Launching Flo’s referral program
as a new growth channel
Launching Flo’s referral program as a new growth channel
Senior Product Designer · 2 months
+$21K monthly revenue uplift
Increasing organic growth for the world's leading women's health app
Flo is one of the world’s leading women’s health apps, with a large and highly engaged user base. That scale made referrals a promising untapped growth channel but only if the experience felt valuable for both sides and commercially viable for Premium growth.
MY ROLE
I led the end-to-end design of Flo’s Referral Program, taking it from early hypothesis to launch. I defined the referral mechanics and core user flows, iterating quickly to validate behaviour and impact.
Working closely with Product, Content Design, Engineering, and Animation, we aligned messaging, motion, and technical constraints to move the idea from 0 → 1.
MY ROLE
I led the end-to-end design of Flo’s Referral Program, taking it from early hypothesis to launch. I defined the referral mechanics and core user flows, iterating quickly to validate behaviour and impact.
Working closely with Product, Content Design, Engineering, and Animation, we aligned messaging, motion, and technical constraints to move the idea from 0 → 1.
Turning loyal users into Flo Premium advocates
Turning loyal users into Flo Premium advocates
Code shared
Users share their code with friends & family from the homepage.
Code shared
Users share their code with friends & family from the homepage.
Code claimed
The friend or family member claims their offer during the onboarding flow.
Code claimed
The friend or family member claims their offer during the onboarding flow.
Everyone wins
When the referral is claimed, both users get 30 days of Flo Premium free.
Everyone wins
When the referral is claimed, both users get 30 days of Flo Premium free.
Key decisions
Key decisions
Making the incentive double sided increased referrals
Early fake door experiments showed that users were more likely to share a code/promote Flo if something was in it for them
Making the incentive double sided increased referrals
Early fake door experiments showed that users were more likely to share a code/promote Flo if something was in it for them
Timing had a greater impact than perceived value
Timing had a greater impact than perceived value
We tested referral redemption at different points in onboarding and discovered that placement had a greater impact than the offer itself. Users were significantly more likely to activate their 30-day trial at the start of onboarding, when motivation and anticipation were highest.
We tested referral redemption at different points in onboarding and discovered that placement had a greater impact than the offer itself. Users were significantly more likely to activate their 30-day trial at the start of onboarding, when motivation and anticipation were highest.
Small moments of uncertainty caused large drop-offs
We noticed a significant increase in referrals by aligning with native share behaviours, adding lightweight feedback during code generation, and auto-filling referral codes via deep links.
Small moments of uncertainty caused large drop-offs
We noticed a significant increase in referrals by aligning with native share behaviours, adding lightweight feedback during code generation, and auto-filling referral codes via deep links.
Impact
+25K
/mo
invites sent
+9K
/mo
referrals claimed
+$21K
/mo
increase in MRR
Learnings
Learnings
📉 Referral promotion diluted other revenue drivers
The referral offer pulled attention away from high-performing monetisation features, causing small dips in conversion.
📉 Referral promotion diluted other revenue drivers
The referral offer pulled attention away from high-performing monetisation features, causing small dips in conversion.
✋ App-store rules capped Premium users’ impact
Premium users were more likely to refer, but platform restrictions blocked us from offering them “30 days free,” limiting their contribution.
✋ App-store rules capped Premium users’ impact
Premium users were more likely to refer, but platform restrictions blocked us from offering them “30 days free,” limiting their contribution.
🧐 Low activation rates signal friction in claiming codes
Only 27% of invited users activated their code, suggesting blockers in the claiming flow that need deeper investigation.
🧐 Low activation rates signal friction in claiming codes
Only 27% of invited users activated their code, suggesting blockers in the claiming flow that need deeper investigation.