Push Notification Improvement for New Users

What is Prepaid2Cash?

The Prepaid2Cash mobile app allows customers to exchange their unwanted gift cards and prepaid cards for cash sent directly to their bank accounts.

Problem

During the original sign up process for a new user on the Prepaid2Cash app, users were not asked if they would like to allow push notifications. This was problematic because new users were often missing prompts to verify their account information. They were subsequently missing emails to remind them to use the app for the first time as well. Without the ability to send push notifications to new users, it was very difficult to onboard, engage and retain those users.

Brainstorming

The Customer Success team was aware of this issue and had been struggling to help onboard new users because of this. The Product Manager and I discussed this and different ways we could improve onboarding. I proposed that we ask for permission to send push notifications during the sign up process. If we asked to turn on push notifications sooner, we could remind users more quickly of next steps. We had a quick whiteboard brainstorming session to discuss what this new process could look like.

I realized that asking to turn on push notifications during the onboarding process for a new user would require it’s own screen instead of utilizing a modal or pop up. Asking for a user’s permission to send something like a push notification is asking for the user’s trust. We needed to explain to the user why push notifications would be helpful and beneficial in order to gain that trust.

Design

I knew that when adding an entirely new step to an already established process, that new step needs to seamlessly flow with the existing process. I also wanted this screen to appear fun, friendly and exciting. It was important that the design and copy encouraged users to allow push notifications so that they could stay informed about the status of important processes. It was also important to ensure users would understand that they would run the risk of missing out on important details if they opted out of push notifications. After several iterations and discussion sessions, we agreed on the final design that is now live in the mobile app.

Results

After launching this new screen in the Prepaid2Cash mobile app, the Customer Success team saw a large decrease in the number of emails questioning the status of transactions. Customer retention also increased as customers were getting real time updates to keep them in the loop about their transactions. Additionally, there were no complaints or questions received by Customer Success regarding this new screen. This showed that the new push notification screen was beneficial to growth and retention.

Iterations

Below are images of the many iterations I designed before reaching the final design, depicted above.