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Ancestry Growth
New Person Hint
Introduced a gated experience that lets users preview a potential new relative during onboarding — driving a 14% lift in subscriptions
Project
Timeline
2 week sprint
Role
Lead designer
Concept
We know from our data that our engagement is increasing substantially, however only 3.5% of registrants convert to free trial or hard offer
↑
% of Users starting a tree increasing from 24% last year to 52% this year
Engagement is increasing
↓
Registrants hitting a paywall is low
% of Users hitting a paywall remain as low as 16%
Freemium’s Big Opportunity:
Paywalls That Turn Engagement into Conversions
A key opportunity for Ancestry’s freemium model is strategically placing paywalls throughout the user journey to maximize conversions.
Opportunity Solution Tree
Our A/B test results were clear—Option 1 was the standout winner by a significant margin.
1) Interstitial page upsell
This approach paused the flow to present a focused, distraction-free upsell. By isolating the value proposition and visuals, it created a moment of decision—helping users clearly understand what they’d get with a free trial.
2) Non intrusive upsell
This version used a bottom sheet pattern embedded in the existing flow. It was designed to feel more contextual and less disruptive, aiming to surface the offer naturally as part of the user’s experience.
+14% All sign ups improvement
+14% sharing Node creation improvement
Who are we trying to target ?
The freemium experience targets the '0 monther' registrant segment their due to their strong purchase intent, with 8% conversion rate.
Showing value immediately is the key to upsell
Factors that can lead to convinving 0 monthers to upgrade
- Knowing that content exists
- Seeing that it is personalized to their family
- Understanding that our system is smart (reciprocity)
0 Monther registrant's journey
According to the research our upsell appears 2-6 days into the user journey, which is much later
Start a tree
Onboarding
See a New Person Hint
Onboarding
Continue tree
building
Paywall
Start a tree
Onboarding
Add potential relatives = 65 %
Continue tree
building
Paywall
Person page
Save records = 9%
Share records = 7%
Record detail page
Save records = 27%
Share records = 18%
Record detail page
Save records = 32%
Share records = 24%
See a New Person Hint
Onboarding
Treatment
1
Treatment
2
Free Trial timeline
Treatment
3
Interstitial page upsell
Non intrusive upsell
Control
New Person Hint
Focused on capturing the users attention on the upsell offer without any distraction to clearly communicate the value of the premium offer
A way to introduce the offer by using the bottom sheet pattern to communicate the value of the premium feature
Provide transparency by educating the users of the free services they can get on a free trial, along with the reminder of when the trail ends.
Next Steps:
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Metering NPH and give users credit
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Including NPH in the DNA side of things
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