Validating a new subscription
proposition for Spring Subscribe

Product Designer · 3 months

89% understood the new subscription model

Making an unfamiliar subscription model
feel clear and credible

Spring was exploring a new subscription offer built around a less familiar pricing model. The challenge was to make the proposition easy to understand, trustworthy enough to consider, and compelling enough to validate before launch.

Making an unfamiliar subscription model
feel clear and credible

Spring was exploring a new subscription offer built around a less familiar pricing model. The challenge was to make the proposition easy to understand, trustworthy enough to consider, and compelling enough to validate before launch.

MY ROLE

I partnered with a senior product designer on Spring Subscribe, but was responsible for delivering the end-to-end subscription experience. My focus was on shaping and refining the key flows, ensuring the proposition felt clear, cohesive, and ready to test.

Working closely with Content Design and Engineering, I translated the concept into shippable designs and supported the experiments and iterations that moved the product toward launch.

A pricing model that got cheaper each month

A pricing model that got cheaper each month

Spring’s proposition was built around 'Depreciating Pricing', where monthly payments reduced as the handset lost value over time.

Spring’s proposition was built around 'Depreciating Pricing', where monthly payments reduced as the handset lost value over time.

Introducing Spring Subscribe

Introducing Spring Subscribe

Subscribe to tech

Choose from an extensive range of the best refurbished tech.

Subscribe to tech

Choose from an extensive range of the best refurbished tech.

Pay less each month

Pay less each month

Every month your bill goes down to reflect the true value of the tech.

Every month your bill goes down to reflect the true value of the tech.

Cancel anytime

Cancel anytime

You can cancel or upgrade your tech anytime at zero cost.

You can cancel or upgrade your tech anytime at zero cost.

The only problem was...

Only 30% of participants understood Depreciated Pricing.

Key decisions

Key decisions

Reframing depreciating pricing into "pay less"

Depreciating pricing was conceptually correct but cognitively heavy. We deliberately reframed the model into a simpler “Pay less every month” mental model, reducing the need for users to calculate or interpret value. This significantly improved comprehension and became the preferred framing for most participants.

Reframing depreciating pricing into "pay less"

Depreciating pricing was conceptually correct but cognitively heavy. We deliberately reframed the model into a simpler “Pay less every month” mental model, reducing the need for users to calculate or interpret value. This significantly improved comprehension and became the preferred framing for most participants.

Testing pricing comprehension inside an e-commerce journey

Testing pricing comprehension inside an e-commerce journey

Understanding pricing in isolation didn’t guarantee understanding at the moment of commitment. We embedded the pricing model directly into a realistic e-commerce flow to test whether users could still comprehend it while making a purchase decision.

Understanding pricing in isolation didn’t guarantee understanding at the moment of commitment. We embedded the pricing model directly into a realistic e-commerce flow to test whether users could still comprehend it while making a purchase decision.

Providing clarity on the service (and learning its limits)

As pricing comprehension improved, uncertainty shifted toward how the service actually worked. We intentionally surfaced service explanations earlier in the journey to address this and learned that while clarity improved, trust concerns persisted.

Providing clarity on the service (and learning its limits)

As pricing comprehension improved, uncertainty shifted toward how the service actually worked. We intentionally surfaced service explanations earlier in the journey to address this and learned that while clarity improved, trust concerns persisted.

Impact

Impact

Comprehension increased - 89%

Investigating innovative methods and strategies to elevate the users' understanding of the Depreciating Pricing model.

(Success criteria: > 80%)

Comprehension increased - 89%

Investigating innovative methods and strategies to elevate the users' understanding of the Depreciating Pricing model.

(Success criteria: > 80%)

Clarity improved - 50%

Settle skepticism by clearly communicating the advantages of Spring Subscribe and explain its functionality to users.

(Success criteria: > 80%)

Learnings

Learnings

🧠 Novel pricing models need earned trust

Users could explain Depreciating Pricing, but still didn’t believe it. Clear models need credibility and reassurance, not just good explanations.

🔍 Hypothetical services reduce confidence

Because Spring Subscribe wasn’t real yet, users struggled with ownership, risk, and long-term value. Concrete constraints matter, especially for high-commitment decisions.

📦 Big propositions need staged delivery

Bundling pricing innovation, flexibility, and sustainability created cognitive load. Progressive disclosure beats “everything at once.”