions work"—they need to know how the product fits into their specific life. Translating "6 pack" into "One coffee a day for a month" was a small copy change that had a massive impact on user confidence.

2. Managing Scope vs. Ambition The "HelloFresh-style" questionnaire was a strong idea, but recognising the need to launch a functional "Subscription Hub" first taught me the value of MVP (Minimum Viable Product) thinking. It’s better to deliver a solid improvement today than a "perfect" solution three months too late.

3. Mobile-First is Non-Negotiable With the rise in mobile traffic, designing for the thumb (floating CTAs and side-scrolling) wasn't just a design choice—it was a business necessity. The ease of the "Subscription Hub" on mobile directly contributed to the lift in sign-ups.